Sharon Stone Not Happy About Getting Older

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Stone furious over role lost to Zeta-Jones

I understand Sharon Stone's frustration at losing a plum role to the younger Catherine Zeta-Jones, but the reality is that Sharon isn't a spring chicken any more.

For years, aging actresses have been complaining about losing out on roles to younger actresses and have been crying "age discrimination" and the like. Now I haven't heard Sharon saying that in this situation, but it's a good opportunity to talk a bit about it:

Every aging actress was once an up and coming young actress hungry for plum roles. They gained their current fame by beating out older and more established actresses to get the roles that made them famous. Were they crying about age discrimination then? Did they complain about how unfair it was they were given a career opportunity at the expense of an actress slightly past her prime? Of course not. But now that the shoe's on the other foot, too many cry foul because they're on the losing end of the game they used to win.

The reality is that Hollywood will always be an unfriendly place for aging actors and actresses. There will always be a younger, more beautiful man or woman waiting in the wings to take those plum roles. Making movies isn't an equal opportunity employment project: it's about creating illusion and making money.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but 47-year old women like Sharon Stone are simply going to have to accept that certain roles are going to be forever beyond their reach because they're not of that age any more. Aging gracefully and accepting what life deals you as you get older isn't easy for anyone, but none of us gets a choice and fame doesn't buy you a free pass from Father Time...