Isabella Rossellini is 62 years old. I point that out upfront because she makes issue of her age in a new interview with The Telegraph. She’s promoting her small role in Enemy. She took this part as a favor for a friend, director Denis Villeneuve. Isabella says she’s not really an actress anymore because Hollywood set her free years ago. One look at her IMDb page reveals that Isabella does a few small jobs per year, mostly one-off tv episodes or foreign films. Likewise, she was the face of Lancome cosmetics for 14 years, and the company ended the relationship when she turned 40. Here’s what Isabella has to say about it all:
On aging in Hollywood: “I really don’t work any more as an actress. I am old, and there are no roles for older people. If a friend calls and asks me to do something, then of course I do it, because I want to be with them, but it’s never a career move.”
Celebrities replaced models: “Now, there is a celebrity fixation. Models are not doing so many of the campaigns — it’s actresses. And if they are in a successful film when they are 38 or 40, they still get the campaigns. But it’s the celebrity that gives them the longevity. Most models start working less at 30, and then by the time they are 35 it’s over completely.”
[From The Telegraph]
These are common issues for actresses and models. The default (and rude) industry response is that modeling and acting capitalize on looks, which fade over time. So one should expect to lose jobs over time, unless you’re Meryl Streep, Kathy Bates, or Helen Mirren. That’s just the way it is, but it isn’t fair. Everyone knows that male actors get a few more decades in the business; and they keep on playing romantic leads as their love interests grow increasingly younger. I know there’s no easy solution to this issue, but I wish audiences demanded better roles for women. After 40, even talented actresses are usually stuck playing a female love interest’s mother, you know?
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
She is still doing one-woman stage acts. I’m seeing her next month.
I have always been of IR’s work, both as a model & actress, however I totally disagree that there are no roles for older women. If anything the MOST interesting roles on TV & cinema are all geared at 40+ women. I am by far more interested in seeing anything with M Streep, G Close, J Moore, H Mirren, J Dench, K Blanchett, A Adams, M Smith, D Keaton, and a whole host of other wonderful mature actresses, than pretty much anything by most male actors. In addition, most of the female nominees at the Academy Awards, Brits & the other major awards ceremonies tend to be in the 40+ bracket, so there seems to be no lack of recognition either. What is true is that you don’t get mature actresses headlining any silly superhero movie. Whilst it is true that male actors (undeservedly in my opinion) earn more than their female equivalents, this is an industry specific feature. In modelling the reverse is true. Female models have far greater longevity & are paid far more than any male model.
I wouldn’t call Amy mature, think she’s only 35-36. Doesn’t seem fair to lump her in with actresses in their seventies.
She’s 40. But I think she looks much younger and can go for younger skewing roles, compared to the others listed here.
Tristan, I appreciate your support for mature women, but you are wrong about their being plenty of roles for older women. Generally speaking, of any age range, in 2014 men were 70% of the characters in movies, even kids movies. ( from study Gender Bias Without Borders). By the time women hit 51 years old, men of the same age are earning 74% of all of the money paid to union actors. ( hollywood Reporter Dec. 2011)
Doesn’t work? What about her brilliant Green Porno series? I think very few people could reinvent themselves the way she has. Is that moron her imdb?
All that said, she is right. Hollywood is pretty demoralizing for women in general.
Another Green Porno fan here! I even watched the spider one, despite being arachnophobic.
She’s doing Green Porno here next month. Looking forward to it.
LF one of these days we are going to crash into each other at the ART or Arts Emerson, but we won’t even know it since we don’t know what each other looks like.
At Miss Jupitero, we probably already have! I will not be attending Chris Evans’s January 3 fundraiser @ Fenway. I don’t have a spare $1,000 right now, so enjoy that if you go. I do like that he is doing lots of local charity work while on his Marvel break.
1k? I can’t do that, but I am glad our homeboy if doing such things.
Autocorrect madness! I meant to say “is that not on her imdb.”
So there were photos of JLaw last week in NY and in one she was coming out of her hotel and Isabella was in the background! Which I wonder if that was just them staying at the same hotel or a meeting.
I often wonder why actresses like Meryl, Helen and others didn’t become more proactive in the industry. Meryl has been around a long time. I saw her interview where she said when she turned 40 she didn’t get the offers she wanted. I don’t know why these particular older actresses didn’t start to Produce their own projects. Acquire scripts they wanted to act in and go for it. Most of them seem to have just waited for the movies to come to them.
I see many actresses now changing that up. Making films for themselves; something that many of the male actors have been doing.
You have to be more proactive and do something to make things different. It is strange to me that actresses like Meryl, Helen and even Kathy didn’t do that. I know that these ladies have a producer credit or 2, but I wonder how much actual power they have in the industry; power to make choices that can cause change.
I was wondering the same thing, too. Another possibility is that they just don’t have the energy or desire to take that on.
All you have to do is go back and read the Sony emails and you’ve got your answer.
come to think of it, maybe Jennifer Aniston has the right idea of it.
we have many people set up production companies but not very many people set up distribution companies. as such all sorts of things get made but can’t get distributed because basically these big studios dominate distribution.
(i mean look at indie labels in music. most of them are actually subsidiaries of subsidiaries of big labels–eg if you look/listen to XL (Adele’s label), they tout themselves as “small label” but all the same up the pipe, who owns them, really)
so maybe next generation, needs to figure out how to create powerful -distribution- company, and then a way to negotiate with theater owners. (right now i think theater owners and big companies like Sony enjoy a mutually profitable relationship that they might make it difficult for renegade small distribution outfit to make some type of real headway– sure maybe the’ll throw a small ‘festival’ bone or two).
or maybe, like in the music business, look into maximizing alternative outlets. there are many artists nowadays who got big with minimal major studio involvement because they maximize presence and fanbase on social media?
but that’s for musicians. i’m still not quite sure how that translates for artists/directors. although i do remember this one guy who makes a lot of youtube short films and have quite a lot of following (even have some hollywood actors/actresses play in his films). —edit: his name is Freddy Wong, iirc.
someone needs to game the system. but i’m not sure how though. i’m not that tech savvy 🙁
i don’t know. maybe.
Release on the net, maybe?
Barbra Streisand produced, directed and starred in her own movies and got a lot of flack for it.
Sure, 20-30 years ago. Things have changed.
Isn’t the issue a broader one of whether film goers want to see films in which older women have major roles? The culture in the U.S. appears focussed on the mentality of a 12 year old adolescent male(superheros,car crashes, alien worlds). What I don’t understand is why Isabella would have difficulty finding roles in europe where I think the mentality is more mature and sophisticated-particularly in French films.
Re: spokeswomen for cosmetic manufacturers. I really wish one of the major companies would take on a mature 50+ woman as their spokesperson and help herald the beauty inherent in those of us who are seasoned and still delectable!
They will once they realize that the boomer demographic requires a face of their own…These companies are not really about diversity, beauty, etc They are in business to make money. So when their bottom line suffers, they’ll investigate and realize ‘gee, turns out the baby boomer demographic is huge and has money. We better get a model or spokesperson that speaks to this group directly’.
Meryl and Helen are probably the only 2 who don’t have to do that, they get offered enough to work without having to generate their own projects. But I agree it’s great when women can get involved in the producing and directing side of the business – the more that happens, the better.
i wonder if it’s generational – many of these older actresses came up in a time when it was more difficult for women to hold such positions, and everyone was more reliant on the studios. The next generation, actresses in their 30s and 40s, haven’t been quite as constrained (though women are still woefully underrepresented in the industry) and we see more and more of them branching out into producing and directing. Plus the rise of the independent film has helped as well.
What a sad situation. It’s Hollywood’s — and today’s audience’s — loss.
+1
It truly is the audience’s loss – she is a fantastic actress.
Her role in Death Becomes Her was a statement on ageing in the industry. The whole movie was a snarky slam at women in Hollywood. Isabella’s observations on celebrity extending careers is so spot on – it’s ironic that Lancôme canned Rossellini when she turned forty, but signed on Julia Roberts at age forty-two. By far Rossellini is still the beauty compared to Roberts.
Isabella’s is the face I still associate with Lancôme. They have never chosen anyone memorable since then.
Roberts’ image appears to be so heavily altered in their ads that I really don’t take it seriously.
Same here. There’s really just no comparison. I can remember being in high school and seeing her ads–she was perfection then and she still looks amazing. Let’s see what Julia Roberts looks like at 62.
Isabella is an interesting woman to have as the face of something. I love how she reminds me of her mother but also has completely her own identity. Julia Roberts is far less intriguing and the ads are so photoshopped that what’s the point?
Juliette Binoche. She was one of their égéries for 5 or 6 years. She’s the face I associate with Lancôme. But presumably her campaigns were more exposed in France than in the US.
@it’sjust blanche-
Re: Julia: I’d rather not, thank you!
Isabella is still so beautiful.
This! Hand to god, I could only dream of looking this good at 62!
Her sacking caused a HUGE backlash for Lancome. It took a lot of very clever and careful marketing before they were considered viable again.
And Estee Lauder took advantage of the backlash to hire Elizabeth Hurley who at 29 was also considered mature for a beauty model.
Lancome sacking Isabella actually created a conversation about older models and any company that hired older models did very well. The market has plateau-ed and it’s not so strange to have an older model now, but at the time, it was considered revolutionary. Therefore as sad as I was that Isabella was sacked, still one of the most iconic beauty models, at least it created real change.
YES! my thoughts exactly!
Isabella is still one of the most beautiful women in the world. And she can act, too. I really miss seeing her on the big screen and that beautiful face in magazines.
Love her
I know, she is so lovely. I enjoyed her brief appearances on 30 Rock just to see and listen to her again.
Her attacking Liz at the gala may be my favorite thing that she’s ever done.
Lucy2, I totally agree! I laughed so hard during that scene, I was crying. I literally couldn’t breathe!
I have seen her at Epcot center a few times – close-up in lines and such. She is bbeautiful and looks her age. Not pulled taut and filled to chipmunk level proportions. I always marvel at Meryl and Jessica and how they still look so young and they must have had SOME work done. Isabella is French though and probably spent loads of fun years drinking good wine and smoking Gauloise…
If by Jessica you are talking about Jessica Lange, you must be the only person on this planet who doesn’t know about her face lift. The work has settled and she sort of looks like her old self, but she botched her face. She’s one of the worst face lifts ever. Jane Fonda and Julie Christie have the best face lifts.
But the whole bit is unfair. If you trade on your looks for money when you have the advantage of youth, shouldn’t you just accept the game for what it is. +40 women seem to thrive in the media….talk shows like the view are a good example, kate couric, editors, journalists, writers like Tina fey and amy poehler are heavily sought after.maybe modelling contracts aren’t falling on her lap, like they were when she was young and the child of a star, but I’d love to see her in the movies. She needs to retool her schtick. No disrespect to Isabella, just playing devils advocate.
Julianne Moore, cate blanchette, Angelina is nearly 40
Judy Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc. No one would think twice about the fact that there are some a-list actresses who continue to get fantastic roles at an age where our society would otherwise think them to be dried up! Talent counts for a lot.
I was just about to mention Vanessa Redgrave. She’s in her 70’s and still working. Ruby was in her 90’s and was still working. Cicely Tyson is in her 80’s and still working. I guess Susan Sarandon and the others mentioned are the exception.
But that implies that all she had going for her were her looks when she was younger. She is/was a very good actor – she is also smart and funny. I read her comments more as saying that – regardless of how good an actor you are – the parts dry up after age 40.
How long did Sean Connery, Steve Martin, Russell Crowe, Jack Nicholson, etc get to play the leading man? Much longer than women get to play the leading lady…I think that is her point.
I want to be her when I grow up. She seems like a thoughful, smart and vibrant person. Loved her in Blue Velvet.
She is luminous.
So was her mom. My God, I still watch in awe as her eyes twinkle with tears in Casablanca.
I saw Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight for the first time last weekend. I started watching in the middle of the film and was mesmerized by Ingrid Bergman’s face. She had a kind of haunting, ethereal quality. My favourite scene was close to the end when she let loose all her rage and pain. A young Angela Lansbury was also in that movie and she was terrific in all her scenes as well.
I’ve heard about that film, but never had a chance to see it yet. Ethereal is the perfect way to describe her face. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. It was the quality of expression versus simply looking pretty.
I Choose Me – I LOVE that movie!!!
I reference “gaslight” a lot. Like “stop F’ing trying to gaslight me,” and then have to explain the movie to the hoardes who’ve never heard of it.
I know what gaslighting is and the premise of the film. Just haven’t caught it on TCM.
Sorry, Kiddo. That wasn’t directed at you. I didn’t realize you’d said you haven’t seen it till after I posted, but it’s funny that this film really has come up a lot in my conversations lately for some reason.
bettyrose, Yeah, SURE. You were gaslighting me. lol
She was great on The Blacklist–one of my favorites of the series.
As for Lancôme–why are they so uptight about age since they photoshop everything to Hell and back anyway? You can’t create the luminosity she has shining in her expression though.
It was a different 20 years ago. Models were still doing most magazine covers and endorsements. Isabella was basically surrounded by teens and twentysomethings. One of the positives of fashion’s celebrity obsession is that it has upped the average age of women we see in these things.
Plus, cosmetics aren’t just about landing a husband any more. There’s something to having a “power look” in the office and we can afford much more as we advance in our careers, so those ads really should be targeted at increasingly powerful looking women vs. ingenues.
I just love the way she speaks… that accent and her voice is like silk.
I think its difficult for any older actor to get a film role – whether you are a guy or a woman. If really look there are only a handful of older men acting as well. We live in a youth centric society.
Audiences are demanding and asking for more diversity in movies in general. Everything Meryl puts out is a hit because we’re starved for these roles. It’s just that Hollywood has such tunnel vision that they’re responding to this by creating more roles for Meryl and Helen and no one else. Anyone else is “who?” or “can we re-write this role so she’s 30 years younger?”.
Or Julianne Moore or Dame Judy Dench or Betty White. I’ve always liked Isabella so I’d like to see her in more roles. Can we convince her to come back to Hollywood?
She is not that old, come on! i don’t understand why “old” actresses have more problems getting jobs than “old” actors.
Btw, Enemy is a great film.
Well, I never watch movies where the leading men are decades older than their love interest, i don’t watch movies starring mostly men, and I do support female friendly movies with my $$$$$.
*HONK* (for La Rossellini)
I really give Reese Whitherspoon a lot of credit. I saw her 60 Minutes interview where she talked about how hard it was to read she was in the list of actors that were over. She talked about the couple of years after the divorce being kind of a mess and jut doing roles and not connecting to audiences. She and a friend formed a production company to make movies. It was just the two of them, no big company. Their first movie was Gone, Girl. Established companies couldn’t believe they optioned that book ahead of everybody, a nobody company, and beat the competition.. She said it’s because they read a lot and knew instantly, so got that book and optioned the the book for the movie she’s in now, The Wilderness, is based on that is coming on Christmas and looks like it will be successful. I remember seeing the woman who wrote this book and found her journey fascinating and I want to see this movie.
Gone Girl was a massive success, so it has put the company in a strong financial position. They have more movies and TV projects in the works. If the parts aren’t there for women, this is what needs to be done.
Reece Witherspoon has had a production company since her early 20s. Her production company is called Type A productions after her type A personality <- direct quote and their first breakout success was LEGALLY BLONDE (all 4 of them) in 2000. She also produced PENELOPE and FOUR CHRISTMASES with Vince Vaughn.
Lots of actresses have working production companies that are variously successful on their own films and on films starring other people. Off the top of my head, Sandra Bullock (Fortis Films), Drew Barrymore (Flower Films), Demi Moore, Goldie Hawn, Elizabeth Burley (though she closed down her company when she gave birth), Elizabeth Banks (Brownstone Productions). Looking at the Imdb pages of just these few i've mentioned shows just how successful they are as producers.
Going back to the golden era of hollywood, actresses Mae West, Betty Davis even Marilyn Monroe all went looking for material and had it produced either by their own companies or insisted the studio produced it for them.
Reece is changing her public persona and pretending what went before wasn't up to her or that she struggled despite her success, but she's straight up lying. Especially when you know that for a long time her biggest concern was size of paycheck rather than material available.
A comment George Clooney made in 2000 in an interview about the industry and men aging and getting leading man roles longer than women get as leading roles and describing what a producer said once. George was just 39 at the time and just making his mark as a movie star, which is a great time for men, but not for women.
“PLAYBOY: But some of these guys—Paul Newman notwithstanding—seem desperate to stay 38. Actresses are particularly affected by aging.
CLOONEY: It happens with women quicker because it’s easier to see. People who make films are already looking around for the next 27-year-old that they can schtup. They’re saying, “This older actress is now a mother figure and not a sexual figure anymore. I’m going to go look for a sexual figure.” It always comes down to f***ing in a weird way.
PLAYBOY: Fucking?
CLOONEY: I’ve been in meetings with a head of a studio who I suppose will have to remain nameless. We were talking about an actress who is arguably one of the best actresses ever. She was interested in working on this project with us and the head of the studio says, “Well, I wouldn’t f*** her.” And I go, “Well, she wouldn’t f*** you! F*** you!” Even though the role had no sex in it and there was no sexual tension, it came down to fucking. It’s all about that. If you look at rock stars who have survived over 20 or 30 years, they stayed thin and sort of sexual in a weird way. The Stones, Bowie. They still look good. The guys who kind of got fat get a little sad. It happens with leading men, too. The secret to me is you have to look your age. But you have to look the best you can at your age. You don’t want to try to look younger, because you’ll look wrong. You dye your hair, you look wrong. You wear a bad toupee, you look wrong. You wear makeup to hide things, you get your eyes done, you look wrong. It happens all the time. I’m not interested in playing that game.”
He speaks the truth. They move to the next actress in their 20s. But I had never heard such a graphic reason like how that producer talked.
thanks for posting that – i totally agree with clooney! he hit the nail on the head.
I was watching/reading an interview with Pierce Brosnan when he did The Thomas Crowne Affair–talking about how hard it was to convince the producers to hire Rene Russo–because she was 40+…which, for the story, is freaking ridiculous. That type of a story NEEDED a woman in her late thirties/early forties, who was tired of all of the BS that came with dating/relationships with playboys like Pierce’s character. And Pierce’s character needed to be intrigued by someone who had gone through the same life experiences as he had. So it’s ridiculous that he even had to fight for an age appropriate love interest WHEN THE STORY DEMANDED IT. Ugh.
Pierce Brosnan is a stand-up guy.
And Rene Russo was dead sexy in that role, absolutely riveting. A 25 year old wouldn’t have been able to pull it off IMO. Good for Pierce!!
LOVE HER!
Yes, she is luminous! *Honking!!!!! <3
I remember an interview she did for a french radio during the promo for Late Bloomers, where she stressed that her accent was a problem to get roles in Hollywood.
Combined with age, she said it confined her in certain roles.
It does sound unfair but … make your own movies! By the time you hit 40 you probably acquire some wealth and connections you can now use to make any movie you want. It’s the same with race and nationality issue: Salma Hayek just went out and did her own movie “Frida” when she got tired of people not giving her serious Oscar worthy roles.
Although we can name a handful of “older” actresses that get good roles and are truly excellent at their craft, I think the issue remains. Firstly because of the TYPES of roles offered to these older actresses (sexless, maternal, supporting vs. lead, etc) and secondly because of the NUMBER of roles written / created for / or offered to “older” actresses compared to roles for “older” men and also compared to roles for actresses under 30. I don’t see such a large gap between roles for younger men and older men, and the types of roles that younger and older male actors get cast in, as there is for women.
If you look at the list of Oscar nominees in the female acting categories in the last few years, a number of “older” actresses have been nominated: Meryl, Viola Davis, Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Judi Dench, Sandra Bullock (now 50!), Annette Bening, Helen Mirren.
This tells me there’s a recognition that these older actresses are some of the best that Hollywood has to offer, and there’s interest in seeing their movies, yet there are no where near the number of movies made with actresses of this age range in leading roles as there should be.
Oh and one final thought: SO THRILLED to see Monica Belluci cast in the next Bond movie. Finally, a Bond WOMAN!
Of course she is right, Roles for older actresses quickly dry up, whereas as men in their 50s and older still get lots of leading roles, including franchises leads.
She’s right as far as celebrity being the longevity factor for lucrative brand and modeling campaigns. Tilda, Blanchett etc may be exceptions…but otherwise you have Jolie, recently julia roberts and a number of other ‘older actresses’ that are called to front campaigns b/c they have celebrity recognition factor. They are well known to consumers at large. It’s the brand of the celebrity/image that sells.
Well it’s true. But also truth is that famous actresses at 40 want to play 25 years old. You know like Jennifer Aniston still does those romantic movies or comedies when she plays 32 something young naive woman. Same problem with men when when Tom Cruise is 50 but still wants to play 35 years old action hero. Same with Johhny Depp, Clooney. Daniel Craig is too old to be Bond. But still will run around and do action and pretend that he is 37.
Public should protest it. And also laugh off when 40-50 years old actor has 23 years old love interest in the movie. Media should shame them and laugh. Maybe then producers will stop.
she has not done the lancome commercials for 22 years?!?!? I feel really old now
I keep hoping that she gets signed onto something like American Horror Story or Once Upon a Time, something really interesting somewhere.
I didn’t know she has a twin sister..
I saw pictures.. I think her sister Isotta looks more like their mother.
I love this woman! Forever & always. She’s played some amazing characters. I was so happy to see her on The Blacklist this year.
I agree with Clooney about most of what he said. I don’t think it is sex, though. It is about power and control. Every time I’ve been to a film festival, the heavyweight power players have been overwhelmingly white men. They don’t have to play the game because they run the game. Little boys grow up playing war and killing one another. Back in the day of dinosaurs, men hunted in groups. I’m a woman and I marvel at how well (and for how long) men (predominantly white and now also Asian) have held onto the reins of power. They’re good at it and good enough to keep everybody else out of it so they can monopolize it. White and Asian men still rule this world from what I see, from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg to the Forbes trillionaires. They do so quietly, commanding much higher salaries than women, and they get by with nearly everything because they always have. I’m awed by them because I don’t have their fortitude, cunning, competitiveness, or opportunities. When I think about men, I think about power and, when I try to imagine God, I think about power. Nobody says God has to be sexy, but He has to be omnipotent. Jesus was on the sexy side, but the game was still omnipotence. Just my opinion based on life experience.
ageism is so stupid and horrible. gives us all the wrong ideas about beauty and such. it also makes the likes of her and other veeeeeery good actors/singers/whatever disappear (from us).
Pft. Millionaire celebrities whinging about how they’re victims of wage inequality isn’t just a case of First World Problems, it’s case of First World Problems on STEROIDS! I mean how bourgeois can you get? I support gender and wage equality but listening to these entitled millionaires whinge about sexist Hollywood, after they were happy to be complicit when it was to their advantage, leaves me cold. But I guess if highlighting this issue can help address gender in equality across the board then I suppose there’s some value publicizing this issue.
She looks SO much like her beautiful mother did as she ages. Naturally and gracefully.
Plastic faced aging Barbie dolls, take note.