When discussing the issues of ageism and misogyny in Hollywood, Cate Blanchett shared how things have changed since she started her acting career in the 1990s.
Many women in Hollywood have discuss the impact that ageism has on their careers. In a recent interview with Business Insider, Blanchett became the latest as she said, “The shelf life of actresses when I first came on the scene was about five years.”
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Blanchett’s on-screen career began in the 1990s. Now age 55, the actor has enjoyed a long and incredibly successful career. However, that doesn’t mean these issues haven’t impacted her or she hasn’t seen just how prevalent they are in her industry.
She noted that “there’s ageism and sexism in every industry,” acknowledging how this issue impacts a broad spectrum of women. However, she explained that it’s different in Hollywood because “we’re a very public-facing industry.”
When discussing any possible solution to this deep-seated, misogynistic issue, Blanchett celebrated female creatives off-camera and the work they do to support those in front of it. She said that “female producers have more agency,” suggesting that having more women in all movie-making roles would help as she added, “There’s more females in the writing room, and the more diverse the industry is at base level, when things are developed, the more exciting it is for audiences.”
Blanchett became the latest in a long line of women who have discussed this same issue, including Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kirsten Dunst, and more.
Dunst stated last year that “There’s definitely less good roles for women my age,” revealing that it actually prompted her to take a break from working. She was tired of being offered “the sad mom” as ageism began to limit and typecast her.