Frances McDormand is promoting her new miniseries, Olive Kitteridge. The project is about a family who lives in a New England town where not everything is as safe and sound as it seems. The town’s residents are all having affairs and enduring various tragedies. Frances did a new interview with the New York Times where she calls the miniseries “a subversive act” because it provides so many aging actors with roles. Frances is 57 and keeps a low profile for a woman who’s married to a Coen Brother.
Frances may appear in many of Joel Cohen’s movies (I loved her in Burn After Reading), but she’s not getting the roles because she’s married to the director. Frances is immensely talented. She won the Oscar for Fargo and hid her award behind a bunch of books on an obscure shelf. She sometimes dresses it in “a cowboy outfit” for fun but mostly ignores it. Frances was also nominated for Almost Famous and two other movie roles. She’s a good egg, as they say. Here are her feelings on aging and plastic surgery:
On aging in Hollywood: “We are on red alert when it comes to how we are perceiving ourselves as a species. There’s no desire to be an adult. Adulthood is not a goal. It’s not seen as a gift. Something happened culturally: No one is supposed to age past 45 — sartorially, cosmetically, attitudinally. Everybody dresses like a teenager. Everybody dyes their hair. Everybody is concerned about a smooth face.”
Her feelings on plastic surgery: “I have not mutated myself in any way. Joel and I have this conversation a lot. He literally has to stop me physically from saying something to people — to friends who’ve had work. I’m so full of fear and rage about what they’ve done.” Looking old, she said, should be a boast about experiences accrued and insights acquired, a triumphant signal “that you are someone who, beneath that white hair, has a card catalog of valuable information.”
Her early career: “I was often told that I wasn’t a thing. She’s not pretty enough, she’s not tall enough, she’s not thin enough, she’s not fat enough.’ I thought, ‘O.K., someday you’re going to be looking for someone not, not, not, not, and there I’ll be.'”
Her marriage to Joel: “I’ve been with a man for 35 years who looks at me and loves what he sees.”
She hasn’t watched FX’s Fargo: “Not interested,” she said, explaining that she’s leery of “the cultural appropriation of intellectual property.”
[From NYT]
It’s completely refreshing to hear a successful actress talk about how ragey they feel when they witness plastic surgery’s effects. A lot of times, actresses will talk about how cosmetic procedures make them “sad” as they Botox their worries away. Frances doesn’t belong to that group. She admits to fear when people look different after doctor’s visits. It IS scary. Frances is one of the only actresses who will speak their mind on the subject. Let me modify that statement. She’s one of the only actresses who says this stuff and isn’t hiding some plastic surgery. She’s no hypocrite in that department.
Photos courtesy of WENN
Imagine how scary it is taking the bandages off after plastic surgery to see the result! I had a lumpectomy last year and was terrified I’d have Frankenstein boobs forever (luckily it healed beautifully)
Yeah, I fixed my ears when I was eleven and my biggest fear was looking so different I wouldn’t be me.
I hear you about the lumpectomy. Had one in 2010. Left me with an ugly and uncomfortable tuck on my right breast, but otherwise … survivable.
I had an op on my right eyelid yesterday for ptosis, which is where one eyelid drops down over the pupil. I was sick of constantly looking at my eyelashes and misty beams of light. However, as an occular plastic surgeon performed it I was in a medical facility filled with plastic surgery patients…I dont get it, today i am sore, icing my eye, feeling stitches INSIDE my eylid and to me its just such a big deal. God knows how a facelift under a general aenesthetic would feel afterwards…no thanks! plus my mum had a botched boob reduction, took six months for the wound to close and they look horrendous….i am happy with floppy double d’s forever thanks! i can see why Frances gets ragey.
Her viewpoint is definityely refreshing. I understand celebrities want to keep their looks because of their jobs, but if you’re a great actor/actress or musician it won’t matter.
Tom Hanks isn’t Robert Redford, but he’s can act extremely well.
Jessica Alba is easy on the eyes, but watching her act makes me wanna stab them out.
Ariana Grande is cute, but she is a pain to work with.
Steven Tyler looks like a wet paperbag, but can sing with the best of them.
Of course there’s exceptions, but this is what I tend to see.
AMEN. If you’re really good at what you do, people won’t care how old, ugly, short, fat, wrinkly, cellulit-y you are: if they want someone good, they’ll choose someone good. Period. Unless they misjudge, but that’s their problem.
It won’t matter if you are a man. Not so much if you are a woman. Yes, talent is taken into consideration, but older or less attractive dudes have a much easier time in Hollywood than older or less attractive women, and the bias against age-appropriate love interests is still there.
+1
Love her. A lot.
me. too.
Me three
Me four!
Yep. One of the most tragically under-rated actresses ever. I had no idea she was married to Joel Coen, and for 35 year
Tell em’ Fran!
She’s such a talented actress. Beautiful indeed. It’s really nice to see an actress who does not succumb to plastic surgery.
She and her husband look cute together. It’s nice to see a woman in Hollywood who has accepted the reality of aging and hasn’t gone the way of so many others.
She’s so…authentic. She seems intelligent and she is most definitely a talented actor. This makes me appreciate Joel Coen, too. I hope their marriage remains intact.
+eleventy billion
This!
I agree so much.
Frances had me at Dot in Raising Arizona. Love to watch her on screen!
As if I didn’t have enough reasons already to love this awesome, fiercely talented woman.
She is beautiful and talented. I have fond memories from serval roles in her career. I just loved (gushing) how her husband has to stop her from commenting or been openly horrified at friends faces and the work they have had done. Aaah this is refreshing, todays blogs are about some great actors that fly under the raider but are so worthy from their work and attitudes. Love it !
I agree with what she’s saying, but I don’t think it’s very nice for her to say in a public interview that she wants to say stuff to her friends about their messing with their faces, but her husband stops her. That’s not something I would want to read in a public interview, even if no one knew who I was. I would definitely feel betrayed. One of the things I appreciate about my mom is that if she doesn’t like something about you, she’ll say it right to your face. She won’t hide it.
I think she’s angry that plastic surgery has become a prerequisite for being an actress in later years. She probably has a conversation with her husband, like this: “Can you believe what soandso did to her face? I’m gonna tell her how awful it looks”. Her husband: “Come on, Frances, you think that’s a good idea?” Frances: “No, but I should”. I think it’s just a couple’s dialogue and that she never fully intended to say this directly, but decided on addressing the issue in a more general way in this interview.
I know I sometimes have fantasies about things I’d like to say to people, I may say them aloud to someone else who is close to me, but I know I’m not actually going to do it. Sometimes I’ll have a full argument going on in my head. It’s like a release, I think. Or maybe I am projecting too much.
But she specifically said that she wanted to say it to ‘friends’–her friends. And while I don’t think she’s wrong for thinking that (I certainly would), that’s not something I would want said in an interview. Then you have people looking at you, wondering WHO she’s talking about. Just like with Courteney Cox.
Fair enough….
*now engaging in long term argument, in head, with Virgilia Coriolanus* lol
@Kiddo
I do try to be fair. I said the same thing about Jennifer Aniston. I’m surprised no one brought her up, because she and Frances said the same exact thing–and Jennifer was bashed for it. I think that it’s mean no matter who says it. I get that they probably didn’t mean for it to come off like that, but I know I’d be totally embarrassed if I was one of these ‘friends’. I do think, deep down, all of those cat faced women KNOW that they f-cked their face up. But no one wants to be reminded of that.
I get your point, but I think she was speaking more in a general term. I would think an actress of her caliber has a lot of “friends”, not all necessarily that close. She was definitely referring to the fact that plastic surgery for older actresses is pretty much de rigueur, and it horrifies her to see people she knows (“friends”) going that route. I know what she feels like, as I have a friend who gets fillers and botox around her eyes, and it’s really obvious, puffy, and unattractive. She looks like a freakin’ OWL! I haven’t said anything to her about it because I know she is terrified of aging, and gets the injections from her nurse sister for free, so she’s happy to have that financial break. I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but I want to tell her the truth every time I see her, and always choose not to.
The problem with Aniston saying it is that she’s obviously jacking her face with fillers so it seemed disingenuous.
•VG•
I actually take the opposite view you do (although I do understand your perspective). I find it refreshing to hear about a normal marriage and it sounds as this is both normal and healthy (yay for them both!). A good spouse will try and prevent you from inserting your foot into your mouth! That’s very endearing. My opinion of course. 😊
:ETA:
Kudos to you VG for pointing out that other actresses have been called out for saying the exact same thing.
Plastic surgery or not, styling is still of value, right? I say that with nothing but peace & love for Frances.
Love her. Love. First saw her in ‘Darkman’ when I was a foetus and have loved her ever since.
Wait, what’s a card catalogue? Never heard if it.
No, in all seriousness, she’s right. But plastic surgery is a very small part of the issue here. Remember learning about tribes who wouldn’t do anything out of the ordinary without the approval of their group of elders? That’s what helped humans survive for so many thousands of years. We might want to revisit that model…
The tribe of Hollywood and the anti-aging corporations and marketers tribe are what’s driving this.
Oh without a doubt there’s money to be made. But that was not the intended spirit of my comment. Maybe we, as individuals, can take action in our everyday lives to tap into the wisdom of our very own elders. Times change but life experience is valuable and many lessons are timeless.
I agree. The respect for age & wisdom has been lost. Even maturity and women who are older dressing with style and grace instead of dressing like they are still in their twenties and offering their wisdom and guidance to younger women instead of dancing on tables and doing jello shots with their daughters *cough*Kris Jenner*cough* (and others).
I’m not saying older women can’t have fun and wear fun things, but there’s a denial and distaste for getting older, as if older is a horrible thing without any value or appeal. Some people, imo, look a heck of a lot more attractive in their 40s or 50s compared to their 20s! Some people need a little bit of age and definition on their faces. It makes them more interesting and coupled with the confidence that age can bring, can be super attractive.
I think it’s sad that people are disfiguring themselves in an attempt to look young. Some look like they aren’t even human anymore. They look odd. Like puppets. My husband calls them “Madams”…after an old puppet that used to be on tv (you can see a pic here: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/539376492841771380/)
Plus it’s completely distracting in films. Some of the most poignant and moving works are foreign-made because they employ people who look like people, average, ordinary and their own age, with good acting skills. The suspension of disbelief is more readily accessible. This could also be said for TV.
Ong, that Madam! And you are so right.
•Kiddo•
Totally agree. I’ve started watching more British productions as they have REAL people portrayed (various sizes, range in attractiveness, not perfect, although could have more ethnic diversity). Overall, very refreshing.
•Suzy•
Kiss your hubby for me! He’s spot on and it made me laugh!!! Madams indeed. 😊
I LOVE what she said about aging in Hollywood, she is so spot on. Smart woman! Its sad but most everyone In hollywood -young or old has had something done to their face/body but most are so well done you don’t even notice. But when people start aging in that world they panic and go overboard and end up looking twice their age. I can’t stand the trend of plumping up your cheeks to try and look more youthful. It doesn’t look natural and they look more like the character from the Saw movies than they do younger. But i can understand the drive of wanting to try and turn back the hands of time especially in such a youth driven culture. I can’t be mad at these women though , I’m more mad at what our society has driven them to do.
A card catalogue is the drawers of card files at a library. Each title has a card and is
filed with info on the book — author, publisher, copywrite date, etc. I suppose most libraries now use computer files.
I was totally kidding about what’s a card catalog. My joke was complete with two typos, because unfortunately, it came before my coffee today.
I’m afraid for the generation who really truly doesn’t know what a card catalog is. But then again, I should have faith in their ability to add to our society and not distrust those younger than me. I must be getting old. 😉
The catalogue is based on the Dewey Decimal System.
I love what she says about how growing old also shows one’s experience in life. I always thought that Eleanor Roosevelt was beautiful because her face displayed her inner beauty, kindness and heartbreak all at once.
I don’t think it’s my place to judge other women, but it does make me a little sad.
Got to ask… did you watch that Teddy/FDR/Eleanor doc on PBS? It ran a couple weeks ago.
It broke my heart in places. Eleanor did not have a happy childhood. And her Mother was consider a “great beauty”. Unfortunately, her Mother was not happy about Eleanor’s looks, as a child. And nicknamed her “Granny”!
I watched it.
I did! It was educational crack for me. As much as my heart broke for Eleanor, my respect for FDR has improved immensely. However, she was very much ahead of her time and I have to wonder if that kind of compassion would have occurred within her had she possessed the beauty of other women in her family, who were not as seemingly kind.
Forgive my pontificating.
It actually made me appreciate Teddy more.
I haven’t watched it yet but I noticed yesterday that it is available on Netflix. Just thought I’d let interested parties know that 🙂
Thank you for referencing the divine Eleanor R.
Thank you for the Netflix tip. Will definitely be viewing it.
She seems like a very badass lady, but plastic surgery is one of those “eh” subjects for me. If the procedure went wrong I’ll say it looks bad, but I won’t make any moral judgement. I guess it’s a cultural thing, though. There’s no shame at all behind plastic surgery in South America.
I was reading the comments and oh well, not all plastic surgery is meant to be anti aging and the best plastic surgery happens when you see the person looks good and you don’t know exactly what was done. The best doctors have a conservative approach to it and would never change the client’s face with an anti aging procedure. Most actresses, like almost all of them did something (not anti aging, just the shape and usually their noses/lips) and we have no idea because it looks natural (they did it years ago) and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. I also have seen peelings (not sure if this is the name) well done where women look 10 years younger, and still have wrinkles and look like them, just younger. If you go through stress in life and age significantly this can be a gift. And I wouldn’t blame people for doing it, I would question why they need it, why are we insecure about age. And I would also point to marketing/advertising/ consumerism linked with the cultural pressure for women to please and perform for an audience (men).
If anyone is going to speak the truth about aging and society it’s Frances McDormand. I don’t get this obsessive need either, to desperately cling to our youth. Or, rather, our youthful looks. I say embrace the aging process, don’t run from it, and where it like a badge of honor. I’ll be 40 in a few months and I welcome it with open arms. Now, get back to me in 20 years and maybe I’ll feel differently, but for now I really do enjoy getting older. 😉
Sex is best in your fifties!
•wolfpup•
Really?????
LOL. I’ll keep that in mind.
😀
Aging sucks in general but I think it’s harder for people who are considered beautiful. Watching your own decay is not pleasant thing.
That’s because they are beautiful people who have nothing else to rely on. Once physical beauty fades they’re empty shells. When I was in my teens (I’m 62) my mother had a friend who was in her fifties and clearly a beautiful woman, but aging. Her days were usually spent at the hairdresser, getting facials, buying unsuitably youthful clothes and staring at herself in the mirror. She eventually had a facelift which made her look like a zombie. My mother was gorgeous when she was younger but as she aged she refused to dye her hair, dress inappropriately or slap on a ton of make-up let alone consider plastic surgery and that, to me, is true beauty. She and dad travelled, opened up a bed & breakfast in Mexico, did all the things they talked about once the kids were out of the nest. They lived a life not centred around what they looked like but who they were.
The most beautiful thing in a person is confidence. Being able to embrace your inner beauty and live a life of wisdom gleaned from years of successes and failures is so freaking attractive to me.
Love this quote from Sophia Loren (regardless if she’s had surgery or not): “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
What is most interesting to me as I get older, are all the decades that I have to glean from. In your twenties, you have two decades at your disposal, but at 60, you have 6 decades, and that can give you a real heads up: there’s not so much to be surprised about; kind of like you’ve seen it all. Now at __, I feel that I finally understand (?); that I could actually do something greater, now that I know what I am capable of. We spend so much time in self-definition; which acts as a veil to our own qualities. It is a bit troubling that the future holds change in a disintegrating body. But I loved my body so much – it’s carried me everywhere. In time, I will join the billions who have gone before, wrapping the earth around me like a shroud, trusting in it, as everything living thing trusts in it.
It’s a cycle and I embrace it. I believe that this is nature’s teaching.
•wolfpup•
Awesome thoughts… I think it’s my favourite comment from you!!!
😊
I have always loved her as an actress, and her attitude is wonderfully refreshing.
That said, she’s always had the talent and hard work to really make her way in a difficult industry, and there are others who have gotten to where they are based on, at least partially, their looks. So when that’s threatened, I can understand the desire to try to preserve that, but it is a shame when they feel they MUST, or take it too far and look weird.
Frances is a woman who is completely content with who she is and is undeterred by changes in her life. I wish we could all be so brave and accepting of ourselves.
After seeing what Michael Jackson, Melanie Griffith, and Meg Ryan did to their faces, all that definitely put the fear in me. I won’t do it. Those who do are much braver than I.
I saw that movie about Calamity Jane that Angelica Huston did, and I kept wondering WHO the woman who played as the prostitute friend of Jane’s (can’t remember the character’s name) –because I recognized the soft baby voice, and she was absolutely gorgeous. Freaking Melanie Griffith. The reason that Melanie looks so bad to me is because of how beautiful she really was. She doesn’t really look pulled or waxy or botoxy to me, but rather like a whole different, no so good looking person.
Melanie was so fresh-faced. And look at her own mother, who she greatly resembled. Her mom aged well.
One celebrity whose altered face really puzzles me is Priscilla P. She was absolutely gorgeous during her days with Elvis and a few years thereafter. Her mother was like Melanie’s — someone who aged so well, you just know the genetics were there.
I don’t like tattoos because the idea of having to live with it forever scares me. But my husband doesn’t have to stop me from saying something to someone with tats. I just refrain from getting any.
I am always baffled by anyone who believes it is their right to say hateful things, to another person. Even if you don’t agree with the crazy Botox injections, your dear friend is doing to their face. You keep it to your self.
It is just another form of bullying for you to “speak your mind”. Or you’re just “keeping it real”.
No, you are being an bullying assh*le.
How would Frances feel if one her dear friends looked her in the face and asked her, why the hell is she letting her face slide towards the floor. It is hateful. And maybe Frances is enjoying her face slide. 🙂
And this is coming from a girl… who is startle by how much bad Botox work… Courteney Cox & Nicole Kidman has done their faces. (Courteney should have went and had that mini-lift done. I bet it can’t be done effectively, now.)
If you are going to jack with your face. Do it correctly. By the best doctor you can afford.
Because the Botox is not fooling anyone. Especially the camera.
So basically you never speak your mind.
I don’t think I could sit by and let a friend destroy their face under the guise of kindness.
I do not condone this “I know best” attitude. So I get to tell people how to live their life. Plus I seriously doubt, anyone in her social circle is destroying their face.
And from her own statement, is that even her husband knows she is stepping over the line of decent behavior. I suspect she is one step away, from one of these friends from telling her something brutal back to her face. And I bet that will no go over so well.
It is different to speak to a friend coming from a place of understanding or at least trying to, because you are worried. Another thing is criticizing what’s easy to criticize without considering what the person who did what you are condemning may be feeling. This is not a black & white issue and it’s not your body and if you can’t help or try to understand don’t open your mouth just because you have that “right”.
•Hautie•
How is being honest the same as bullying? I’m being totally serious. Honesty comes from love (at least for me) whereas bullying comes from hate and insecurity — very different from honesty. Anytime I’m being honest (and I do it often), the people can take or leave what I’m saying. I don’t ‘own’ my comment so it’s there for them to use; or not. And quite often, I’m thanked because so few people WILL be honest. It’s a rare gift. Honestly. (Assuming it’s coming from a good place)
We live 1/2 a block from a plastic surgeon’s office. Many of the men and women going in seem to my dh and me like they’re no more than early 30’s.
Botox. Fillers. Surgery. It’s your choice whether you need them. Personally, I’ll take Jeanne Moreau and Frances McDormand’s attitude about procedures as my role models. Frances and I are the same age.
I wish more actresses had this attitude. Youth is worshipped far too much in our culture. It makes growing older very difficult.
On so many forums, I keep reading others’ opinions about plastic surgery and it’s always along the vein of, “well, if it makes her feel better about herself” or “it’s her choice”. The thing is, is why do we have so many people feeling bad about the way they look in the first place? More importantly, why is becoming the cultural norm that we’re expected to enter our sixth or seventh decade without a grey hair in sight, skin stretched tightly across our faces and our (plastic) breasts thrust skyward?
As a 48 year old woman, I dearly appreciate her speaking out about this. I also give thanks that I live in an area of the US where it’s not the prevailing expectation that I’m going to still look 18. I see the Facebook page of my cousin who lives in LA and is married to a top exec in the industry and it exhausts me. I cannot distinguish her from her friends in pictures, because they all look the same – blond, thin, tight faces and fake breasts. I think about how much money, time and work goes into looking that way, and how that energy could be redirected to really effect profound change in this world. Fighting the appearance of aging is a losing battle. One is never going to win it.
You’re comment is spot on. Many ++++++’s!
Yes. Thank you.
Very well written comment!
I am in my 30s, but I am really going through some mental changes now. I have always been close with my mother, but I am trying to engage and learn from the older women in my life who aren’t my family (my co-workers, the cashier at my local grocery store, etc.). Decades from now, I don’t want to be treated like I have no value because I no longer have youthful looks. So I am trying to live the change that I hope to see in my world and society. As she said, age is a sign that there have been “insights acquired”, and I think we need to value that more.
Thanks RN! Now that I’m right at middle age (45) I’ve been reflecting a lot on the aging process. I was living in a place that, like you said, placed a lot of emphasis on the external…how young you are, what kind of car you drive, what does your house look like, etc. But I’ve recently moved to an area that is much, much more laid back. I feel like I can breathe. And I’m hoping that it will reflect in a much less stressed appearance. There is a lot to be said for the positive light that radiates out from inside of someone that makes them more beautiful and attractive. I think that can happen at any age.
Ginger, I walked into a crowd of older folks, lamenting my age, and they told me I was still a “baby”. At that time I was a decade older than you are now. That is what I hear in my mind about your 45ness. There is So much ahead of you …so many good things.
Appearance is has limits at any age, but truly inhabiting one’s body is a continual pleasure.
@Ginger – you sound like you have a wonderful attitude towards aging. And as wolfpup says, there is soooo much ahead of you. In the past couple of years I’ve realized that it’s time to explore my strengths, my inner being, my spiritual being and what it can bring to others. So I have become a consulting hypnotist and Reiki therapist – it’s been the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done. I make diddly-squat money compared to my corporate life but I’m loving every darn minute of it.
I would also add that many plastic surgeons should not be allowed to practice. That thing of people looking like their friends who went for the same doctor is that they are victims of surgeons who not enhance what people have, who are not conservative about plastics, they just want money, do what their clients want (you shouldn’t have always what you want) and “shape them” like in a factory line:/
Great comment RN.
It does all sounds incredibly tiring, and like a sad way to spend your life.
I would definitely prefer your life style over hers.
Well…easy for her to say. She has her immense talent, wit, personality, and connections to fall back on. Frances was never a glamor girl so she CAN age. I imagine it’s a lot harder for actresses who have primarily relied on their looks and bodies to get by.
But it’s necessary for people like her to state the truth. Someone has to be honest about the utter ridiculousness of society’s relentless worship and pursuit of youth and beauty as the most important things in life. We all know it merely makes one look ridiculous and pathetic in the end. The more it’s talked about the more of a shift in culture there will be away from this nonsense and towards more worthy ways of living.
The ones who look “ridiculous and pathetic” have problems, probably psychological issues and they should be treated with more respect instead of being made fun of. They must be suffering somehow, otherwise they would go trough all of that. But no one talks about that, we sort of blame their and call them stupid when the problem is much more complex than that:/
Someone’s going to have to notice the misogyny in all this. I mean really! Why are women taught to hate their own bodies – which gives them life, being; home. Why is the male gaze so all consuming?
I believe that we should love our bodies, tenderly, like a child.
@Sofia – agreed, lots of people who undergo vast amounts of surgery, botox, whatever clearly have issues. Does this mean that the thousands of Hollywood people, the wives of rich men, must all be struggling with low self-esteem? Or are they just rich, vain people who will stop at nothing to be blonde, skinny, wrinkle and grey-hair free facsimiles of their 21 year old selves. I honestly don’t think most of them are struggling with psychological problems, they are just trying desperately to find the fountain of youth that their milieu demands instead of making their inner selves more beautiful.
I enjoy classic movies, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it’s probably better in the long run to be a character actor or actress than trying to be a leading man or woman. With a few exceptions, a lot of the leading performers of the 1930s-1950s had issues or simply burned out on being the “it” person for even a few years. Then there were character players who enjoyed 50 or 60 year careers.
My favorite example is Beulah Bondi, who looked much older than her actual age. Instead of trying to compete with the sirens, she embraced it and played mother or grandmother types when she was actually much younger than anyone would have guessed. She had a lengthy career and lived to a ripe old age with no scandals.
She’s so freaking talented and I agree with what she said except the part about her husband having to stop her from saying something. Telling people that their plastic surgery is awful, no matter how true it might be, is just rude imo.
I just love her so much! Raising Arizona is one of my all time favorite films. Frances holds her own in one amazing cast. She can take an ordinary line like “Where’s that baby! Where’s he at?!” And make it so funny. I was so thrilled when she won the Oscar for Fargo. The character of Margie is still hands down my absolute favorite character. My husband and I watched the film again recently (probably the 10th time I’ve seen it) and it just amazes me that in a film with so many great roles she just outshines everyone. And the Margie character is the same. She is the smartest, the strongest and the most capable. She shoots the bad guy despite waddling onto the ice, 7 months pregnant. She actually shames the most despicable character in the film (after taking him into custody by herself) and he has the one moment of decency to look affected by her. I am in total awe of her work in that film. It’s true that her husband and his brother wrote the character but Frances brought her to life. I’m always inspired by women who remain true to themselves. I can understand and admire why she feels so strongly about plastic surgery and women’s aging. It it a frustrating topic. I am just at that age of 45 that she’s talking about. I still color my hair (and look forward to going all white like Helen Mirren someday) and I’ve thought about plastic surgery but I just don’t think it’s for me. Her words just strengthen my feelings.
Oh, she’ll be perfect in Olive Kitteridge. That’s wonderful casting. What a great set of linked short stories–and I don’t often care for short stories, but these were more like episodic chapters.
She is so right. I especially agree about how no one is allowed to age past a certain point. It’s crazy how a 45 year old is supposed to “compete” or keep up with a 22 yr.old. It’s unfair and insane.That being said, I feel like if you really have something that is bothering you, you should have it improved if you want to. One of the best decisions I ever made was to have my breast reduction. It has made the quality of my life improve drastically!
I loved, loved, LOVED her in Almost Famous. She stole every scene she was in:
Rock Stars have kidnapped my son.
Classic.
So much agree about the character actors/actresses on BBC. They have individual faces. They look different! It’s sad that the younger actors/actresses are so hard to tell apart because they seem to have gotten the same template plastic surgery faces. It’s funny that the world is homogenizing towards so much sameness at the same time that we are becoming a more global culture and there’s this beautiful mixing of races and ethnicities going on.
I love you, France’s McDormand. I wish the world was filled with more intelligent, more meaningful people like you.
Just came from a special screening of the first two parts of the four part Olive Kitteridge and Frances in fantastic! Can’t wait to see the rest of it, especially since Bill Murray wasn’t in the parts shown and he is in it.
But I have to say, I can’t imagine an actress who had work done on her face being as convincing as Frances is in this role. Or a guy accomplishing what Richard Jenkins does either. So much is done through facial expressions.