Women, age, and the Oscars --UPDATED

I mentioned this morning that I was pulling for Annette Bening to win the Oscar for best actress this year. 

In addition to wanting to see such luminous, flawless acting rewarded, I'd also like to see an "older" actress take home the Oscar.  The dominance of wins by under-40 actresses in recent years has been troubling, and I say that with no disrespect intended towards the winners.  Compare  the winners in recent years for Best Actor and Best Actress, with age at time of performance (awards are always given the subsequent year):

1996: Geoffrey Rush (age 45); Frances McDormand (age 39)
1997: Jack Nicholson (age 60); Helen Hunt (age 34)
1998:  Roberto Benigni (age 45); Gwyneth Paltrow (age 24)
1999:  Kevin Spacey (age 40); Hilary Swank (age 25)
2000:  Russell Crowe (age 36); Julia Roberts (age 33)
2001: Denzel Washington (age 47); Halle Berry (age 35)
2002: Adrien Brody (age 29); Nicole Kidman (age 35)
2003: Sean Penn (age 43); Charlize Theron (age 28)

Average age for male winners: 43.1
Average age for female winners: 31.7

Since 1996, no actress over 40 has won the Oscar (though twelve have been nominated), while six of the eight male winners were over that chronological barrier.

Numbers-crunching doesn't necessarily tell us a great deal, of course.  But it does tell us something: older actresses are given precious few opportunities to shine, and even when they are given plum roles, rarely are they given the highest honors for their performances.   In recent years, the Academy has shown an interest in rewarding actresses who either undergo remarkable physical transformations (Swank, in both her nominated roles; Charlize Theron in last year's winning turn) or who turn in gritty, highly sexualized performances (Halle Berry).  It doesn't seem enough for a woman, particularly a young and "beautiful" one  to merely "act" -- she must strip off her clothes, gain tremendous amounts of weight, wear prosthetics, and endure tremendous physical abuse, usually at the hands of men.  Though Hollywood does like to see that kind of visceral, physical acting from men as well, it rarely demands it to the same degree. 

I  mean no disrespect to the young women who have carried Oscar home in recent years; all were surely deserving.  But this year, with the nominations of Annette Bening and Imelda Staunton, the Academy has the opportunity to honor women of "a certain age" (or older)  who underwent no significant physical metamorphosis to play their parts, but who simply acted.  A win for either actress would be most welcome in our household.

UPDATE:  A little playtime with Google reveals that the last seven Best Actress winners were all on the People Magazine "50 most beautiful people" list  either immediately before or after their Oscar win.  Needless to say, Google reveals that the same is not true of the seven male Best Actor winners.  Thought you'd all like to know.

Comments

[emmy]

"gain tremendous amounts of weight"

Why do you think they "made" a thin actress play these parts instead of casting an actress who was already "weighty"?

[Hugo Schwyzer]

Well, in the case of Charlize Theron and "Monster", it was clearly a huge marketing boon for the film to have a recognizably lovely woman undergo such a metamorphosis. That sold more tickets. Though Theron is a wonderful actress, I think there was some cynicism in the casting.

[aj]

"It doesn't seem enough for a woman, particularly a young and "beautiful" one to merely "act" -- she must strip off her clothes, gain tremendous amounts of weight, wear prosthetics, and endure tremendous physical abuse, usually at the hands of men."

Well... to be fair, look at the "Best Actor" nominations from the a couple of years ago. Jack Nicholson (who is old and merely acted) lost to Adrien Brody who was young and had to undergo "tremendous physical abuse". Yet that same year, Catherine Zeta-Jones won her oscar for "merely acting" (and singing and dancing).

Also, Hugo, you make it sound like women were made to be elephants. Just WHO exactly gained "tremendous amounts of weight" ? Neither Theron nor Zelleweger were tremendously overwieght... not by realistic standards anyway.

[Hugo Schwyzer]

No, but they gained significant weight to play the parts they did. What I am objecting to is that the requirements for Oscar seem to involve physical metamorphosis more often for women than for men.

Zeta-Jones gave us plenty of skin in "Chicago."

[emmy]

"Zeta-Jones gave us plenty of skin in "Chicago.""

A poor example... as Zeta-Jones was practically the only woman in that movie who did not "expose" herself as cheaply as the others did. She was the one who had the most class.
Remember, it was a movie about "jazz" women.

What is far worse is movies like "Sideways" which portray "normal" modern women easily engaging in immoral behavior with perfect strangers... The two women in that movie who removed thier clothes and allowed themselves to be filmed "having sex" were a disgrace.

[Hugo Schwyzer]

Well, I'm not going to be critical of the choices actresses make to get work!

My main point here was not the skin issue, it was the age issue. That's where the real trouble lies.

[zuzu]

Jack Nicholson (who is old and merely acted) lost to Adrien Brody who was young and had to undergo "tremendous physical abuse". Yet that same year, Catherine Zeta-Jones won her oscar for "merely acting" (and singing and dancing).

Zeta-Jones won in the Best Supporting Actress category, one in which older actresses have won more than they have in Best Actress. Nicole Kidman won Best Actress, though I don't recall for what.

[aj]

"Nicole Kidman won Best Actress, though I don't recall for what"

For "The Hours". Undeserved in my book.

[zuzu]

What is far worse is movies like "Sideways" which portray "normal" modern women easily engaging in immoral behavior with perfect strangers... The two women in that movie who removed thier clothes and allowed themselves to be filmed "having sex" were a disgrace.

Gasp! Women having sex! And enjoying it, no less! With men! Who also took off their clothes! And "had sex" on camera! Shocking! Disgraceful! The end of civilization!

I feel faint.

[emmy]

"My main point here was not the skin issue"

Then why bring it up?

[elaine]

Lovely post, Hugo. You know how much I enjoy talks of Oscar. I am with you on this whole age thing. My dad and I have discussed it tremendously, how many young women have taken home the gold the past couple of years. And yes, even though, they were deserving (I, personally loved Theron's performance in Monster)I have noticed that there hasn't been a change. Entertainment Weekly has even joked about it, so obviously more people are starting to notice. I have not seen Annette Bening's "Being Julia" but I'm hoping to, before the 27th, so I can be a fairer judge about this issue. It's a sensitive issue to me, I think, being an actor. I understand the hardships actors have to go through in order to pull off a strong performance, you know-coming from experience. But I understand your take on this subject. It would be nice to see an over 40 actor take home the gold come February 27th.

[zuzu]

For "The Hours". Undeserved in my book.

Didn't see it, but it follows the win-with-transformation theory, what with the big prosthetic honker.

[Hugo Schwyzer]

Thanks, elaine; I brought up the skin issue as a secondary one -- and wanted to make sure we returned to the larger issue of age discrepancy. I figure my readers can handle primary and secondary points...

[emmy]

"Gasp! Women having sex! And enjoying it, no less! With men! Who also took off their clothes! And "had sex" on camera! Shocking! Disgraceful! The end of civilization!"

And you call that a dignified expression of what it really means to be a woman. Its that very kind of garbage portrayals of women that keep the "good roles" from going to women.. especially to women over 40.

And in case you haven't seen "Sideways", the female character,Stephanie, was very distraught at being "used" by the male character. If she was truely enjoying herself, why would she beat him up and break his nose.

[Amanda]

Um, don't "normal" women usually take off their clothes to engage in "immoral" behavior like enjoying sex? I know it's shocking, but that's pretty much normal now.

[Amanda]

Yeah, emmy, but does that mean that she hated the sex? Having your heart broken isn't the result of sex, it's the result of living.

[emmy]

Amanda, clearly you are mixing real life with film. What occurs in the privacy of one's home is their business. Why show it on the screen... I think everyone knows what happens. It only degrades both men and women to be so explicit.

[zuzu]

If she was truely enjoying herself, why would she beat him up and break his nose.

Because he didn't tell her he was on his way to get married. One does get upset about that kind of thing sometimes.

I wonder how the age/must transform looks/or be highly sexualized thing plays out in some of the other major film awards, like the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, SAG awards and the like.

[zuzu]

Amanda, clearly you are mixing real life with film. What occurs in the privacy of one's home is their business. Why show it on the screen...

Because they're characters, not real people. They don't have homes.

[emmy]

"Because he didn't tell her he was on his way to get married. One does get upset about that kind of thing sometimes."

Then don't "give yourself away" . That's the moral here.

[zuzu]

Oh, I see. It's her fault that he lied to her.

[emmy]

"Oh, I see. It's her fault that he lied to her"

The film never said that he lied to her. It is implied that he simply never told her. Maybe she never asked. What is clear is that she was all too happy to invite a man she knew for one day to her home and have sex with him.

I think this discussion also brings up a valid point of why older women are not recognized in roles. If "Sideways" is indicative of the types of roles that agree with men and women moviegoers, then there is little room for aged women in that sort of farce.

I would personally like more meaningful movies altogether... which would undoubtedly leave more room for older actresses to portray their natural age. One of the charms of "Being Julia" and also of "Somethings Gotta Give" was that the "older" woman was seen as vibrant and still full of life. Most movies cast older women simply as somebody's mother... leaving the real story to the younger generation.

[Mark]

"Oh, I see. It's her fault that he lied to her"

The film never said that he lied to her. It is implied that he simply never told her. Maybe she never asked. What is clear is that she was all too happy to invite a man she knew for one day to her home and have sex with him.

Far more importantly, let's not excuse her violent behavior. Remember the slogan, "There's no excuse for domestic violence"? That would seem to apply here.

Mark

[emmy]

Mark, you are absolutely correct.

[zuzu]

No indication? Geez, I've only seen the trailer and read reviews, and I can tell from that scene and the way she says, "You're getting MARRIED??" that she didn't know.

What is clear is that she was all too happy to invite a man she knew for one day to her home and have sex with him.

Funny that you don't criticize the man who a) lied to her and b) accepted her invitation eagerly. I'm also not sure how exactly sexuality expressed by adult female characters (both Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen are in their 30s, by the way) is so alienating for women over 40, particularly those who consider themselves "full of life."

And isn't describing someone over 40 as "full of life" just a weensy bit patronizing?