Here are some numbers. Can you guess what they represent?
64, 60, 45, 42 and 36.
They are the ages of the most-nominated actresses of this awards season. In descending order: Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Mo'Nique (Precious) and Vera Farmiga, (Up in the Air), all women of a certain age.
This is news because 20 years ago the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) found, to its horror, that actresses over 30 were underemployed and underpaid compared to their actor colleagues. In 1990, females constituted only 29 per cent of the lead roles in movies. The SAG report also noted that "after the age of 10, men consistently make higher average earnings...than women do." That state of affairs prompted Streep, then 40 and hitting a cinderblock ceiling in Hollywood, to quip, "From birth through age 9, actresses can make a pretty fair living." She advised, "Little girls, hold out for the big money, invest wisely and investigate other carers, because after fourth grade, it's all downhill." Good for Mirren, Mo'Nique et al for showing that women of a certain age have box office viability and vitality.
Here are some other numbers. Can you guess what they represent?
$379 million, $315 million, $150 million, $118 million and $16 million. They are the world-wide box-office grosses for some of the most comercially successful and acclaimed films of 2009 -- all directed by women. In descending order, they are: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (directed by Betty Thomas, 61), The Proposal (Anne Fletcher, 33), It's Complicated (Nancy Meyers, 60), Julie & Julia (Nora Ephron, 68) and The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 58).
This is business news, testament to the viability and vitality of women filmmakers, who in 2008 represented only 9 per cent of directors. This is artistic news because Bigelow stands a strong chance of being the first woman director ever to win an Oscar. (Only three have previously been nominated: Lina Wertmuller (Seven Beauties), Jane Campion (The Piano) and Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation).
You go, ladies. Your thoughts?
I've been a fan of female directors back when Joan Micklin Silver was making great, unheralded films like BETWEEN THE LINES and CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER. (Yes, I know her HESTER STREET did get some Oscar attention). And while I agree, older actresses give great performances, both Carey Mulligan and Gabby Sidibe have been getting their share of notices for their work. I hope they both have the numerous nominations after this year.— garyk- Mean age of actresses who turn in award-winning performances:49.4 Mean age of female directors creating top hits: 56 So tell me, is this panning out overall? what is the mean age of actresses getting lead roles overall?— drogow
- Times change. When they made "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" in 1962, Bette Davis is only 54 and Joan Crawford was 57. They were considered old and washed-up - and pretty much were relegated to horror and pseudo-horror films after that. (Of course, the same year, both Katharine Hepburn and Rosaline Russell had choice female leads in two prestige pics - Hepburn in "Long Day's Journey into Night" and Russell in "Gypsy" - and, I assume, they were they same age as Davis and Crawford<). My point? I guess actresses age better these days. I mean, Streep seems unstoppable. Old is the new young. I hasten to point out that Tom Cruise is currently 10 years older than Clark Gable when Gable did GWTW. Is Tom more youthful than Clark, or is Clark simply more mature - a grown, full-formed man in GWTW.— Pash
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