Faking It With ‘Erin Brockovich’

* I read that the director [Steven Soderbergh] of “Erin Brockovich” “was not interested in a woman-empowerment movie” [“ ‘Brockovich’ Sales Leave Universal Only Half-Thrilled,” March 21].

I am so sorry! Perhaps when he takes his checks to the bank, as the result of women attending the movie, the commercial appeal will make the subject matter less abhorrent to him. He must have learned to fake it someplace along the line--he certainly did make a woman-empowerment movie and a human-being-empowerment movie, and can’t they be the same thing?

CAROL MARSHALL

Orange