Category: Ageism

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Ageism Dating Reality Shows

The Golden Bachelor apologizes for saying he won’t date women over 60

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Remember earlier in the summer when Mel Owens, the retired NFL player turned lawyer who’s the next Golden Bachelor for season 2, went on a podcast and declared that he proudly told producers that he would only date women aged between 45 to 60, even though the show is called The Golden Bachelor, and even though Owens is 66? And it didn’t stop there: Owens doubled down that he would cut any contestant over 60, didn’t want anyone with “artificial hips and the wigs,” and was particularly interested in a partner who likes to “work out and stay fit.” What a catch. Well, Owens has seen the error in his views (i.e. friends and show producers yelled at him) and he’s finally issued a public apology… more than a month later. In a newly-released damage control interview with Glamour, Owens addressed the backlash, said that when the series started filming he apologized to the women first thing, and further revealed how the production tried to make lemonade out of sexist, ageist lemons:

He told Glamour that he learned his comments were wrong when a good friend, who was 65 years old, called him out. “She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he said. “She goes, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve said some things that are just incredibly wrong.’ And I go, ‘I’ve got to apologize.’”

Mel explained that his comments about the age range were due to his lack of knowledge about the Bachelor franchise. “I didn’t know anything about the Golden Bachelor ages,” he said.

“I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it. I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment.”

…During filming, Mel said he apologized to the women and took responsibility for his comments. “I apologized to the women on the show. When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance.’”

Mel also revealed that some women spoke directly to him about the comments. “During our one-on-ones, 12 or 15 of them said, ‘We appreciate the apology, and it meant a lot to us,’” he said.

According to his interview, the women of the sophomore season even had an opportunity to roast Mel. “One of the dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me,” he said. “One said, ‘Oh, when Mel was walking with me, he was using me as a cane.’ And I’m from Detroit, right? One said, ‘Like a Detroit pizza, he’s doughy, squishy, square, and crusty.’ It was good because I earned that, and I took it and I deserved it, and it landed squarely on me. They were throwing haymakers. It was good.”

[From BuzzFeed]

I fully believe that people should be given the chance to learn and grow from their mistakes. That being said, I’m still getting major BS vibes from Bachelor Mel, largely because of all the holes in his supposed explanation. Taking his arguments from the top: he said he hasn’t dated in a quarter of a century, and when he was dating previously his dates were around 40. And?? How asinine is it to suggest that you didn’t realize you could date someone older than when you last left the dating pool? I thought that was dumb, but then he claimed not to know the Bachelor/Golden Bachelor franchise and the typical age ranges. At best, that reveals that he did no research whatsoever on the show he signed up for, in which case I worry for the clients who use his lawyerly services. But I don’t even think it’s true! Because in the original damning podcast, which, you know, is on record, Owens said the following: “If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them. This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor.” Gee, that sure implies to me he understands the premise of the show! On the positive side, I do think it was clever of the showrunners to build a roast around this steaming pile of sexist, ageist hogwash, and I really hope all the ladies relished their turns to sling it back at him. Like Owens said, he deserved it. Season 2 will premiere September 24 on ABC.

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Categories
Ageism Dating Reality Shows

The Golden Bachelor, 66, says he won’t date women over 60 or with hip replacements

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Behold: Dudius moronicus. An outlier in Darwin’s acclaimed survival of the fittest theory, this variety of the male species has managed to not only survive, but thrive in the world. Defying all sense of logic, this subset is chiefly characterized by their confidence — communicated loudly and regularly — yet more frequently than not, founded on nothing. Here’s a case study: Mel Owens, 66-year-old male, will be the next Golden Bachelor when the show returns for its sophomore season in the fall. As the title suggests, The Golden Bachelor is a spinoff in the Bachelor franchise dedicated to single 50 and 60-somethings looking for love. But GB Mel seems to think he’s the only one allowed to be of golden years age. He just shot his mouth off on a podcast about how he told producers he, a man of 66, didn’t want to date any women over 60. The more he kept talking, the more asinine it got:

When The Golden Bachelor first debuted two years ago, it was a pretty exciting departure for a franchise whose female winners are rarely over 30. It even inspired some seniors to give dating a shot again — a theme the show heavily leaned into. “It’s never too late to fall in love again,” the first Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, told Good Morning America shortly before his season aired.

But apparently that’s not how the show’s newest star sees it. Mel Owens, who will be the titular Golden Bachelor in season two, revealed in an interview earlier this month that he doesn’t want to date any women over 60. Speaking on the University of Michigan football podcast MGoBlue, Owens said producers asked him what his dating preferences were. “So I just said 45 to 60. Just being honest, right?” said Owens, who is 66.

Apparently, that age requirement is strict for Owens, who has been eligible for Social Security for four years now. “I said, ‘If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them. This is not the Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor,’” he recalled telling producers.

Owens said they also must be “fit,” noting that staying in shape is important to him. “And I told them to try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs,” he added. Well then!

Pushed by the interviewer on what he was actually looking for, Owens kept it pretty simple. “Well, like I just told you,” he said, adding that he wants someone who is “energetic, a lifetime learner,” and someone who “enjoys to love life,” whatever that means. Oh, yeah, and someone who likes to “work out and stay fit,” he reiterated, in case that wasn’t clear the first time.

It’s a pretty cold outlook for a show explicitly created for “senior men and women looking for love.” There’s no specific age range required to be on the show, but most states define “senior” as over the age of 65 — which, again, Owens himself is. In the show’s first season, no contestant was younger than 60, and the oldest were 75.

[From The Cut]

What a tool! What a jackass! Pardon my swearing, but, you know, “Just being honest, right?” He makes Martha Stewart appear almost classy in her retort that she’d never do The Golden Bachelorette because the guys weren’t hot enough. Hotness can be judged at any age! And I must second The Cut’s question: WTF does “enjoys to love life,” mean? I guess Mel isn’t a “lifetime learner” himself, at least not when it comes to syntax. I am so utterly and thoroughly icked out by this Neanderthal. Interviewer: “What kind of love are you looking for from this experience?” Mel: “Woman. Fit. Young. Fit. Exercise. Fit. CAN’T BE MY AGE.” The man has well and truly shown himself, and I seriously hope it torpedoes the casting process currently underway. (But I’m not holding my breath, either.) When Rosie covered Jazzy Collins the other day, a reality TV casting director, (who is not working on TGB), Jazzy noted that authenticity is what they’re looking for in audition tapes, even if you’re authentically the “villain.” Was that the play with casting Mel Owens? Cause the one thing I’ll give him credit for, is that he is being genuinely himself; an honest d-ckhead.

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Ageism aging Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Gilbert moved out of LA because ‘I didn’t feel like that was a safe place to age’

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Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have been married for nearly 12 years now, which doesn’t seem mathematically possible, but after the pandemic I’ve broadly come to grips with the fact that time doesn’t follow any rules. In any event, I’m happy for Melissa that she’s found joy and support with Timothy, because the previous guy really put her through the wringer. Melissa was married to Bruce Boxleitner for 16 years before they divorced in 2011. By Melissa’s own account, she had a bit of a mid-life crisis in the aftermath, getting Botox, a convertible, and flaming red hair all in the hopes of feeling younger. But then in 2012 Melissa met Timothy, a few months later they were engaged, and by 2013 they were married and moved to NYC. Cut to now, Melissa is promoting an off-Broadway show, and she told Page Six that LA was not “a safe place for me to age,” whereas she’s relished the experience on the East Coast, declaring that her sixtieth year has been “incredible.”

Melissa Gilbert left Hollywood in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since.

The “Little House on the Prairie” alum, 60, tells Page Six in an exclusive interview that she left Los Angeles for New York City because it was “so anti-aging.”

“I just didn’t feel like that was a safe place for me to age. It’s so anti-aging, which is one of my least favorite expressions in the world,” she says. “Anti-aging means dead.”

Gilbert explains that, while living in California, she felt pressured to confirm and “not get any older and stay at a size 2 or 4 or whatever [she] was at that time.”

However, following her cross-country move, she says that her mentality about aging immediately changed.

“I went from, ‘Oh God, I better not get older!’ to ‘Oh God, I’m so glad I’m older!’” she says. “I love the age I am right now. Sixty has been the most incredible year, just to look back on all the things I’ve done and to know that I’ve earned my opinions, I have value, I am wise.

“I have done so much and I continue to do it and it’s not over by any stretch of the imagination.”

Though the actress is now happily settled in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood with her husband, Timothy Busfield, she still has a lot of love for LA.

“I did not realize the depth of love that I have for my hometown until the wildfires,” she points out, referencing the Pacific Palisades blaze that started on Jan. 7, 2025. “The amount of people I know who have lost everything, and not movie stars and television stars.

“It’s devastating and I do love so much about Los Angeles. It just wasn’t the right place for me to live any longer but it will always be my hometown.”

[From Page Six]

I am pro Melissa’s anti anti-aging comments! I know she says a lot of the negative aging feelings came around her second divorce, but I can’t help but wonder about the added impact of her having been a child star. She probably already went through a period of being told “you’re too old for this now,” when she transitioned from child star to young woman. Which is crazy to hear as a twenty-something! But again, I’m just wondering if there’s an extra layer of mindf–k for child stars, like “great, here it comes again!” The main thing is I’m glad Melissa feels not just content, but exuberant with herself these days. She’s also feeling plenty confident enough to clap back at idiots on the internet. And by “idiots,” I mean Megyn Kelly. Megyn, who likely still hasn’t recovered from the plot twist in Conclave (based on an eight-year-old novel), piped up recently to preemptively heckle Netflix not to “woke-ify” the newly announced Little House on the Prairie reboot. Melissa has nothing to do with the reboot (so far), but she schooled Megyn that the original series was plenty woke. As Melissa put it, “the reason I opened my big fat mouth, was because someone else opened hers.” If Melissa ever did a talk show, she should call it Big Fat Mouth in a Little House.

Photos credit Olivier Huitel/Avalon and via Instagram/Melissa Gilbert and pancan

Categories
Ageism Lara Flynn Boyle

Lara Flynn Boyle: ‘ageism is human nature. It’s not Hollywood’s fault’

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Lara Flynn Boyle was a gossip staple back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was in relationships with Kyle MacLachlan, David Spade and, most famously, Jack Nicholson, and there was rampant speculation about her weight. After she and Nicholson broke up for good in 2004, Lara took a step back from the Hollywood scene. She married her husband Donald Ray Thomas in 2006. Since then, she and Thomas have been living in Texas part-time with their rescue dog named Shrimp.

Despite having a much lower profile over the last two decades, Lara’s popped up here and there, appearing in a handful of movies and occasionally, in paparazzi shots. Lara’s last movie was four years ago, something she blames the pandemic for. On July 5, her new movie, Mother, Couch will be out for a limited run. People recently sat down with Lara to catch up and talk to her love of Hollywood, being a tabloid fixture, ageism in the biz, and more.

She loves “everything” about Hollywood: [Boyle, 54, explains] why she changed her mind and nixed her initial suggestion for her PEOPLE interview — a nondescript L.A. diner that serves tuna melts and apple pie — and opted for the glamorous Sunset Boulevard hot spot that opened in 1941, the year Citizen Kane premiered. “I don’t have to be like, ‘Look where I go. I’m normal,’” says Boyle. “I love Hollywood. I love everything about Hollywood.” The fact that Boyle is still so enthusiastic about show business is a testament to her resilience — she’s a “scrapper,” she says several times during an hour-long chat.

She had her own #MeToo experiences: “I’ve been in situations that were not called for. I’ve walked out of meetings and had repercussions for it,” she says, declining to name names. “We all go through it.”

On tabloids publishing unflattering pictures of her: Even after Boyle got married to Texas real estate developer Donald Ray Thomas, 58, in 2006 and began working less, paparazzi still hounded her. They snapped pictures while she took out the trash and, in one unflattering instance, while she appeared to take a swig from a bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey in her car. Tabloids were all too happy to publish the photos alongside sensational headlines.

No complaining or leaving: “I never wanted to bow out [of Hollywood]. Any moment I was feeling down or sorry for myself, I made sure I did not complain,” she says while sipping on a cappuccino. “My mom used to sometimes bring me articles about other actresses to show me I’m not the only one getting a raw deal.”

She was cast in Mother, Couch because the director saw her tabloids: It’s that tabloid attention that intrigued writer-director Niclas Larsson, who cast Boyle in Mother, Couch. Larsson grew up in Sweden reading tabloids at his mother’s hair salon and was fascinated by Boyle. “The only type of literature I was exposed to between the age of 5 to maybe 10 was gossip magazines. And Lara was on the cover a lot. I’m like, ‘What’s up with Lara?’ What’s up with the excellent actor Lara Flynn Boyle?’

No one can imagine what women in the late 90s went through: I knew I needed someone who physically and mentally lived through something,” says Larsson. “I don’t think anyone can imagine what it is like to go through what a lot of women went through in the late ’90s, early 2000s.”

No more Hollywood boyfriends or booze: Before she met Thomas, Boyle dated her Twin Peaks costar Kyle MacLachlan, Saturday Night Live alum David Spade and then Nicholson on and off from 1999 into the early 2000s. “I left with a bang when it came to actors,” she says of the three-time Oscar winner. “Then I went, ‘Okay, I’m done now.’ ”

She said the same about alcohol around five years ago. “Those disco boots, they’ve had their time,” says Boyle. If there was an impetus to stop, Boyle isn’t telling. “Some people are allergic to it; some people are un-allergic to it,” she says.

Ageism is “human nature: From the outside, I say, it seems things have become more inclusive. Before she speaks, she lets out a long, world-weary laugh. “Not at all,” she says. “The thing that gets my goat is when actresses talk about ageism in Hollywood. Ageism is human nature. It’s not Hollywood’s fault. It’s all of our fault. Myself included. I like looking at pretty people on the camera.”

She’s ready for her close-up but doesn’t want to see it: One person she does not enjoy watching: herself. “If you want to call me Norma Desmond, go for it,” she quips. “Whenever I catch a reflection of myself in a lens, I’m like, ‘Oh, cut.’ ”

[From People]

Oh man, some of what she says…it feels like there’s so much to unpack there. Larsson is right about famous women in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Thinking back to that period of time, they really went through so much unfair scrutiny and judgment as a part of tabloid culture. I feel so badly for buying into it all so much when I was much younger. Beauty standards in that time period messed so many of us normies up, thinking that’s what we had to look like to be attractive. I can only imagine how bad it was for actresses who were having their pictures taken and talked about all of the time. I remember seeing that picture of her drinking from the Johnnie Walker bottle in her car and feeling sorry for her, hoping she got some help. I’m glad she’s stopped drinking.

As for ageism, while it does seem like there are more roles for more mature-aged actresses nowadays, I recognize that there’s still a lot of room for improvement. However, I don’t know if it’s “human nature” so much as what Hollywood perceives as marketability. I really don’t think most people prefer looking at “pretty people” on screens. I just want good story content and acting. I feel like viewers are in an era where we appreciate seeing people who look like us represented in our media and it hasn’t gone completely unnoticed. Also, it’s sorta telling the way Lara says she can’t stand to watch herself on screen. She may be a “scrapper” but it sure feels like she has a lot of scars from old wounds that never healed properly.

‘Twin Peaks’ Star Lara Flynn Boyle Was a Tabloid Target for Years. The Attention Helped Land Her a New Movie (Exclusive) https://t.co/ZlSLV8xspr

— People (@people) July 2, 2024

Photos credit: Media Punch/INSTARimages.com, FayesVision / Wenn / Avalon and via Twitter

Categories
Ageism Patti LuPone Television

Patti LuPone was told she’s too old to be in Schmigadoon: ‘it’s their loss’

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I watched the first season of Schmigadoon. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a playful send up of Broadway musicals about a modern couple who happen into a world that exists as if it was a – wait for it – musical. Everything about the show should have been right up my alley – the ridiculous concept, the musical, the irony, the cast. But while I saw it through until the end, it fell short for me. I haven’t watched the second season… and now I know why! Those b@stards turned down Patti LuPone. As in, they had the opportunity to have Patti LuPone grace them with her presence and they said “no.” And if there is one thing La Patti is going to do, it’s tell on you. So she did. She told Mashable that she approached them for season one because she really wanted to be a part of it and was told she was too old. Uhm, they said what?! Patti surmised it by saying “it’s their loss!” No, Patti – it’s our loss.

Apple TV ’s Schmigadoon! is a delirious dream for theater kids, combining playful parodies of a slew of major musicals with an ensemble cast stuffed with Broadway stars. Incredibly; however, Patti LuPone, one of the celebrated living legends of the Great White Way, was denied a chance to join in.

Season 2 (aka Schmicago) spoofs the songs of Stephen Sondheim, with whom LuPone has worked repeatedly and iconically in shows like Company and Sweeney Todd(opens in a new tab). So, Mashable asked if she’d been approached about the musical TV series. In fact, she approached the show first for Season 1.

“I wanted to be in Schmigadoon!, and I was too old,” LuPone said. Asked what she meant, she responded, “Exactly what I said. We reached out to them and said I want to be in Schmigadoon!. They said, ‘Sorry. You’re too old.’”

“It’s so sad. And it’s depressing,” she said of the rejection, before declaring, “It’s their loss! I don’t know what else to say. I so wanted to be in it!”

[From Mashable]

While I am playing up the hyperbole to match the Broadway tone of the story, I am generally stunned by this. Keegan-Michael Key and Cecil Strong play the “modern couple” but the rest of the cast includes Alan Cummings, Kristin Chenowith, Jane Krakowski, Aaron Tveit, Ariana DeBose – some real theater powerhouses. People who would probably list Patti as their hero. In addition to those folks, as Kristy Puchko at Mashable points out, is Martin Short, who is 73 years old – the same age as Patti. Now I’m doubly ticked. Because this is ageist and sexist. There are people who should have a Golden Ticket for roles and one of them is Patti. If Patti wants to make an irreverent Apple TV musical, write her a part. If Patti wants a role on Ted Lasso, make room for another coach. If they’re remaking JAWS and she wants to play the shark? Give her a swim cap and call her Bruce for christsakes! Mashable reported that Apple hasn’t responded for comment. I’ll bet they haven’t. Whoever told Patti she was too old is currently hiding under a desk and the rest are trying to gather their notes because Patti keeps her receipts. She’s not worried about being liked. If some idiot told a woman with Patti’s credentials that she was too old to appear on a show for which she was overqualified to appear, she’ll put them on blast.

Thankfully some casting people have sense, though. And this news will especially delight my fellow Penny Dreadful fans. Patti is joining Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza in Agatha: Coven of Chaos. This is, of course, the Wandavision spin-off for Kathryn Han’s character Agatha Harkness. Patti plays Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch who’s been a part of the MCU since 1973. (Oh thank goodness – a role Patti’s not too old to play!) Honestly, if I don’t hear another word about Coven of Chaos until the premiere, I would still be on the edge of my seat to watch it. Witches? Patti? Kathryn and Aubrey? Say no more – I’m in.

Photo credit: Robin Platzer/Twin Images and Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon and Cover Images

Categories
Ageism aging Justine Bateman

Justine Bateman on the war on aging: ‘you’re being lied to’

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Last week we talked about Justine Bateman’s 60 Minutes Australia interview in which she said she had no desire to erase the evidence of her age on her face. I was thrilled to see the positive response to her comments. Apparently, we were not the only ones to fist bump Justine and her ‘rad’ appearance, she’s seeing a lot of love in her DMs. While promoting her new book Face on Today, Justine told Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie that women get plastic surgery because of fear. But we’re being “lied to” about what would happen if we did look older because people make a lot of money off our desire to look younger.

Speaking to Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie this morning on the TODAY Show, Bateman said that after the segment aired, she received a meaningful message. The woman, a mom, said, “I never realized what impact this conversation was having on younger women until my [16-year-old] daughter came in from the other room. She said, ‘Hey, did you guys see the 60 Minutes thing with Justine Bateman?’ She said it was great–now I’m not afraid of getting old.”

Bateman was glad to hear it. “I was like, oh my god, if just one person, like, is not afraid,” she said. “It’s silly. I’ve never been smarter, I’ve never had more connections. It’s like when you’re younger you know the [guy at the] door of the nightclub? When you’re older, you know the person who owns the building that the nightclub is in.”

The 57-year-old said the war on aging was an “inside job” that left some women doubting their appearance. “I would say to any young woman, you’re being lied to. Who is making money off this? You’re being lied to and you’re being tricked off your path… You’ve got awesome things coming your way. Just stay on your path and just ride it out.”

Bateman told Kotb and Guthrie it was this fear that left people not wanting to look older. “Some people are afraid they’ll lose their job or never get a job or not get a mate or no one’s going to listen to them or whatever. And that fear, my position is, that fear existed before their face started changing,” Bateman says.

“I’m just somebody who got myself on the other side of what that fear was for me in particular, and I’m just sharing what worked for me. Lots of ways to get there, but for anyone who wants to get free,” she told the TODAY Show.

[From Yahoo!]

To be fair to Justine, in the full interview, she emphasizes that she is not an advocate against plastic surgery, she just pushed past the desire to do any work. Ultimately, I agree with her points, too. I absolutely agree that Bottled Youth is big business and nobody’s willing to give up that cash cow. I agree that the pervasive ageism in society motivates women to hide their age. But in Justine’s segment, posted below, when she spoke about how we are being lied to, she suggests the hurdles are all in our heads and we just need to push past it like she did. On this point she may be coming from a position of privilege of being able to jump from actress to director/author. Any job site warns you to restructure your work experience on your resume so potential employers can’t tell your age. While some myths are being perpetuated about the need to turn back the clock, it isn’t just in our heads.

Justine’s primary message, though, is to push past the fear of looking older, which is a good one. I appreciate the part that we should embrace our age and celebrate who we are. I also still believe, however, that we all have our little ways of getting there. I’ve admitted that I dress flamboyantly as kind of an armor. Justine clearly still dyes her hair. Maybe someone else minimizes their smile lines but keeps their crows’ feet. We all push past the fear in different ways so let’s continue to lift each other up along the way.

In an exclusive interview with @SavannahGuthrie and @hodakotb, @JustineBateman opens up about women and aging: “When you’re younger, you know the doorman of the nightclub. When you’re older, you know the person who owns the building that the nightclub is in.” pic.twitter.com/84tZHf9LuK

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 3, 2023

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Categories
Ageism aging Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh: ‘The older you get, they see you by your age’

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Michelle Yeoh is everywhere this awards season. I hope that translates to some serious recognition for her work in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Not only does she deserve it for her performance, it would shine such a bright light on a huge exception in Hollywood. The role was intended for Jackie Chan and when he passed on it, writers/directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka The Daniels) restructured the part for a woman so they could offer it to Michelle. And it’s a physical role for an older woman. In Michelle’s case, she got to step outside her comfort zone and try comedy. All of this at the age of 60. Those of you who read me know that I don’t like to discuss age unless it’s relevant and in this case, it is because Michelle talked about it in her CBS Sunday Morning interview. She was overcome that The Daniels would stick their necks out for her, which is not common for women her age. Michelle said in Hollywood, the older you get, age is all that defines you.

But in a new interview with Seth Doane for CBS Sunday Morning, the Malaysian actress (Michelle Yeoh) admitted that she was surprised to be cast “at this point in my career.”

“The older you get, they see you by your age rather than see you by your capability,” the martial arts-trained star explained.

Yeoh choked up when she recalled the “joyful” validation of the film’s writers and directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (a.k.a. “the Daniels”), trusting her with a role that was not only physically demanding but also required the ability to navigate both comedic and dramatic moments.

The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress grew emotional as she spoke to Doane about how meaningful it is “when someone gives you the opportunity to show what you’re capable of.”


That validation was unexpected for Yeoh, given her fears about seeing her “spectacular career” grind to a stop with every birthday.

“You don’t want it to just slow down or end because you have gotten to a certain age,” she said. “And you start getting scripts where the guy, the hero, is still in his 50s, 60s … some even more. And they get to go on the adventure with your daughter. And then you go, like, ‘No, c’mon guys, give me a chance.’ Because I feel that I am still able to do all that.”

[From Yahoo!]

I mean, Michelle’s right. If women aren’t being ignored because they are a certain age, they’re being singled out for not ‘looking’ their age. Or they become our ‘goals’ for when we *gasp* reach that age. It’s like some dystopian novel where women lose their names at a certain point and are only referred to by their age. It is extremely common in Hollywood. Universal, even. But it’s not limited to H-town. Even in the business sector, women in top positions start worrying about getting squeezed out at certain ages, as if they have a kill switch that flips at 65.

I like Michelle’s point about how our capabilities get ignored in favor of advancing age as well. Wisdom and experience are put forward for men because of the full lives they’ve led. But the fact that a woman’s been around half a century or more, she’s clearly deteriorating both inside and out. I love that Michelle keeps this discussion in the spotlight and centers it on women’s aptitudes. She makes it fun by bringing up being discovered by the younger generation and how much she enjoys finally being seen as cool. But never once does she bring her appearance into it.

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Photo credit: Blaine Ohigashi/Avalon, Cover Images and Getty Images