While Silverstone rarely works as a producer today, she does still dabble in that area of the business. She executive produced two projects in recent years — the films “Sister of the Groom” and “Last Survivors,” both of which also featured her in a starring role. Before that, Silverstone had only produced three projects since 1997 (and none since 2005), perhaps due to the negative reaction she got when she received her initial production deal. When Silverstone was offered a production deal post-“Clueless,” many in the industry disparaged her rather instead of offering encouragement. In 1997, the Los Angeles Times even ran an offensive article entitled, “Silverstone, the Star … but the Producer?” which questioned the actor’s ability to take on the added responsibility.
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It did not help matters that Silverstone’s first production, “Excess Baggage,” was a box office bomb. Then again, let’s give credit where credit is due. While many male stars of that era had production companies, few women were given the opportunity to make their own content. Age was also an important factor and likely one reason why Silverstone was doubted. She was only 18 when Columbia Pictures signed her to a two-picture production deal worth $8 million, and was far younger than other producers of that time (nowadays, artists like Marsai Martin are being given producer roles as young as 14). “Not everybody who’s 23 can say they produced a film, and really produced it, not just put their name on it,” Silverstone refreshingly and proudly told Empire when asked about the movie.
