AgeismInHollywood
LEADING THE DISCUSSION ON HOLLYWOOD'S AGE GAP
“I'm actually speaking up here for the very first time, although I'm nervous. I've been told my whole career, 'If you speak out about this, no one is ever going to hire you and you'll be called a trouble-maker.'”
— Kathy Griffin
We've organized the panel videos below by topic, so just scroll around and see which ones might be of interest to you. Clicking on the "i" in a player window will display a brief summary of the topic and provide a bit more information about what's discussed in each video. Some of the conversations were fun, others quite heated (heads up: there are some four-letter words), but they were always informative thanks to the candor and good humor of the panelists. Our thanks remain theirs for showing up, stepping up, and speaking up so openly. We're still in the process of adding videos (and other content) to the site, so please check back periodically to see what's new since your last visit.
Panel Introduction and Ageism Primer
Panel Introduction by Sharon Lawrence
Ageism: A Primer
— Kathy Griffin
"We get to work because we are chosen. And that choice is often skewed by prejudices."
"Why are you here tonight?"
Why Are You Here Tonight?
Actress/Comedian Kathy Griffin
Actress Lesley Ann Warren
— Jobeth Williams
“We want to see people our age on screen; we want to see stories about people our age. I think we need to make noise about it.”
Hollywood's Role and Lack of Roles
Where Are The Stories?
Roles and Role Models for Older Women
"It's All Smoke and Mirrors"
"As a woman – as a black woman – I look to activists to help me understand what I can do...where I can stand. As an artist, I look to my work and to my art and try to change the culture through that. To push and extend boundaries in that way."
— Lynn Whitfield
Media, Marketing and Consumer Culture
Youth Culture: "Where Do I Fit In?"
Zuckerberg's Sucker Punch
Media Hypocrisy
“In life, as you get older you get wiser. But in Hollywood, you also tend to get less work. ”
— Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Rewriting the Ageist Narrative
Age Pride Vs. Age Shame
Art As Activism
Age Bias and Age Pride
“The sad fact is: Aging scares us. As people working in the industry – whose collective job it is to tell stories – we have the unique ability to challenge those fears and change those perceptions. We have the responsibility to show that there is value to every stage of life.”
— David C. Barry, Panel Producer