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Aisha Tyler and Kirsten Vangsness agree: Hollywood’s next creative revolution will come from outside the traditional studio system.
“We have to make our own things,” Vangsness told IndieWire on the 2026 Emmys carpet. “It’s nice to get paid for it, and I’m so happy to get paid for it. I’m so happy that I have my job. But I also feel like, as creatives, we have to [make our own things] because art ultimately is political.”
Tyler agreed, “I don’t have a choice. I have to make stuff. I’m not waiting around for some guy in a gilded office to give me permission to make art. “I think people out there, if you’re feeling anxious about it, just make your stuff,” she said. “Keep making your stuff.”
The pair, who star together on Paramount+’s “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” reflected on creative independence while discussing the state of television, the industry’s ongoing consolidation, and their personal creative passions.
“I’m in fancy indentured servitude,” Vangsness joked of working within structures. (She also wore a Timothy Snyder badge referencing the historian’s opposition to media mergers.) “I think creative independence is incredibly important, and we have to keep pushing. It’s scary. We’re in scary, scary times, and it’s all the more reason why we have to make our own things.”
Tyler is currently preparing her third independent film, following her 2017 directorial debut “Axis” and the upcoming psychological thriller “I Hope We Can Still Be Friends”. She described indie filmmaking as a necessary corrective force inside a media culture increasingly dominated by algorithmic thinking and corporate risk management.
“I actually think that we’re about to embark on a third independent film revolution, specifically ‘Intelligent Revolution,’ which we need because people don’t want to watch robots mimic human experience,” Tyler said. “They want to see real experience with real humans.”
“The last independent film revolution did really change the business,” she continued. “I think this one’s going to be even more vigorous and more aggressive.”
Tyler has directed episodes of “Criminal Minds,” “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Evil,” and “Elsbeth.” She advised that artists should trust their instincts even when major Hollywood gatekeepers don’t immediately understand their work.
“Every time someone in this town was like, ‘I don’t get it,’ and that person went out and made it, they came back, and they were like, ‘I always knew it was going to be a big hit,’” Tyler said. “You’re seeing people reject giant corporate art in favor of really rugged, independent, intimate stuff. And that’s where we should be going, because we’re not trying to check out robot feelings, man. We want human feelings all the way.”
Vangsness stressed that the need for artists to create their own work is especially urgent in an era of uncertainty. She’s touring her play, “Outdated,” right now and said the work itself, rather than a job or title, ultimately provides her with fulfillment.
“The job doesn’t make you happy,” Vangsness said. “Your creative endeavors make you happy.”
The duo’s Emmys carpet conversation with IndieWire also reminded readers of the collaborative spirit that can thrive within decade-spanning television communities.
Vangsness recalled meeting the late Tim Curry at a local gym and immediately campaigning to bring him onto “Criminal Minds.” Curry ultimately appeared as serial killer Billy Flynn in two episodes of the original series, including the Season 5 finale.
“I didn’t even work that day,” Vangsness recalled. “I drove to work, and I busted open an editing bay at the time we were editing, and I said, ‘Tim Curry wants to be on our show.’ Because I wanted to say I did it. I didn’t want casting to be able to claim it.”
Curry became one of the show’s memorable guest stars. His “Criminal Minds” origin story also reflects the series’ history of naturally attracting extraordinary performers, Tyler said.
She added that, as an artist, she’s most moved when other creatives tell her that her work encouraged them to change their lives. As one of the few Black women directing regularly in television, she said she hopes her career can make the path more visible to others.
“There are so few Black female directors,” Tyler said. “I love directing, but I also do it because I had so few people to look up to. I hope that I can be a woman and a woman of color in the directing space that can inspire other people to step into it.”
For Tyler and Vangsness, the answer to Hollywood’s uncertainty is not to wait for the industry to stabilize — but to choose to make something now, regardless.
“Just make your stuff,” Tyler said. “Keep making your stuff.”
English (US) ·