The Aging of Movie Stars

Demi Moore, who is 44 years old (a stripling to many elders), has lately been lambasting Hollywood producers for not hiring actresses of a certain age, of not even bothering to write roles for them.

Although my sympathy for people who take home millions of dollars for a couple of months’ work is tepid, Ms. Moore is not wrong. Except for occasional supporting roles as mothers (who are never germane to the plot), Hollywood actresses disappear from the screen at about age 35 or certainly by 40.

After of few years of exile, they turn up as has-been semi-celebrities on reality shows then disappear again until they age into grande dames like Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith (although it is curious that the current crop is all British).

The result of Ms. Moore’s public griping has been, in the gossip rags, to point out her physical failings. How’s this for a headline?

“Demi's £260,000 body remodelling in tatters as she reveals yet more wrinkles”

After a lengthy recitation of the all the liposuction, lifts and injections Ms. Moore has done, including the price of each, the story continues:

“Where once her skin was taut and smooth, she now sports pronounced crow's feet and deep set wrinkles.

“Heavy bags and shadowing around both eyes added to her apparent rapid aging. Ironically, her less than polished appearance came during the photocall of her new movie, Flawless.

“Miss Moore's latest public appearance comes four years after she made her first visit to the plastic surgeon…

“Last night, plastic surgeon Apostolos Gaitanis said: ‘Basically she will need botox around her eyes to make her skin smoother.

"’She should also consider using small injections of hyaluronic acids and multi-vitamins to improve the texture of her cheeks.’”

Daily Mail, 2 October 2007

What is important about this is that whether we like it or not, the media’s attitude toward celebrities' age - from who is chosen to appear in movies and on television at one end of the scale to newspaper and magazines stories such as this one - is that the negative portrayal of old people (particularly women) or lack of portrayal at all, devolves onto ordinary elders and becomes part of the culture of ageism.

There is nothing wrong with youth and beauty. If you can’t gasp sometimes at the breathtaking perfection of a 25-year-old in full bloom, you’re probably not breathing at all. But youth should not be the only human condition that is valued.

Oh, and here’s the photograph the Daily Mail finds so repellent. I think she is lovely.

[At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Joy Des Jardins takes a poke at our funny bone in It's Worth a Good Laugh.]

Comments

[Judith in Umbria]

How very odd that no movie would be written about someone with crow's feet. Surely here in Italy one of the most broadcast movies is The Diary of Bridget Jones who was not portrayed as a glamour girl at all.

Several things come to mind. One is that Ms Moore has positioned herself to be the all-done-up perfect female and not the riveting character. Another is that Mirren, Dench, et al have continuously acted in programs where normal sexuality and human imperfections were frankly portrayed and none were American that I recall. I'd really like to see high def portraits of Moore's critics.

So the market is only for movies that appeal to kids. Watch foreign movies, I guess. Ms Moore is a lot younger than many Italian stars who are still considered sexy and watchable, French ones, too.

The sad thing is I can remember when Moore was a teenager just splashing on to the scene.

[Kay Dennison]

I think Demi is right (and looks just fine to me). However, young and pretty is the ticket in all aspects of life.

I think Meryl Streep has done a nice job of aging but how often do we see her anymore?

I, frankly, am tired of the antics of the Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohans and yearn to see grownups when I go to the movies.

Harrison Ford still gets leading roles -- and plays opposite women young enough to be his daughter so I guess its okay for men to age but not us gals.

What's wrong with this picture?

[notdotdot]

The pretty picture is quite useless because it's not the "real" person at the age of 44.

[Mary Jo Graves]

In recent years, television seems more receptive to older actresses--e.g., Kyra Sedwick, Glen Close, Holly Hunter, Jill Clayburgh.

[Susanne]

Ms. Moore will give in and get more plastic surgery while whining about not getting parts, just like all of the Hollyweird sheep do. Yawn

[Darlene]

Hollywood has always worshiped st the throne of beauty. In fact, they are responsible in a large part for the youth culture. Anyone who worked in that industry should have known it going in. What makes Meryl Streep, and others, a survivor is that they didn't build their lives around their self image as Demi seems to have done. I blame the producers et. al. for fostering this false image that physical beauty is all that matters.

[Rain]

It takes people going to movies who want to see the Ellen Burstyns, Meryl Streeps, Diane Keatons, Susan Sarandons-- love stories like The Notebook with Gena Rowlands, in depth stories of aging like Driving Miss Daisy. They are out there but it just doesn't pull in the big audiences. What gets me more than the plight of poor Demi, with her husband 12 years younger, millions in the bank, and still a beauty, is that they take a man her age and put him opposite a 20 something-- barely.

I had a male friend at one time who felt no woman over 40 was sexy (he was in his mid 50s at the time). Older women, in his eyes, could be beautiful but not sexy. I totally disagreed with him. Sophia Loren is a good example at 70 but she isn't making movies in the United States.

The thing is a lot of these stars, who have botoxed and surgically stretched themselves to the limit, prove his point. You can stay wrinkleless but you cannot stay sexy-- unless you keep your natural face and the spirit that goes with it. Demi Moore looked great in that photo and I have seen her look good in a lot of other pictures, but she cannot have personality if she weakens and has more surgery, more botox. It takes away that and personality is where I believe sexiness lies.

An ordinary woman can say she no longer cares if she looks sexy but movie stars have to do so as that is what the major audience wants. Not that I think a lot of these young, drugged out of their minds, starlets are sexy, but then a man might see it differently. To me Sophia Loren is sexy and proved it again when she posed for that calendar last year. Susan Sarandon, who if she's had work, has had limited, she looks sexy because of her vitality when she speaks against the war.

Interesting piece and something I have also thought about a lot. Maybe putting down a photo like that of Demi is all about making money for pharmaceuticals and surgical interests.

[Paula]

Somehow you just know that no young girl EVER listens to anyone who says, "Be an actress if you want to, but what are you going to do when you're 50?"

That's because no pretty young girl can imagine "50 or more" as birthdays that will actually happen to her personally.

It IS shocking to see people who think of as "kids" aged out of these high-visibility careers.

But go look at what's playing at your neighborhood multiplex. The people who make the decisions about what gets into movies (and actually everywhere else, too) are 25 to 55 year old men. We are all stuck with their jejune fantasy life writ large in nearly every media outlet.

Thank goodness they'll never get old. Actually, they'll never have any other setbacks or tragedy in their lives, either. Because what can go wrong that a sports car, a gun collection, or a cool computer can't fix?

We all know that's how life really works, and what they show us is what we all aspire to have. Isn't it ;)

[Dee]

I saw Demi on Ellen DeGeneres'show not long ago....she can't compare with the British women (actors)nor with Streep, Sarandon & Close. That's because IMHO, she lacks talent & a certain depth of character that we acquire thru years of living & grieving. Her conversation with Ellen was superficial & her comments on parenting were naive. And I totally agree with Paula's take on some of the reasons we are inundated with this phony albeit, youthful culture shoved at us from every direction. My DH & I keep saying we are going to find a cabin in the woods & get away from it all.....lol. Dee

[kenju]

I remember Demi when she was but a teenager, appearing on General Hospital or maybe some other soap. She was very pretty then, and had gorgeous hair, but I think she is far more interesting looking today, even with all the botox and whatever else she had done.

[travelinoma]

A 44 year-old-woman is not the same as a 25-year-old woman. There are qualities that each has that the other doesn't have. Hopefully, as physical attributes mature, depth and personality mature as well. Understanding, empathy, wisdom and tolerance provide a woman with beauty that lasts longer than perky breasts. Both types of beauty can take your breath away.

[Joe Wasylyk]

Demi.......... because of here movie Industry knowledge and acting talent can change the way elder persons contribute to this Industry. She has the opportunity to become a Director and then change HOW she would use older actors/actresses in new films that the coming Baby Boomers would like to see. Leave the REST for the younger people to continue to enjoy. I believe it's our responsibility to become more productive and be more CREATIVE as elders instead of just complaining about what was and now isn't possible because of changing tastes or market trends.

[Chancy]

Demi Moore was 42, and Ashton Kutcher was 27 when they wed in 2005.
So Demi probably has double the incentive to ward off aging, being married to a man 15 years younger, and the pressure from the movie industry.

Trophy husband?

[Peggy]

She does look beautiful. Perhaps her inability to get roles has more to do with reasons other than her age. Why doesn't she go and write something? Light a candle instead of bitching about the dark.

[Kim]

To by-pass Ms. Moore I would rather address the ageism issue right now. It's not going to get any better any time soon. Not when 14-somethings on blogs and forums can gripe about "getting old" and complain they would rather commit suicide than live to be old at ... 20.

No, I'm not exaggerating. Just visit any "youth oriented" forum on the web (Gaiaonline.com for example) Yes there are older people there but the tide of youth in some cases juveniles with the idea that 18 is old is just over the top!

I suppose my generation is partially to blame for this with our then attitude of "don't trust anyone over 30". It has certainly come back to bite us in the rear. But this sort of ageism attitude will continue to be fostered until someone decides to pull the plug on advertisers and others who promote it. As a starter.

Sad to say, I think it won't be until the next generation or two are in their "gray" period that the issue will finally be resolved. Along with body size, shape and other as yet acceptable forms of abuse.

[madame l.]

Here's some women who didn't give in to the pressure and the bull****:

Charlotte Rampling, Gena Rowlands, Kate Hepburn, Judy Dench, Kathy Bates, My Grandmother.