Archive for the 'Ageism' Category

Here’s what she had to say about her great year:

“Sexism is everywhere. Ageism is everywhere. But you know know what? It’s about making money. Look at what Sarah Jessica Parker did with Sex and the City. Look at what Meryl Streep is doing” — she pauses to laugh — “every other week! The proof is in the pudding. I didn’t have the ‘Oh my God, I’m not working because I’m 40.’ I was working when I was 40. I’ve never had this many opportunities in my lifetime.”

Magazine hits the newsstands today.

Sandra Bullock Soars (EW)

You can’t but help feel good watching this documentary by Sarah Knight about the blues band Saffire.  These are older women who want to make music and have been on the road for years bringing their brand of blues to people all over the country.

Director Sarah Knight answered some questions about the film.  You can purchase it here. The film is also availalbe on Amazon and on the band’s website.
Women & Hollywood: What drew you to make this film?

Sarah Knight: My fascination with Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women began in the early ’90s after the release of their second album, “Hot Flash.” They caught my eye because, at that time, they were receiving a great deal of national press including features in “The New York Times” & “People Magazine,” and on “Entertainment Tonight” & CNN’s “Showbiz Today.”

It was their story that first intrigued me -- that of three middle-aged women quitting their jobs and hitting the road to pursue their dreams. Their witty lyrics (in songs like, “I Gotta a Silver Beaver” and “Middle Aged Blues Boogie”) provided a further hook, but it was their stellar musicianship that converted me into a permanent fan. In addition, I was lucky enough to catch one of their electrifying live shows when they performed at the 1997 Seattle Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, where one of my short films was being screened.

Some time later I contacted their manager, Bonnie Tallman, only to find their life rights had been under option by another film company for many years. Fortunately for me, nothing was ever realized and the band decided to grant the rights to me when the former option expired in 2006.

The project was originally envisioned as a narrative feature film with actresses playing the three women (a project I am continuing to pursue).  But as I went about my research, it occurred to me that, apart from brief TV segments, no one had ever conducted interviews of any real depth with the band. Furthermore, other than some VHS tapings, professional footage of their wonderful concerts did not exist. I wanted to correct that and bring these sassy dynamos to an audience beyond their loyal fan base.

W&H: There is a great message in the film which is it’s never too late to follow your passion. Why are these women such great examples of that?

SK: The notion of changing careers and pursuing new passions in midlife may seem a bit less audacious now than did in the mid-80s when Saffire tried it.  Nonetheless, it is still inspiring to watch them realize their ambitions. I think Andra Faye sums it up best in the film when she says, “I always dreamed of being a musician for, you know, to make music my life and living but it just didn’t seem real. That must just be some dream that other people can do.” This is especially true for the arts, which is so often discounted as a viable professional pursuit.

W&H: Explain the title of the film-Hot Flash?

SK: “Hot Flash” is the title of one of Saffire’s most successful early albums.  It also reflects their style of putting an empowering, humorous spin on taboo subjects.

W&H: You had to wait several years to get the rights to tell these women’s story. What lessons can you share with other women filmmakers of your experience during that time?

SK: By the time I approached the band, the other company’s option was set to expire within a few months. Even so, it took roughly another year for my contract with Saffire to be fully executed. During that time I was able to attend several concerts and spend time with the band members. The good news was this eventually led to a higher comfort level in the on-camera interviews. So, I would say to always keep track of a project you love, even if it is not available at the time. Options often change hands several times over many years before a project comes to fruition. And, of course, given the glacial pace of indie filmmaking, always have as many projects percolating as possible.

W&H: What do you want people to think about as they learn these women’s stories?

SK: In an age where it is rare to see women past their forties portrayed as sexual beings in the media, I hope the audience can appreciate seeing these women openly embracing their sexuality and other passions well into their sixties. This is real in life, but not often reflected on tv, in film and commercials, etc. But overall, Saffire transcends the issue of gender. As they often say, “We’re more than just feminists, we’re humanists. We are strong women but we like to think of ourselves as strong humans.”

Check out the trailer for the doc:

I still miss Men in Trees but I am glad that Anne Heche is back on TV.  This past Sunday the NY Times Magazine did a profile of Anne Heche who is appearing in the show Hung and the upcoming movie Spread.   I thought Heche came off great in the piece.  Way more normal and thoughtful that I expected.

It was interesting to note that she lost out on her potential to become a “leading lady” after she fell in love with Ellen DeGeneres.  I love how Hollywood is so progressive but would quickly throw anyone under the bus who doesn’t conform to the “norm.”  I bet it was even a bunch of gay guys who wouldn’t hire her.

The romance actually destroyed her prospects as a leading lady; the deal for “Six Days, Seven Nights” was the last one made as the affair became public, and no more were offered.

But the quote that has everyone freaking out is from the executive producer and co-creator of Hung Colette Burson where she stated:

“We auditioned a lot of people,” says Colette Burson, the co-creator of “Hung.” “It is incredibly difficult to find beautiful, talented, funny women over 35.”

Burson seems to have pissed a lot of people off with the remark.  Having had recently interviewed her I couldn’t believe she said that and sure enough last night I I got an email from her looking to set the record straight.

Here’s what Burson had to say about the situation (by phone):

I do think it’s always hard to find pretty and funny.  It’s a difficult combo and it’s something that’s talked about in Hollywood.  Blonde and funny.  And that is definitely true with Anne.  She’s very funny and real and she’s blonde and she’s pretty.  And this role happens to be for a beauty queen who needed to have serious emotional acting chops and at the same time was funny.

In terms of the quote: it is such a shame that I was either too tired to express myself correctly on the issue or part of my quote was left out because it is something that I think about a lot and I actually consider myself a warrior on front lines of this issue.  It’s something I am actively involved in on a daily basis in a way that most people are not.  Nevertheless I do think that the part that I would have added or the part I hope I did add was that it is difficult to find an actress over 35 or over 40 who is funny and talented and is still working and has not quit the business (emphasis mine).

And by difficult I mean harder than you think.  There are not hundreds of people who show up for the auditions because you need someone who has been working, and you need someone whose agent sends them.  In my personal experience I know five actresses off the top of my head if not 10 who are around the age of 40 who no longer go on auditions anymore because they are too fucking bummed out by how few roles there are.

Just to illustrate: Dmitry (Lipkin her husband and co-creator of Hung) and I went into CAA and we were talking about all the different roles and I said what we are really going to be looking for is an actress around age 40 who is talented and funny and yet can really act.  They seemed to not want to address my question so I brought it up again and they said what about x? (a well known 45 year old film actress)  I said no, we don’t want to cast celebrities.  We want to cast real women and this is a rare opportunity.  We don’t want you to send us your beautiful starlets.  Send us real women with real bodies who can act and who can be comedic.  And he looked sort of sheepish and said I’m really ashamed to tell you we don’t have anyone like that on our list.

I said you mean to tell me that you this huge agency can’t send us a woman who is 40 and they said no.  And he said I know it’s horrible but it’s the state of the business that they really aren’t a lot of roles for them.

It’s such a bummer.  When you cast a role, casting agents will send you who has been working.  My friends who haven’t had a job in five years who quit because it was such a fucking bummer they are not sent out because they don’t have managers anymore.  They are not in the game anymore and it’s not because they aren’t talented.  Of course they’re talented.

So what I am saying is that it’s hard and the situation is more complex than you would think.  Because we are one of the few shows that frequently has these types of roles open…like the role of Tanya.  How often does that type of role occur?  Jane Adams is this gem and people say why don’t we see her working more?  And the answer is because there haven’t been that many roles for her.  We actually wrote a role for a failed poet who is over 40 and she is not ms fabulous.  She doesn’t wear clothes from Neiman Marcus  or Fred Segal.

So I hope the message will get out there.  Maybe I was tired, maybe I was a dumb ass but I feel so passionately about the issue.  But that aside our actions on a daily basis is that we fight this issue.  We conceive of characters that are women over 35 of all body types.  We debate them and we fill them out in the writers room.  So please forgive me for the asinine quote but look at what we are actually doing because we passionately care about this issue.

Do you think that clarifies the issue?

Here’s another interesting tidbit.  The first couple of episodes were written before Heche was hired.  So as of this week they started writing for Anne. Burson was effusive in her compliments about Heche.

As it (the season) continues we begin to write to her more frequently because she hits it out of the park with whatever she gets.

Anne Heche is Playing it Normal Now (NY Times)

British actresses like Zoe Wanamaker who is the co-star of the British sitcom My Family are starting to talk much more openly about having to fight to get paid equally.

Here’s what she said to the Stage newspaper:

“Women are always at the bottom as far as pay is concerned – the equal pay business is a big struggle,” she told The Stage newspaper.

Zoe Wanamaker Demands Equal Pay for Actresses (The Telegraph)

I used to be a big fan of Days of our Lives.  Big fan.  Watched it on and off (mostly on) for about 15 years.  A couple of years ago I went cold turkey.  But soaps are in distress, Guiding Light was canceled and cost cutting is the mantra. Days of Our Lives fired Deidre Hall the most popular actress on the show for decades cause they needed to get rid of a big salary off the bottom line.

It looks like something bad is brewing over in Llanview, the home of One Life to Live and it has to do with actress Robin Strasser.

From what I can tell Strasser who left the soap in 2000 and returned in 2003 (with as she said a 63% pay cut)  is in contract negotiations and things are not going well.  They want her to take another pay cut and she refuses acknowledging that she already makes significantly less than other actors.

Soap opera fans are a pretty rabid and vocal group and they are pissed about the Strasser sitation and the attendant implications of how older people, particularly women are valued.  This is from the One Life to Live Examiner:

It is a feeling that reflects what fans of any daytime drama have been speculating about for quite some time, as they feel they have seen a pattern of removing veteran favorites in favor of younger characters; and a deeper issue that resonates through Hollywood, the movie industry, and even across the pond in Great Britain — that somehow actors – especially females – are less valuable the older they get.

I know that the goal of advertising which basically funds soaps is to be the 18-49 demographic but seriously, who do they think is watching these soap operas?  Loyal fans who have invested many years and they are not surprisingly, aging.  Older women are doing so well in prime time especially on cable that I am kind of surprised that this seems to be such a big deal on daytime TV.

But Strasser refuses to quit and they will have to fire her and if they do hopefully she will be able to get another gig and that her fans will follow her.

Fans Speak Out for Strasser, Against Sexism and Ageism (The One Life to Live Examiner)

Hannah Free, the new film starring Sharon Gless, written by Claudia Allen (adapted from her play) and directed by Wendy Jo Carlton will premiere on Sunday, June 28 as the closing night film for the Frameline LGBT Film Festival in San Francisco.

The film tells the story of a life-long love affair between two women, Hannah and Rachel.  Hannah played by Gless is a free spirit who refuses to abide by the rules and has constant wanderlust even though she is incredibly in love with and happy with Rachel.  It takes Rachel a lot longer to fully be with Hannah even though she does love her.  Their struggle to love each other and be accepted is symbolic of the evolution of the struggle for gay civil rights.

Sharon Gless is a forceful presence as Hannah.  While the story might seem cutting edge because it is about two women it really isn’t, it’s just a plain old love story.  It just happens to be about two women.  I loved that we saw the women age through the film which moves it beyond the “cool” factor.  This is a story that is happening in communities all across the country and I like that it was brought out from behind the shadows into the forefront.

Women & Hollywood posed some question to the film’s director Wendy Jo Carlton:

Women & Hollywood: How did you become involved with this film?

Wendy Jo Carlton: I’ve been an independent filmmaker for about 20 years, and had many successful shorts and a few screenplays under my belt before I moved to Chicago from Seattle. I worked with Tracy Baim, the executive producer, on a couple other projects, the Chicago Gay Games DVD and recently the living library that is the Chicago Gay History Project.  In the course of interviewing hundreds of LGBT folks in the area, I met the playwright Claudia Allen and then the three of us decided to make a lesbian feature film in Chicago, adapting Hannah Free, one of Claudia’s popular plays.

Wendy Jo Carlton

W&H: There are not many films that show lesbians in this way.  do you think this is a breakthrough in how lesbians will be seen on film?

WJC: It was important to me to portray Hannah and Rachel not just as young lovers but as older lovers as well, two women who share a deep emotional connection but also a passionate physical and sexual connection. And not to just imply that, but to show their attraction visually, cinematically. Most mainstream feature films don’t show older couples sharing physical affection and sexual attraction for one another. Whether they are straight or queer, we just don’t see many older characters in bed together or see older people kissing and being sensual together onscreen. I think it’s sexy and fun and life affirming.

Most long-term romantic relationships, regardless of orientation, wax and wane in the lust department. What’s great about Hannah and Rachel is that theirs is the kind of great love affair that has sustained its passion and lust over decades, the kind of fantastic, enduring attraction and love that is celebrated and pined for in straight films all the time.

W&H: How did Sharon Gless get involved?

WJC: Sharon Gless and Claudia Allen are old pals because Sharon years ago came to Chicago to star in one of Claudia’s plays called Cahoots. They maintained a friendship and when Claudia sent Sharon the script she decided to come back to Chicago and take on the complex and demanding role of Hannah. She did an incredible job and brings so much complexity, nuance, humor and gravitas to the role.

Continue reading ‘Interview with Wendy Jo Carlton – Director of Hannah Free’

This week in London the Sphinx Theatre Company, a feminist theatre company, organized a conference Vamps, Vixens and Feminists: The Elephant in the Room to look at gender and age discrimination in the arts.  They seem to have gotten some high profile people to participate and I hope to have a first hand report on the conference in the next day of so.

The point is that there actually was a conference that addressed these issues.  I’m wondering if any next steps came out of the conversation.

Here are some quotes:

Hundreds of women, from actors to directors to writers, gathered at the National Theatre to hear depressing ­statistics reeled off: 17% of playwrights are women; 38% of stage roles are for women; 35% of TV roles are for women; of the top 250 films last year only 9% were directed by women.

The actor and director Janet Suzman rounded on the predominantly male critics who hold so much power in theatre. “It’s a very, very male club. On the whole it’s boys,” she said. “And they look up at women characters on the stage for the spark of sex that’s going to make their evening less tedious for them.”

I would love to organize this type of conference here in the US.  Come up with real solutions and work to implement them.  Who’s with me and who can we get to fund it?  Het in touch if you are interested.

Leading ladies kept out of the limelight (The Guardian)

* note to Guardian- this story was pretty lame- maybe you should have sent a female reporter.

I love it when guys stand up for their female colleagues.  4,000 people and Sir Ian McKellen have signed a petition urging British broadcasters to get a clue and stop discriminating against women over 45.

Here’s what he said:

People might have thought ‘Who wants to see plays about older women?’ Well, the general public do. An awful lot of older women and gentlemen go to the theatre, and the population is getting older.

Plays about getting older are perhaps going to be more popular than they used to be and that should help playwrights think, well, we can find some fabulous parts for the fabulous actresses that are around.

Everybody wants to see actresses like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. It’s just up to people to provide them with the material to do so.

It’s kind of funny that Sir Ian is now appearing in Waiting for Godot a play with no female roles.  We’ll give him a pass on that one.

Sir Ian McKellen: older women should have more stage and screen roles (The Telegraph)

Sir Ian call for more women roles (BBC)