How would the story you’re writing (or reading) right now change if the main character were ten years older? How would the before and after differ?
By now you’ve undoubtedly seen the before and after photos of Renee Zellweger’s face. Something’s happened to Bridget Jones, I just don’t know precisely what. But it got me thinking…
All the frantic dashes to the plastic surgeon by the Hollywood glitterati within fifteen seconds of turning 40…what’s behind that? I mean, by normal standards, these women are attractive (if not gorgeous) already, even without “hair and makeup” or personal stylists on speed dial. Why on earth do they feel the need to undergo risky surgical procedures to improve on the almost unfair advantage nature has already bestowed upon them?
The sad truth is that the vast majority of roles for women in Hollywood are written for women in their twenties and thirties. Then there are a handful of “older” roles that can keep a very elite club of exceptionally accomplished actresses busy – most notably Meryl Streep (65), Helen Mirren (69), and Susan Sarandon (68), and at the far end of the spectrum, the 80-year-old Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. But, in the entertainment world today, the dreaded “woman of a certain age” is between 40 and 65. For actresses, this means that without making themselves look younger – in some cases, a lot younger – it’s a desert out there, in terms of finding work.
Is it any wonder then, when one is staring down the barrel of possible sudden unemployment at the ripe old age of 40, that they’d be Googling brow lift and booty boost? Which brings me (at long last) to WRITING…
Why are we all writing about 30-year-olds? Even those of us who are far (far, far) beyond that life stage seem to be writing stories about twenty- and thirty-somethings. Do no interesting things happen to people beyond child-bearing age? Are there no stories worth telling about people who’ve lived a bit of a life, and still have a lot of life left in them?
I don’t know about you, but some of my favorite actresses are closer to 60 than to 30, and I’d like to see more of them on the big and little screens playing richly layered and nuanced characters. If we wrote stories featuring such characters, we’d have a greater chance of seeing our favorite actresses play them – once we sell the film rights, of course. And, if you’re a writer, that’s reason enough to rethink that piece you’re writing right now.
So…how would your story change if your protagonist were ten years older? How about fifteen, or even twenty years older? There’d certainly be experiences and situations and knowledge and understanding that the character can’t possibly have in her present incarnation. You could write a story with richness and depth and complexity that is simply not possible (or believable) with a younger cast of characters. Roles that could possibly even be played (gasp!) without major aesthetic enhancements of the scalpel kind.
One of my favorite movies that proved the market for “women of a certain age” in film was the terrifically entertaining “The First Wives Club,” starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton, all 50-ish when it was filmed. It grossed over $100 million. And it’s not the only nine-figure moneymaker of its type. How about these heroines of cinema?
Want some inspiration? Besides Sandra Bullock, Courteney Cox, Mariska Hargitay, and Laura Linney, who all celebrated the Big Five-Oh this year, here’s a list of fabulous actresses who are turning 50 in the next five years:
- Renee Zellweger
- Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Cate Blanchett
- Jennifer Aniston
- Jennifer Lopez
- Lucy Liu
- Minnie Driver
Let’s write some stories they can star in!
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