Quote:
"The fact that [in Something New] Nell Shipman cast herself in the role of the woman who writes the film's story points to the level of the film's production. In other words, if her previous starring role of the wife of a writer is taken into account, as well as the erasure of her contribution as a scenarist to Back to God's Country, her self-casting could likewise be thought of as an unabashed and even confrontational gesture. Considering that she was the producer-scenarist and star, the film seems to have been not only a promotional item for a brand of car, but also an act of self-promotion on the part of Nell Shipman."
-- Annette Förster

Source:
Förster, Annette. "Nell Shipman and the American Silent Cinema." In Women in the Silent Cinema: Histories of Fame and Fate. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2017. (p. 379)