At the 80th Golden Globes ceremony, three actresses over 60 received major awards. The opportunity for them to talk about the difficulties they had to go through, especially when they reached a certain age.
HASu crossing of discriminations. On January 10, the 80th Golden Globes ceremony was held in Los Angeles. After the boycott of the previous edition due to the lack of diversity within the organizing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the ceremony played big. Presented by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, who did not fail to address the issue of racism in Hollywood from his introductory monologue, the Golden Globes also addressed, consciously or unconsciously, another stubborn problem in the world of cinema:ageism and sexism.
For many years, several actresses, from Geena Davis at Sigourney Weaverdenounce this tendency which consists in put them in the closet once they reach a certain age. A phenomenon much more present in women than in men. At this award ceremony, Angela Bassett, 64, Jennifer Coolidge, 61, and Michelle Yeoh, 60, were all three rewarded. Winners who give a little hope for the future.
“Forty years without giving up”
Among the most moving speeches is that of Michelle Yeoh, distinguished as best actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once by director duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. “Forty years of not letting go, she began. It’s been an amazing journey and an incredible struggle to get here today..” Famous in Hong Kong cinema, the Malaysian actress first lived racism when arriving in Hollywood before being confronted with ageism. “As you go along, explains the one who recalls that she has just turned 60, and I think that all of you women understand this, when the days, the years and the numbers increase, it seems that, proportionally , the opportunities diminish.” Ready to give up when taking stock of her career, Michelle Yeoh finally had the opportunity to play a “very ordinary Asian migrant”.
“I’m just gonna stand here and take this all in. 40 years. Not letting go of this.”
And, on January 10, she wasn’t the only award-winning actress to talk about a kind of desert crossing during his career. Jennifer Coolidge, best actress in a supporting role in the series The White Lotuswanted to thank Mike White, creator of the series, for giving him this “fresh start”.
“I had such big dreams and so many expectations when I was young that life got a little shaken up,” she admitted. Confined to chain the “small roles”, the interpreter of Tanya McQuoid thanked the one who trusted him and boosted his career. “You make people want to live longer, and I didn’t want to,” the 61-year-old actress concluded. Before them, Jessica Lange had denounced the age gaps between actors and actresses playing couples in the cinema and the absence of older female characters with romantic interests with AARP. An observation shared by Jane Fonda, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker or even Anne Hathaway.
