Julianne Moore covers the March issue of Marie Claire UK. She’s really ageless, isn’t she? And by that I mean she’s looked pretty much the same for the past 15 years. I even believe that she’s Botox-free and plastic surgery-free. I think she just takes care of her skin. At least I hope so. Julianne covers MC to promote Freeheld, the true story about Moore’s dying character fighting for her death benefits to go to her life partner, played by Ellen Page. Freeheld got a limited release in America last fall, and there was some hope that it could be an awards contender, but critics didn’t care for it very much. Anyway, here are some highlights from Julianne’s profile:
JM on Ellen Page’s coming out: “Ellen was miserable. She talked to me very frankly about her own experience—what it felt like, about the nature of the discomfort. A lot of people I know came out a long time ago. None of my friends were celebrities when they came out; they were college students. So here I was talking to this very young woman, who had recently come out, about experiences that were very, very fresh, so it was a different kind of conversation.”
On LGBT rights in general: “I think it’s easy for us in New York to say ‘Oh, things are different’ but they are not. People can still be discriminated against at work, or for housing. In some States they can be fired for being gay; they can be denied opportunities.’
Ageism in Hollywood: “It’s very difficult to find parts, no matter how old you are, no matter where you are and whether you’re a man or a woman, the movie industry is not in the business of finding good roles for actors or actresses; it is in the business of creating films that will make as much money as possible.”
She witnessed the AIDS crisis in the 1980s: “I was 23 years old, and people started dying. The first person I knew went away to Mexico on vacation, came home and died—he said he had the Mexican flu. People just kept dying. And these were my friends. It was happening in the actor community, and it was devastating. So I think that made me politically aware.”
She’s a mom first: “At night, I won’t answer work emails, or the phone, unless there is an emergency. If I have to read scripts, or have a meeting, or do an interview, I do it during the school day. I don’t think I’ve ever given an interview within the school hours, just because I want to be home when my kids are home. I want to have dinner with them.”
[From Marie Claire UK, E! News]
It seems like giving interviews when her kids are in school would be the perfect time? I get that she wants to be home when they get home from school, but the way she said that was a bit odd. And I think she’s being much, much too nice and conciliatory about ageism in Hollywood. Just because she’s one of a handful of over-40 actresses working with some consistency, doesn’t mean that ageism is still rampant with actresses in particular. A 30-something man can plod through and not become a movie star until his 40s, and he’ll work consistently for another 30 years. But if an actress hasn’t been successful by the time she’s 35, her career is pretty much over.
Photos courtesy of Marie Claire UK.
They should’ve put the lace top photo on the cover. It’s a really nice picture.
Julianne sounds like she’s criticizing the industry and that makes sense. But remember how markets are supposed to work: they’re supposed to be the great equalizers. They’re supposed to pander to all consumers and in doing so, create no barriers on the basis of religion or nationality or language or race or gender, etc.
So why is it nearly all of the roles in these blockbuster movies go to white males? And female roles go to young attractive women?
The market isn’t the problem. This is only ONE recipe that will sell. There are many many others, but there appears to be a profound lack of imagination at the studio level.
I work in publishing, so I’m reading her comments from that perspective. Traditional publishers DO NOT give a d*mn about your brilliant novel, or exposé, or self help book. It makes no difference how experienced you are, or how well you write. They will ONLY consider works by authors who are already famous, celebrity tie-ins, books by partners of people in publishing, or books of a type have worked before. If you’re a Kardashian, they will slap your name on something and sell it. All they care about is MONEY. The days of editors painstakingly developing the careers of a talented writers are over. Occasionally there is an original breakthrough novel that randomly gets a lot of attention and is made into a movie. This dream keeps millions of manuscripts flowing to publishers every day. There’s no question that thousands of excellent books are overlooked – just as thousands of good actors can’t find work, and even excellent actors have no guarantees.
I like that she said she wants to be with her kids. (Think she meant she won’t do interviews when her kids are getting home from school?) I hated that whole lean in thing where you’re supposed to do emails at night and life satisfaction = more work.
She should also be against photoshop. They erase on the wrinkles on women’s faces but leave the ones on men. Why? It’s b.s.
By the way she was amazing in Still Alice. Such a great movie.
It’s weird because I don’t know how I know her. I don’t know any of her movies, I just know that I always see her featured on Fashion Police and I like the way she dresses.
Lighting (in photos) and photoshop of course help one look ageless.
I think she meant that there is a dearth of good roles, period. Sure able-bodied white men get hired more for every kind of role but are those all good roles (by good I mean thoughtful, multi-dimensional, meaty)?
Her answer sounds pragmatic more than anything else, not necessarily conciliatory to me. When I scan through Netflix, I’m kind of amazed at how much junk Hollywood churns out, given their resources, so the part about the industry being a straight-up business that cares about nothing else doesn’t seem totally irrelevant (i.e “the movie industry is not in the business of finding good roles for actors or actresses”). A lot of the stuff on Netflix makes me go “Why was this made?”
Well, it’s very difficult to get any job, regardless of the age.
I don’t think it’s that helpful for people to deny and avoid the realities of biology unless something can be done about them. Men in their forties are still sexy because their fertility lasts longer.
lol most men in their 40s are not sexy unless they have taken great care of themselves and/or have financial security (money!!).
Few men in their 40s are good looking, let alone sexy. Have you seen most men in their 40s? heck 30s? Their hairline begins to recede, they get a beer belly, over all they get that soft look in their faces and doughy body to match.
Honestly, these days men look the best int heir late twenties and early thirties and that is if they have taken great care of themselves which few of them seem to do ebcause we spend more time indoors infront of the computer these days.
here’s the thing, and I know I won’t be saying anything new, but it all comes to what people choose to watch and where they put their money, the stories they choose. Until women AND men, all ages, all demographics, won’t star demanding stories that are not JUST about white men, the industry won’t change the diversity and sexism problem. WE are the change we demand. Next weekend choose a film about a woman, about POC, about gays and lesbians. Enough with white dudes playing the cool guy who kicks ass and always gets the way much younger blonde bimbo.
Why on earth did they put her into the same heinous outfit as Chloe Moretz (on the February US-cover I think)?
That’s some really bad coordination!