Melanie Griffith is 58. At some point the acting roles dried up for her and while you could make the point that they dried up around the time she started getting plastic surgery, you could also make the point that it would have happened anyway because there aren’t many decent characters written for older women. Melanie’s daughter Dakota has talked about this in regard to her mother, asking “Why isn’t my mother in the movies? She’s an extraordinary actress. Why isn’t my grandmother [Tippi Hedren] in the movies? This industry is f–king brutal.” Dakota may have been parroting her mom because Melanie pretty much said the same thing in an interview with People.
“By the time you’re 40 in Los Angeles, you’re over the hill in the business,” Griffith, 58, tells PEOPLE. “It takes women that are strong enough to actually change the perception.”
Griffith, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1989 for her performance in the women-in-the-workplace empowerment classic Working Girl, cites Zoe Cassavetes, the director of her latest film, as one example.
Day Out of Days sheds light on what it really takes to survive in Tinseltown. Griffith plays an unstable mother/momager to 40-year-old actress/former in-demand starlet Mia Roarke (Alexia Landeau), and emphasizes that the film rightly shows the less-than-glamorous side of the business.“People should know it’s really f—ing hard,” she says. “It’s tough, it’s not glamorous like it’s portrayed. Some of it is glamorous, but honestly, unless you can really enjoy your work, it’s too tough. The payback is being able to play and do your job and have fun with it because otherwise it’s just too brutal, there’s too much judgment and criticism, opinions, it’s just brutal.”
The title of the film Melanie mentioned, Day out of Days, is the term for an industry practice in which there’s a chart made for a film before it’s shot which adds up “the number of paid days for each cast member.” It’s part of how a film’s budget is made. Day out of Days is available on demand and you can see the trailer here. It’s about a 40 year-old actress, played by Alexia Landeau, who isn’t getting roles and is disillusioned with her career. Melanie plays the mom. It looks really depressing to me, but maybe that’s the point.
Last December, Melanie responded to meanies on Instagram by saying “I’m 58. And I’m in Hawaii Five O playing Scott Caan’s Mom. Go ahead… Say some more mean things.” So she’s working still, she’s just not as busy as she used to be and she probably misses it. I wish there were more roles for women and especially older women, because that would mean that more of their stories, our stories, would be getting told.
Melanie with her mom, Tippi Hedren, 86:
Photos credit: WENN.com
She looks like she is in a good place. I wish her the best.
I love her as Scott Caan (Dan-O)’s mom onhawaii 5-0. That show became my guilty pleasure at the end of my pregnancy
I binge watched it. She is great on it.
No judgement, it was my guilty pleasure for its first few seasons. The show may be corny but the chemistry between the two male leads was intoxicating 😉 Also, the stunt casting was so shamelessly delicious, every episode was a game of spot the star who signed on for a five minute role in exchange for a free Hawaii vacation. I didnt know, Melanie is in it now, I should schedule a 5-0 binge session.
Wow. Tippi looks great at 86. At least Dakota has something to look forward to.
Except she looks just like her dad! But Don Johnson still looks good too. I have always liked Melanie, and I love “Working Girl” and “Something Wild.”
Tippi looks amazing!!!! Still beautiful. I just wish Melanie hadn’t tampered with her face so much. I feel like her plastic surgery has aged her a little, more than if she had left her face alone. But she has a great attitude and seems tough enough to survive the business so kudos to her!
FYI, when The Birds came out Tippi claimed to be 27. Guess Hitchcock or the studio thought a 33-year-old mother was too old for a new discovery, so they just rewrote her history. That’s why people are so shocked to hear she’s 86. She only came clean about her real age a decade ago.
Melamie looks much better than usual and her mom, Tippi – this is what 85 looks like! When you are naturally beautiful.
I can’t decide how I feel about her statements. Because she’s not wrong, not at all. But it does sound like she’s simply p*ssed that her career went down the toilet and she’s blaming it on everyone but herself. Because my god, her face. I think the same thing when Nicole Kidman is on screen with that botoxed face of hers. I can barely look because it’s distracting and looks painful. Only Kidman maybe made smarter choices? I don’t know. Then again, maybe she went under the knife so many times because of the pressure and the lack of roles. Whatever the reasons, I do feel bad for her. And then I think “Yeah, it’s brutal. But you’re still going on vacation in Aspen. So it’s not like you’re broke or anything. Stop complaining.” I just can’t make up my mind.
ETA: Tippi Hedren looks gorgeous.
Agree with everything you said. It is true, the industry is brutal. It’s also a choice (people make to enter it – you know going in that ageism when it comes to women is very real and pervasive.) You can choose to do TV (particularly nowadays) or theatre but if you want to be in the movies, that’s what you face.
Not saying it’s fair, just that it is expected. Her messing up her face definitely did not help!! And she had the lovely benefit (just like her daughter has now) of starting with a famous mom who opened doors for her. Unless she is just like Goopy, totally self-made…
I think the industry will change or find that outside of very few blockbuster movies, it will lose money. We have so many more choices – Netflix and streaming, and made for TV amazing shows, I know I only go to movies that really interest me. Given the high cost of tix, it makes no sense anymore to go to anything other than excellent movies or special effect extravaganzas. It may take a while, but I think they will adapt or go away.
Since you brought up the comparison, I feel the need to point out that Kidman is simply a superior actress. She’s phenomenally gifted with an acting range that Melanie does not have. Kidman has steadily gotten work IN SPITE of the cosmetic procedures precisely because she’s so talented. Also, if you follow her work closely, you’ll note that she tends to back off the fillers depending on the project that she’s working on.
..but I like Melanie and I always feel a bit protective of her. She just seems super-sensitive and fragile.
Yes, Kidman is the better actress and she looks like she hasn’t gone under the knife but has had fillers etc. That can settle while Griffith’s surgeries are simply not reversible. Also, her choices between the late 90s and about 2005 were pretty solid and established her as an actress who can do it all, like you said. But then … I don’t know. She’s made some terrible movies in the past 10 years. I digress.
I have felt bad for Melanie for a long time because her face cannot possibly belong to a happy person. However, you make decisions. But I always balk at celebrities complaining in public or to their audience. I don’t mean criticism or the industry, I do mean complaining. There’s a single mother of 3 with 2 jobs who’s reading that interview. Don’t be an ass.
Good points. I think Melanie is a good person with self destructive tendencies. I hope Dakota does not inherit her parent’s addiction problems.
I agree with all of this, also that she seems like a sensitive person with self-destructive tendencies. She had such a freshness about her back in the day. I don’t know if it’s possible since she destroyed her face (also through hard living), but I’d love to see her make a comeback.
It is true
Yeah, agreed. I just can’t with her face. As well as Meg Ryan’s.
It seems that there are still older women working (the ones that aged more naturally…. I say that loosely because in Hollywood I don’t think Anyone hasn’t had a little work) like Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, etc. they are more natural and also we connect with them because they seem to be more down to earth. I’m sure it is hard, but life is hard, so stfu and just get on with it. And stop messing with your face!!!
I think Streep and Field have had subtle work. Jane Fonda openly discusses her facelift and breast enhancement. They all look fabulous!
Totally agree. She destroyed her career when she destroyed her face.
Right, it must be hard getting work when your face is jacked and you don’t look like yourself. *side eye to Meg Ryan*.
I completely agree. Melanie had a look that she totally screwed up for her career and trying to hold onto Antonio. Not to mention the drug problem. Now her mother is still quite beautiful and age-appropriate.
But she tampered with her face precisely because of the insecurities her industry breeds. She probably believed she was extending her shelf life.
Anyway, it wasnt her face that slowed her career down. She is just not a very versatile actress. That little girl voice restricted her to playing vulnerable child-like characters and those are harder to find as you age.
Good point.
I saw a movie recently. Name escapes me. She had a supporting role as this waitress trying to reconstruct her life and she unwittingly entangles herself with a would-be serial killer. The character is this vulnerable, fragile former beauty and it occurred to me that she’s been playing this role her whole career. It reminded me of her character in Milk Money from 20 years ago. Unfortunately, she’s aged out of it. Had she possessed more range as an actress, she very well could be working more.
I can’t stand to look at Nicole Kidmans face and am always shocked at how much work she still gets. It’s crazy to me. I don’t get why she did it and went so hard (your lips don’t magically triple in size when you reach your 40’s). Even if people get work why is it so over the top? Susan Sarandon had work done and looks amazing-and admitted it!
It’s not her age. She just is not a very good actress. And that “I’m so adorable” baby doll voice was grating when she was younger and ridiculous now that she’s older. And jacking around with her face the way she has? That’s what has pretty much killed her career. And I love Hawaii Five 0, but the episodes that she is in are further proof of her lack of acting talent. She is absolutely awful in that role.
Exactly.
I don’t disagree with what she says but she doesn’t have a great range. And she wrecked her face.
Yes I agree she is not that gifted. But why equally less gifted male actors are still getting roles then?
That’s where the problem lies: if you are a woman you HAVE to be phenomenal to pass the over 40 ceiling… if you area man…where’s that ceiling again?….
If you remember, she stopped getting a lot of roles after her movies were just bomb after bomb. Crazy In Alabama, Too Much, Born Yesterday, Milk Money… she made terrible, terrible movies that people didn’t see.
An actress can have unlimited bombs and directors will still throw her a bone once in a while if she maintains her good looks and has a professional reputation. Case in point: Kim Basinger, 62 years old, hasn’t had a qualified hit since the 1980s, and yet every few years she shows up in a big movie playing a role that is obviously written for a much-younger woman.
Melanie looks like hell and has the face of a woman two decades her senior. It’s sad that people now consider her a peer of Goldie Hawn and Jane Fonda, who are of a totally different generation, but people don’t realize this because she looks just as old as they do.
Right! That baby voice makes me gag.
The voice, it’s just not conducive to mature roles, sorry
Baby voice and too much plastic surgery… This a good preview of the Kardashians in 20 years!
For actresses who rely on their looks or sexuality, 40 probably is their deadline. But ask Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon how they feel. Well actually probably the same, but they can do character acting. They don’t have to rely on being the sexy girlfriend or working girl. They run the business or cure the disease or are even someone’s mother or grandmother. Life isn’t a bowl of cherries, it’s what you make it. I get a bitter vibe from her, but you can’t stay young forever. She can live vicariously through Dakota.
you can’t make this argument. yes, a bunch of actresses are allowed to age and still get work, however most don’t. there’s a systemic issue with how hollywood treats women of all ages, many actresses are forced to go for the sexy girlfriend roles not because they like to be objectified, but because those are the only available roles to women. things are changing nowadays, especially when it comes to female roles in tv shows, but they still have a long way to go.
I agree with the majority of your post Elle. I think Meryl could find work at 70 almost as easily as 30 with her talent. She has a unique look that can easily be the lovely woman seductress or just as easily head of the boardroom. Some male actors have the same ability. Our country is getting older, 14.9 million people over the age of 65 in 2015 and a projected 20% over 65 in 2030. Actresses get heard about ageism more readily than the older secretary downtown. It just is what it is, difference being Melanie and others like her still have opulent lifestyles, while that 59 year old secretary may still have a mortgage. Like everything else, things will change eventually, just not quick enough for some.
Helen Mirren and Susan Saradon are just soooo sexy and age hasn’t diminished that at all. But then again they were never the MOST beautiful to look at, they were very attractive but it was that something extra that propelled them to the front. That spark combined with real acting talent is why they are still stars. I wish they had more high profile lead roles, but that applies across the whole age range for women.
Sally Fields is a great actress and aged naturally, and she says it is very hard for her to find any roles.
Actually, Sally Fields has NOT aged naturally. She has, in fact, had many plastic surgery procedures. She and Jane Fonda once made a bet not to get any more, but they both reneged on their agreement and continue to have more. Look, they’re allowed, but they’re definitely not a good representation of aging “naturally”
If she’s had work done, it looks very natural. Neck, eyes, forehead and lips show the natural signs of aging.
http://www.laineygossip.com/Sally-Field-in-Hello-My-Name-is-Doris-movie-review/43310
This is one of the areas where I feel like foreign cinema, particularly French films, is more progressive than American cinema. Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani, Kristin Scott Thomas (who most often works in France), Charlotte Rampling (again, works a lot in France), and the list goes on. These women are arguably some of the biggest actresses in France and outnumber the younger A list actresses. Meanwhile, I have a hard time thinking of any 50+ American actresses that are huge except for Meryl, Viola, Susan Sarandon (although she hasn’t had any big hits or even huge critical hits for a while) and Julianne Moore….maybe a few more if I add the Brits and the Australians. Instead, we tend to cast 25 year old Jennifer Lawrence as a harried mother of 3 or as a 21 year old widow or Emma Stone opposite Joaquin Phoenix.
@Div : Many true words.
Maybe because in France it’s because it’s reflective of our society: women live, have fun, flirt, date, etc… their whole life. Whenever a woman is single well into her 50s or 60s people ask if she met someone constantly, as they would do for someone younger ( as “what about your mom has she met someone lately?”)
There are no limitation in terms of age we are admirative of a woman charms, beauty, humor, etc “in spite of “her age.
Carole bouquet is considered a stunner, not “beautiful for her age” . Just beautiful. by everyone -including very young men-.
So movies are just reflective of a reality: the “decorative girlfriend” roles niche doesn’t even exist as we are accustomed to see women being complex and we expect them to be just like that in movies .
I am 29 and whenever I go to the US (quite often) it’s a bit of a cultural shock on this very aspect: as a woman you are supposed to comply to very specific expectations set by your age (, be hot, have “college years” fun, be engaged, get married, be a mom, “age gracefully”etc..) and it feels a bit terrifying.
At my age it’s: “why aren’t you engaged”(I am in a committed relationship for 5 yrs I don’t want to be married at all…. something I never adress in my country as it is considered a private matter,and nobody would even ask.
USA hold a very strong power towards the whole world and can project such a positive image as it leads in so many aspects so let’s hope that its movies will reflect a better image for women so women everywhere can progress and benefit from it.I am really looking forward to it.
Truthful, so very well said.
It’s all about how you position yourself. There are only a handful of actresses in any given generation who will be part of the elite group that still get prestige parts even when they wrinkle. The ones who see the end coming, should always pivot to TV, while TV still thinks they are a big get. I think Melanie waited too long and all the good shows passed her by.
TV is getting better at providing roles for older women, but it isn’t great. The male roles still greatly outweighed the female roles especially as actress get older. Something like 70% of characters on TV over the age of 50 are men. It’s starting to get better, but it’s no where near equal representation.
Tippi looks great.
I have a soft spot for Mel, I don’t understand all of the face tweaking, but I do understand the lack of roles for older women in Hollywood.
Melanie always had some problems to find work.
She had a bad reputation in 80’s/90’s because of her drug/alcoholic problem,her addiction for plastic surgeon ( during a filming ,she had a new breast) and she was difficult on set ( not professional)
Her well known drug & alcohol problems hurt her career & made her hard to insure. They didn’t help her looks either. She was a rehab regular for years & the excessive plastic work finished things off.
Melanie did it to herself. It was in her early 40s when she went out and got a facelift on an already thin face. It was horrible. Add the big fishlips to it and her work dried up completely after that. Not too many months before her facelift I remember seeing her in an interview thinking she looked amazing. The next time I saw her it was like looking at a skeleton head. Her face was just so off.
And she is a limited actress, that was good in certain types of movies with her baby girl voice and stilted delivery of lines, that didn’t translate over to middle-aged roles.
I think her limited range was a big reason, plus we don’t know how many roles she may have refused along the way, how serious she is about finding said roles, etc.
When performers claim there are no roles, I wonder if they mean that literally. Some actors manage to work at a steady pace, albeit taking smaller (character) roles. If she is looking for a top line part, those probably are few and far between.
Melanie got a facelift way earlier than that. I think she had one around 1993 when she was 35 (!). Just look at the difference between her appearance in “Milk Money” compared to the movies she made right before that. She definitely had something done.
I don’t know, it is really harsh, but if your success was based to a large extend upon your looks then your career will fade as you get older. It is unfair that men have a longer shelf life than women, but will Zac Effron or Henry Cavill get much work in their forties? Look at some one like Olivia Coleman, she slogged on through character roles, learning her trade and becoming gradually recognised for the huge talent she is. She had to work hard because she had neither the looks or the connections to get her to the front of the queue at a young age. She is now 42 and I am really excited for her future, I can see her as the Maggie Smith or Judy Dench of her generation. Drastically more roles for women of all ages is essential and stop giving roles to women who are far too young, but aging is still going to be a shock for the beautiful people, if the talent isn’t there to fall back on.
You know, we say we get really tired of thirsty actresses who constantly sell themselves e.g. Lifestyle pages, cook books, whatever. But the fact of the matter is with the ever increasing high turnover rate of young starlets whose time in Hollywood is increasingly becoming less and less, we are bound to see more or it. These actresses have to reinvent themselves in order to stay relevant and return an income. It’s annoying as hell but unless the industry changes it will only become more and more common place. The older I get the more I see how sexist the world actually is. Of course I was oblivious to it when I was in my twenties because then I didn’t experience it personally but now I see it everywhere I look. There has been a pushback on both sides of the chromosome lately. The women are trying to make a stand and the men are fighting harder and harder to put us back in our place. It’s really disheartening.
Probably just rambling here, but this post reminded me I wanted to say that.
Could not agree more. At 34 I see it everywhere both intrinsicallly and more obviously. At this point I cant help but be anything other than a feminist.
Could not agree more. At 34 I see it everywhere both intrinsicallly and more obviously. At this point I cant help but be anything other than a feminist.
” The women are trying to make a stand and the men are fighting harder and harder to put us back in our place. ”
I am seeing a lot of this as well.
Hitchcock ruined Tippi Hedren’s career. It’s awful. Melanie and women like Goldie Hawn, who made a career of being young, sexy and fun, probably did have expiration dates. It seems like you really have to establish yourself as a serious dramatic actress if you are to have any chance of beating ageism in the industry.
He did. He was an evil old man who penalized her for not sleeping with him by ruining her career.
Goldie Hawn is 70 years old and was an A-list box office star for almost FOUR DECADES, from the late 1960s to the early 2000s! You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about, Lila. Comparing her to Griffith is ludicrous.
I always liked Melanie, god knows why. However, this isn’t solely about ageism. She doesn’t have a wide range as an actress, or the skills of a Streep, or Sarandon. She also comes over as immature, and that voice…it worked in Working Girls somehow, but now it’s plain irritating. To that, she had to deal with addictions- probably a red light for a lot of producers/studios- if you don’t have the acting qualities and/or are a man, like RDJ. Melanie also never really matured in a way that might be interesting enough to cast her in more serious roles. I mean, our world, and HW in particular, is sexist and ruled by male chauvinism, no doubt. But in her case, a lot of the rejection she feels might also have to do with choices SHE made.
Good points, but you left off what she did to her face when right before that she looked really great. She was only in her very early 40s or 40 at the time she went and got a full facelift and screwed up her face.
I know, but I thought since everybody knows that, I didn’t need to mention it. But that actually makes me wonder: do you think that, without the facelift, she would have had a more flourishing career?
I don’t know that Melanie ever fought that hard for her career. She could have tried a different direction after Working Girl, but did things like Milk Money. Charlize will work for life because she branched out a little and forced people to see her other than for her looks. Melanie is also 5 years younger than my mom, and even tho mum has the family baggy eyes and wrinkles, she still looks younger!
Ok, bear with me, bc I KNOW there are serious issues about WASP male domination in many parts of society, but FFS can we do for ourselves SOMETHING to push and find answers. She’s MELANIE GRIFFITH and not some Syrian refugee. This is a woman who is not an unknown actor in Hollywood who still needs to audition and needs to work a side job. She is not a wannabe. And she def has means and connections to make projects of her own. Surely, she could use what she has and make SOMETHING. I mean, film students make crap everyday with no money — are you telling me this person can’t have an idea of her own and make it come true? Even if she created a youtube channel on plastic surgery or recovering after losing love or SOMETHING, she’d get press. No, success isn’t guaranteed, but FFS put your own voice out there and change the conversation if you hate the conversation. MAKE WORK IF THERE ISN’T WORK.
And get a millennial on it! They figure it out, they will shoot a feature on a GD iPhone, FFS.
I can’t listen to this stuff anymore. Melanie, CALL ME, I will solve your life
I’m under the impression she’s not very active regarding looking/trying for new opportunities. Little self-confidence, a certain laziness (after all, she’s very wealthy), and a sense of entitlement, as if others have to offer her something. In other job areas, you can’t get anywhere with this attitude. Of course, they mostly have agents- I wonder what her’s is doing all the time. But again, as an actress, she’s not overly talented.
Great point of view @annaloo.! You are so right, Melanie has so much name recognition, she could reinvent herself. And it doesn’t always have to cost much. The younger generation knows about that, the point is to be creative.
Well at least she was rich enough to not have to worry about a job after the age of 40. I also feel like actresses that are really REALLY talented are still working far past the age of 40. Melanie wasn’t the best actress to begin with. The competition for “older roles” is fierce. I mean Meryl gets them all lol.
Not to be harsh, but – the real miracle is that this person had any sort of career in the first place. Melanie Griffith is to put it kindly a wooden, one-dimensional actor with a grating, sickly, voice and absolutely no range. It’s a miracle and a testament to the power of nepotism that this person got hired for anything in the first place.
When all you have to offer as ‘talent’ is blond hair, a cute figure, and a famous mother, then maybe you should just be grateful that you’ve gotten any jobs as an actor at all.
You know who is a talented, genuinely funny comedic actress who should be working much more than she does? Rachel Dratch, that’s who.
Rachel Dratch is extremely talented and SHE should be getting a lot more work. That’s who I’m reserving my sympathies for. Melanie Griffith can have a seat and go count all the millions of dollars she made during those years when she was working the cute blond nepotism circuit in Hollywood.
P.S. Kate Hudson take note: this is your future.
Oh, can’t wait for the “It’s Hard Out Here for a 40-year-old Hollywood Daughter” song and dance from Ms. Hudson
Having a famous mother had nothing to do with it. Actually, Tippi Hedren is mainly famous for being Melanie’s mom. She only had 2 major roles ever, The Birds and Marnie, which were her first and second acting credits. Melanie was already in school by the time Tippi decided to be an actress.
Melanie, while never really considered a beauty, is very charming with an outgoing, likeable personality. She’s someone who seems fun to hang out with. That is what she had to offer. And that’s why she was cast in the starmaking Working Girl over more popular and better looking actresses like Michelle Pfeiffer. She was never a box office draw (as evidenced by row of flops) but was a good fit in low-budget, quirky slice-of-life movies like Something Wild, Forever Lulu and Another Day in Paradise.
The only actress to fairly compare her to would be Courtney Love. As I detailed in another comment, her prematurely decrepit appearance is the reason why she stopped getting movie roles, ANY movie roles of substance for the past 15 years, even in independent movies that don’t require bankability.
Melanie Griffith stopped getting work after people stopped seeing her movies. She made TERRIBLE movies in the 90s. Utterly terrible. She was never an extraordinary actress, she had a famous mom and lucked out with a couple of parts that were tailor made for her.
Stopped seeing her movies? People NEVER went to see her movies. Working Girl was her breakthrough and her ONLY hit. She’s a one-hit wonder who kept her name in the press by marrying Banderas.
Kim Basinger is four years older than Melanie and won an Oscar for playing a sexy prostitute in L.A. Confidential when she was 44, and she’s WAY less talented than Melanie.
Goldie Hawn, twelve years older than Melanie, at 57 could still headline a major studio movie (The Banger Sisters).
Until the Jennifer Lawrence invasion, essentially all of the actresses getting the big roles in town were between 35 and 50: Bullock, Roberts, Diaz, Aniston, Kidman, Witherspoon, Paltrow, Zellweger, Amy Adams, Naomi Watts, Jolie, Barrymore. Jessica Chastain is 40 next year and has only been famous for a few years.
Melanie is kidding herself with this statement. She stopped getting roles because she was an alcoholic, drug addicted trainwreck, and this not only interfered with her work (read about the incident where she showed up to the Working Girl set crossfaded) but took a toll on her appearance. She was already looking haggard when she was a starlet on the rise in movies like Something Wild and Stormy Monday. She had much-needed plastic surgery on her face right before Milk Money, and looked the best she ever looked around that time – it was the closest she ever got to being beautiful. Her daily chain smoking made her look old again within a couple years. It was only then that she got the “bad” plastic surgery that everyone talks about.
Mel. Mell. Melly. Mel, Mel. You didn’t have strong acting chops to begin with – be happy & thankful for the trucks of money you have and enjoy life. It isn’t ALL about fame, is it?