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Female, forty and furious
smh.com.au ^

Posted on 01/18/2004 5:53:14 PM PST by Sub-Driver

Female, forty and furious January 19, 2004 - 11:24AM

On the attack ... Sharon Stone, Holly Hunter and Meg Ryan.

Hollywood's most formidable female stars have united to condemn "sexist" film moguls for failing to find roles for women over 40.

Meg Ryan, Holly Hunter, Charlotte Rampling, Sharon Stone and Whoopi Goldberg are among a group of 30 actresses who have taken part in a documentary by Rosanna Arquette to be screened in Britain this summer.

The documentary is seen as a thinly veiled attack on moguls such as Harvey Weinstein - the portly co-owner of Miramax - who control the film industry and the careers of Hollywood actresses.

Arquette, 44, who rose to fame when she starred opposite Madonna in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, said that her interest in what happened to 40-year-old women in Hollywood was sparked by the experience of

Debra Winger, the star of Terms of Endearment, who announced that she was quitting in 1996 aged 40. "Ageing," Arquette said this week, "equals career death."

In the documentary, called Searching For Debra Winger, Winger, who has been nominated for three Oscars, tells how she decided to quit and reveals that while she was working on An Officer And a Gentlemen the notorious producer Don Simpson told her that she needed diet pills.

Julianna Margulies, 37, who starred in ER opposite George Clooney, speaks frankly about the rigours of the casting couch. "You ask anyone that has been in those [audition] meetings. They say, 'Yeah that actress is great but would you f*** her?' And they ask all the men in the room."

The documentary will provoke heated debate in Hollywood, which has long been accused of discriminating against women for their age and beauty. Arquette told London's Sunday Telegraph that she had already received criticism from film bosses. "There are a lot of misogynistic men who are very angry about it," she said. "They've told me, 'It's just a bunch of chicks sitting around bitching about us'."

In the film, Daryl Hannah, 43, says that the root of the problem lies "with the guys who run the studios. They choose projects that they identify with and they say, 'I'd like to be that man having an affair with a chick of 18'."

Samantha Mathis, 33, agrees. "It's the revenge of the nerds syndrome, all these guys couldn't get a girlfriend in high school. They are smart but they have no social skills; suddenly they are running studios in a position of power."

Arquette's subjects are candid and often angry about the way the industry has spat them out once they have aged. Martha Plimpton, 33, says: "For women it's either, she's a starlet or she's an old hag." Whoopi Goldberg adds that film producers "want you to think that you're done" once actresses had turned 40.

Arquette, who is currently filming another documentary about musicians, continues to act and has recently been filming two comedies with the British actresses Imogen Stubbs and Jennifer Saunders.

She says that certain elements of Hollywood have always annoyed her. "I find it offensive that in Hollywood a 68-year-old movie star is paired with a 30-year-old, or someone even younger. You think, 'Come on, who are you kidding'. It is offensive."

Other interviewees said that they had financial problems when the parts dried up. Theresa Russell, 46, says: "It was really hard, I didn't get an audition for years and I started running out of money. I thought, what else can I do? I resent being in this situation. They want to put you out to pasture."

In any other profession, she says, "your work would get better the older you got". Holly Hunter, 45, who won an Oscar for The Piano, believes actresses are at their peak at 40. "The deal is that actresses who are good have probably never been better once they hit 40. Once I hit 40 I had charms that I didn't have when I was 30 and I want to use them."

Teri Garr, 53, who has appeared in more than 50 films, including Tootsie, insists that films should reflect the existence of older women in real life. "There are people who are my age and older who still exist in the world, so there should be writers who write stories that include them. There should be parts for us, even if they are smaller."

She adds: "I remember when I was young the great actresses telling me, 'Wait till they tell you your face has been ravaged by time'."

Diane Lane, 39, dislikes the vocabulary used to describe older women's looks. "If you want to live you must age. Beauty has to be a certain way [in Hollywood]." If you age, she says, "it is described as 'damaged beauty' or 'sad beauty' or 'aged beauty'." She adds: "Character actresses will always work freely because they are not coming from the immaculate time when one looked perfect." Adrienne Shelley, 38, the star of The Unbelievable Truth, tells of how much sex plays a part of being a Hollywood actress. She says: "I get a call in my car on the way to an audition from the agent. He said, 'What is really important is that they think you are f***able'.

"The man walks in and looks right at my tits and I saw in his face that there was no way I was going to get the part. And yet in the real world there is no way I would give this guy the time of day."

Lane urges women to make more of an issue of the problem. "When women don't want to talk about these issues it is so awful," she says. "Hiding away just perpetuates the problem.

"Women want to watch other women of their own age sometimes. All these young people are great but let them watch each other. We want to watch us."


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: actress; aging; castingcouch; hollyweird; hollywood
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To: Sub-Driver
BTTT
281 posted on 01/19/2004 6:51:11 AM PST by DoctorMichael (Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.)
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To: proud American in Canada
Really it's the shallowness of Hollywood bimbos that is getting slammed here. Not all women over 40 are old hags --- but those whose careers were based around being attractive bimbos should know that there is a time limit on that. Just like strippers and anyone else who wants to be paid only for how they look.

These women only had careers because of their looks in the first place and now those looks aren't there --- so too bad for them.
282 posted on 01/19/2004 6:51:42 AM PST by FITZ
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To: xzins
Breathes there a man or woman who, in his/her wildest dreams, can imagine that Whoopi Goldberg EVER landed a part for being a hottie?

Dan

(I don't really share your admiration for her on the other planes, either; talented, true, but talent so overshadowed by nasty, bitter, arrogant anger.)

283 posted on 01/19/2004 6:52:05 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: BibChr
I liked the Color of Purple. It's a very good movie.

And (heaven help me) I liked the first "Sister Act."
284 posted on 01/19/2004 6:53:50 AM PST by xzins (Retired Army and Proud of it!)
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To: TexasNative2000
Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judith Dench(sp) to add a few
285 posted on 01/19/2004 6:55:53 AM PST by CathyRyan
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To: Hank Rearden
That's Melanie Griffith? She get hit by a bus or something? ................................

LOL

286 posted on 01/19/2004 6:58:11 AM PST by MadelineZapeezda
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To: Sub-Driver
Seems to me they all have plenty of projects . . .

Holly Hunter:
1. Incredibles, The (2004) (filming) (voice) .... Helen Parr/Elastigirl
2. Little Black Book (2004) (post-production) .... Barb
3. Thirteen (2003) .... Melanie 'Mel' Freeland
4. Levity (2003) .... Adele Easley
5. Moonlight Mile (2002) .... Mona Camp
6. Eco Challenge New Zealand (2002) (TV) .... Narrator
7. When Billie Beat Bobby (2001) (TV) .... Billie Jean King
8. Harlan County War (2000) (TV) .... Ruby Kincaid
9. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) .... Penny Wharvey McGill
10. Timecode (2000) .... Renee Fishbine
11. Woman Wanted (2000) .... Emma Riley
12. Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000) .... Rebecca (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")

Meg Ryan:
1. Against the Ropes (2004) (completed) .... Jackie Kallen
2. In the Cut (2003) .... Frannie
3. Kate & Leopold (2001) .... Kate McKay
4. Proof of Life (2000) .... Alice Bowman
5. Hanging Up (2000) .... Eve Mozell Marks

Sharon Stone:
1. Catwoman (2004) (filming) .... Laurel Hedare
2. Different Loyalty, A (2004) (post-production) .... Sally Cauffield
3. Cold Creek Manor (2003) .... Leah Tilson
4. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" (2002) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
5. CyberWorld (2000) (voice) (archive footage) .... Princess Bala
6. Beautiful Joe (2000) .... Alice 'Hush' Mason
7. Picking Up the Pieces (2000) .... Candy Cowley
8. If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000) (TV) .... Fran (segment "2000")

Rosanna Arquette:
1. Iowa (2004) (post-production) .... Effie Harte
2. Max and Grace (2004) .... Vera
3. Rush of Fear (2003) (TV) .... Alex McGuire
4. Diary of a Sex Addict (2001) .... Grace Horn
5. Good Advice (2001) .... Cathy Sherman
6. Big Bad Love (2001) .... Velma
7. Joe Dirt (2001) (uncredited) .... Charlene
8. Things Behind the Sun (2001) .... Pete
9. Too Much Flesh (2000) .... Amy
10. Poison (2000) (TV) .... Traci's mother
11. Whole Nine Yards, The (2000) .... Sophie Oseransky
287 posted on 01/19/2004 6:58:51 AM PST by theophilusscribe
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To: xzins
Oh, yeah, she can be fun, it's true. I thought she was surprisingly good in Ghost, too.

But for me, every time her face appeared in Star Trek: TNG... (cue sound of screeching breaks, collision).

Dan

288 posted on 01/19/2004 7:03:17 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: Sub-Driver
I'm to the age where ladies in their early 40's can look young and sexy.

But no one has a "right" to a particular movie role.
289 posted on 01/19/2004 7:11:18 AM PST by Sam Cree (democrats are herd animals)
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To: CathyRyan

Her talent my be questionable, but that Demi's holding up pretty good at 40 is undeniable.

290 posted on 01/19/2004 7:11:29 AM PST by Jim Cane
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To: Sub-Driver
A lot of professions don't want women (or men) over 40. That's life, deal with it.
291 posted on 01/19/2004 7:12:26 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Sub-Driver
Speaking of aging well have any of you ladies out there checked out Mikhail Baryshnikov in Sex and the City? My God the man is even better looking now than he was when he was much younger.
292 posted on 01/19/2004 7:13:13 AM PST by LoudRepublicangirl (loudrepublicangirl)
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To: Jim Cane
Demi is doing what any successful actor should do, own a production company so you can still make money even after you can't get any more movie roles. It's like any profession, only plan to work for someone else until your 40, and save up enough money to start your own business because once you hit 40, it will be much tougher to stay employed, in any industry.
293 posted on 01/19/2004 7:19:10 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: FormerACLUmember
"What are male baby foreskins used for?"

Hmmmmmm.

...*poppers*?

294 posted on 01/19/2004 7:28:41 AM PST by Landru (Tagline Schmagline...)
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To: Sub-Driver
Ain't it a beeatch to no longer make millions relying on one's looks?

My advice ladies... do what the rest of us do when adversity hits, come down to sea level and get a real job.

As Mrs. Spafford (7th & 8th grade history teacher) once told us in the late 70s... whoever told you life was fair, they lied.

Trajan88

295 posted on 01/19/2004 7:29:00 AM PST by Trajan88 (www.bullittclub.com)
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To: Jim Cane
Well, Demi's paid someone lots of $$$ to help "hold her up" if I recall correctly.
296 posted on 01/19/2004 7:33:19 AM PST by goodnesswins (Poverty is more about the "mental" than the "money.")
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To: goodnesswins
Well, Demi's paid someone lots of $$$ to help "hold her up" if I recall correctly.

That's me. She pays me to be her "hand bra". I have to follow her around with my hands under her shirt holding them up to make her look pert.

Or was that just a dream....?

297 posted on 01/19/2004 7:38:24 AM PST by Jim Cane
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To: Pukin Dog
How many things look good at 40 except for currency, precious metals minerals and liquor?

I look damn good at 45. I wonder what you look like?


298 posted on 01/19/2004 7:41:18 AM PST by ValerieUSA
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To: Sub-Driver
The right thing to do, if you're not a Lib whiner, is to form your own production company, commission some scripts, and create the film that has the roles in it that you want.

There's lots of stories to be written about older women; in fact, lots of good films have been made about older women...films that even libs could be in, like Playing For Time, Stanley and Iris, or even Steel Magnolias.

If you want something to happen, sometimes you gotta make it happen.

299 posted on 01/19/2004 7:53:51 AM PST by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: AAABEST; Cultural Jihad
I thought, what else can I do? I resent being in this situation.

Any questions?

300 posted on 01/19/2004 7:58:20 AM PST by Howlin
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