Nothing against Helen Hunt, but . . .
Actresses@Work, a coalition of over-40 actresses, says Hunt’s Oscar-winning role in “As Good As It Gets” is a prime example of how Madison Avenue and Hollywood exclude older women from working on anything but Pepcid AC or Depends ads or taking only character roles.
“We’re about changing the role of women in the media,” said member Mollie Cheek, who co-starred in two televisions shows over several years but has rarely worked since leaving the last show at age 42 (she’s 47 now).
The group, based near Hollywood in Chatsworth, Calif., has grown to 75 members since its founding in 1996 and now has a World Wide Web site (actresses-at-work.org). The group originally planned to boycott filmmakers and advertisers that they felt excluded older women, but Cheek said leaders have backed off that plan for now, fearful of offending those that sign their paychecks. Still, the group distributed a Bravo and Boo list recently, giving kudos to films, shows and commercials that use older actresses and boos to those that don’t.
Bravos went to TV’s “Murphy Brown,” the film “A Thousand Acres” and to Tropicana orange juice ads that featured a grandmother dancing with kids, while Oil of Olay, “Seinfeld” and “As Good As It Gets” were panned for using too-young actresses.
“Helen Hunt’s role was originally written for a much older woman,” said group president Debbie Zipp. “It’s been a consistent problem in film since Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in `Rear Window.’ “
