50-year-old female character was described as having a 'wizened face' in script

[Demovictory9]

Barbara Hershey recalls being 'shocked' reading a script where a 50-year-old female character was described as having a 'wizened face'



She was shocked and thinks audiences are ready to "embrace people of all ages," including seniors.
"The Manor" star told Insider she has "more fun now" and that aging is "not such a fearful thing."

Barbara Hershey thinks audiences are ready to "embrace people of all ages," including older adults and senior citizens, in films and TV shows. But ageism is still a serious problem in Hollywood, and a blatant example of it popped up in a screenplay she read.


As an accomplished actress with a decades-long career - and credits in critically-acclaimed movies like "The Portrait of a Lady" and "Black Swan," among others - the 73-year-old Hershey is used to the industry by now. Still, she's not beyond being stunned at how older women continue to be portrayed onscreen.

"I remember reading a script where, it was a character who was 50 years old, and it said, 'A tear ran down her wizened face,'" Hershey told Insider. "And I just thought, whoa. I looked to see who had written it - it was actually two women, that really shocked me."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/barbara-hershey-recalls-being-shocked-reading-a-script-where-a-50-year-old-female-character-was-described-as-having-a-wizened-face/ar-AAQ4lz6?ocid=msedgntp

[Doodley]

1. Wizened faces should not appear in movies?

[Demovictory9]

4. ageism to imply 50 year old female.face is wizened

[OnDoutside]

6. I wouldn't have used wizened as necessarily an age context, but

rather a representation of the harshness of the life the person had lived to that point.

[Withywindle]

7. Yeah, "wizened" is weird

I'm 52 and I definitely have crow's feet, but I wouldn't describe my own face as "wizened"

Many 50+ leading male actors like Will Smith, Robert Downey Jr, Denzel Washington, Colin Firth, etc. don't get described as "wizened" in the scripts.

[obamanut2012]

15. Except the definition is tied to age

Not harshness of life.

"... shriveled or wrinkled with age."

[OnDoutside]

23. That's only one definition. Consider these others,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wizen

Definition of wizen (Entry 1 of 2)
intransitive verb

: to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of aging or of failing vitality

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wizened

withered; shriveled:
a wizened old man; wizened features.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/wizened

small and having dry skin with lines in it, especially because of old age:
He was a wizened old man with yellow skin and deep wrinkles.

I've seen it used many times in terms the result of the life led by homeless people, or alcoholics. Yes, the majority of times it would be concerning older people, but it's not exclusively so, it's more to do with the result of a long life or a harsh life.

[Doodley]

13. For this character, not for every 50 year old woman.

[Amishman]

17. It would be ageism to say all are wizened. An individual could certainly fit that description at 50

Some people's appearance does not match their age.

In a script, I could easily see that word being used to describe a character that was 50 but looked significantly older than their actual age.

[Lithos]

2. Ok - a bit upset here

She did not reveal the name of this project... a shame...

Loved this article +1000

Look - focusing on the core theme about ageism - it has been a huge problem with how scripts and story-telling have been marketing within Hollywood. There has been too much of an effort to only think physically perfect and sexually available talent is the only way to sell something. IMHO - Over-optimization and "normalization" have resulted in too many scripts, stories, and otherwise "bland" projects being greenlighted.

What was not stated is this gets worse when you talk about people who are so culturally "bland" and non-representative and who also fail to represent people with other differences (differences are to be cherished as adding, not subtracting).

I do not know, but I think this is one of the reasons for the successes of Alice In Borderlands, Lupin and Squid Games - people are wanting more authenticity.

/soapbox.

[leftstreet]

5. +1

I do not know, but I think this is one of the reasons for the successes of Alice In Borderlands, Lupin and Squid Games - people are wanting more authenticity.

Well said.

And streaming services are giving people the opportunity to find that authenticity. I have acquaintances who would never in a million years have read a subtitle...watching subtitled programs with gusto because they're done with that normalizing blandness you described.

[Withywindle]

8. This is a Hollywood issue. Men are allowed to exist up until death age

But women start to evaporate from the scene in our 40s.

I would absolutely love a game/show that was all women from 30-death, and no men.

[North Shore Chicago]

9. Sounds fabulous, but....

I would absolutely love a game/show that was all women from 30-death, and no men.


Males have a need to piss on anything that may dare to exclude them.

[Withywindle]

11. I'd like movies where love interests were within a decade

Leading man has a leading lady no more than 10 years younger.

50-yo-man's love interest is 40-yr-old at limit

40-yo-man's love interest is 30 yr old at limit.

It shouldn't go down beyond that - and also can we have some movies with an older woman/younger man, please?

[North Shore Chicago]

12. Doubt it will happen on a broad basis.

Harrison Ford will play "leading man" in a freaking wheelchair with his oxygen tank and Depends!

[betsuni]

3. Reminds me of the scene in "The First Wives Club" where Goldie Hawn's character thinks she's

meeting a movie director to discuss the role of the female lead, but turns out he wants her to be the crypt keeper.

[peacefreak2.0]

10. A lot of Hollywood movies seem patronizing to me.

Oh, look at the little old lady, looking for a hook up. Isn’t that cute. The Book Club, Best Marigold Hotel and just about anything with Diane Keaton these days come to mind.

[SYFROYH]

14. I don't get it. This seems like what female actors have been asking for

I thought the problem was that if you didn’t look 24 you were done.

The script appears to be asking for a female actress with signs of life lived and now wise.

[obamanut2012]

16. Fifty is not "shriveled or wrinkled with age"

Which is what "wizened" means. It has nothing to do with harshness of environment, wisdom, etc.

[SYFROYH]

18. No, wisdom is not just an age thing, but a life lived.

If the script called for a wizened 50-year old face that implies that not all 50-year olds have that look.

[Hortensis]

31. Right. though harsh environment can help aging along. Very silly authors.

[AngryOldDem]

19. And a man would be:

1) distinguished; or
2) ruggedly handsome; or
3) both.

[DLevine]

22. Yup. nt

[harumph]

20. Oh, yes "Crone like" is better for sure

[shrike3]

21. I don't know a single 50-year-old with a "wizened" face.

[maxsolomon]

26. I do. She was a pack-a-day-plus smoker until very recently (she's 57 now).

She was my HS crush. 16, 17 when she started smoking. It is still shocking to me.

[shrike3]

32. I can believe that. Smoking does wreak havoc on your skin.

My husband's ex, a fine person, was a chain smoker. By the time they reached their forties, people were asking her how it felt to be married to a much-younger man. (Yikes.)

[madville]

35. I see them everyday

Heavy smokers, alcoholics, sun exposure. Just go down to the shrimp and oyster boat docks here, there are folks down there in their 40s that look like they are 70.

[shrike3]

38. I must live a charmed life.

I know such people exist, but none of them are near me.

[Wingus Dingus]

24. Script either written by a 23 year old, or someone who doesn't know what "wizened" means.

[Dial H For Hero]

25. ....And? Definition from Merriam-Webster:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wizen

to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of aging or of failing vitality

I've certainly met people in that age range who appear older than their actual age. What's the big deal?

[oregonjen]

27. Mid-fifties here. I transitioned from coloring to my all silver natural hair

I’m enjoying my natural colors so much and have really been aware of how “old” women are perceived to be. Men are distinguished silver foxes and women are seen as old hags. Look at women in Hollywood succumbing to the pressure of chasing youth by getting Botox, fillers and plastic surgery. Women are harming themselves just to stay relevant. It’s sick.

[Demovictory9]

28. so many movies limit the woman's age to mid 30s no matter the age of the male love interest

the male star gets older and older, his matched partner in movies remains young.

Just watched "only murders in the building" with Steve Martin. He's 76... his love interest is an actress in her early 50s... i guess that's progress.

[oregonjen]

33. Loved watching that show. I did have one problem with it.

There was a shower scene with Selena Gomez that showed side boob. No reason for it, just a extraneous shower scene with side boob. Really irks me that they chose to put that in there. I’m certainly not a prude, but after watching a documentary, which of course, I can’t remember the name of, those types of scenes are unnecessary and all too common.

[Demovictory9]

34. Gratuitous

[Goodheart]

29. WTF. What's wrong with a wizened face?

How is this newsworthy?

[hunter]

30. At fifty my grandma had a wizened face.

The desert sun and her constant smoking did that.

She always had a cigarette in her hand.

It was the smoking that killed her.

[madville]

36. It depends on the character

If they were casting a 50 year old chain smoking alcoholic it makes sense.

[TheProle]

37. My guess is that the writers

conflated "wizened" with "wise" rather than its true etymological source, which is rooted in "wither".

[haele]

39. At 50 years old, people mistook me for late 30's/early 40's -

And I had been working shipyards at the time...my mom looks like she's in her 60's, and she's in her 80's. No makeup, just mild soap, water, and noxema at night when it's dry out.

Of course, there are women who, if they didn't use Botox, looked like they were nearing 70 when they were in their 30's. (Suspect Margie TG is one of those ladies.

Haele