In a 2018 interview on
Build (2014),
Brett Morgen spoke about one of the life choices
Jane Goodall made that interested him in making the film: "When Jane was coming up, and even today, when a woman and a man decide to have a child, it's often the woman who has to give up her career. That's just the way people expect it. Now imagine what it was like in 1968?? It was absolutely expected that Jane would give up her career to have a child. Well guess what? Jane does NOT give up her career to have a child, and it's one of, I think, the most powerful moments in the film for audience members, particularly of a certain age and of a certain generation and a certain gender, where it's actually a heroic thing. I've found that one of the biggest challenges in being an artist is trying to be a great artist and a great parent. It's impossible. You can be one or the other. You have to pick. Because they both TAKE TIME, and there's only so many hours in the day. So that narrative, to me, was very intriguing."
