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[Exclusive] Director Vanessa Parise on the new awareness 'Charmed' seeks to convey in these politically charged times

In an exclusive interview with Meaww, the producing director of 'Charmed' decodes the reason why male directors get more opportunities than their female counterparts.

The power of three has come alive once again as 'Charmed' reboot has fans buzzing with its latest episode 4 titled 'Exorcise Your Demons,' which aired on The CW on November 4. Given that the new 'Charmed' is almost an entirely new show featuring the Vera Sisters instead of the Halliwells, Meaww caught up with Vanessa Parise, producing director and co-executive producer of 'Charmed,' as she shared an insight into the underlying political message of the rather comedic series.

As one of Hollywood's top female directors breaking stereotypes, we were not surprised to see an entirely new avatar of 'Charmed' starting right from multiracial casts, to a homosexual lead, to addressing the #Metoo and TimesUp movement in the pilot itself. Was this drawn from your personal experience? Have you felt discrimination? And can you please tell us why all these were necessary for a reboot and what more can we expect from the show? 

I started out in the indie feature world – writing, directing, producing and starring in my own films. I never felt any discrimination but as soon as I wanted to get into the system [directing and producing episodic television and studio features] – the system where you make a lot of money, I felt a huge shift. Since then, it’s felt mostly like I’m pushing a boulder up a mountain.