Last night, I had the opportunity to attend a great talk with producer Gale Ann Hurd. She produced such movies as Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. She is currently producing several projects including the TV series The Walking Dead.

During the Q&A, one woman asked how she balances work and raising a child. It’s a good question because it’s an incredibly hard thing to do. But it occurred to me that I bet no one’s ever asked that of James Cameron, director of such movies as Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. Hurd gave Cameron his first real break in the industry and he also happens to be her former husband.

But if you’re a mom, the assumption is that no matter how awesome you are at your day job, being a mom is still your major role in life. If you’re a dad, especially 20 years ago, that was just an aspect of your life. It didn’t have to have consequences to your career. I think that’s slowly starting to change because the expectations of fathers is starting to evolve. For example, people ask me how I balance work, having a kid, and doing iPhone stuff. (I like Hurd’s response, “I don’t sleep a lot so … I guess it works out.”)

Still, if I ever get the opportunity to ask James Cameron a question, I’ll ask him how he balances being a director and a dad.

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