Joely Richardson On Ageism In Hollywood: “Zero People Wanted A Woman Over 50”
27.03.2024 - 00:55
/ deadline.com
Joely Richardson is talking about ageism in Hollywood and how she had to pivot to start getting work again.
The Nip/Tuck alum was a guest on ITV‘s This Morning, where she opened up about all the projects she’s currently involved in, such as Netflix’s The Gentlemen and One Day and Disney+’s Renegade Nell.
Although Richardson has a lot of work now, it wasn’t always like that, and the actress noticed a change after she turned 50. Richardson recalled that when her agent “retired young to be with her mom,” she was looking for a new agent and didn’t find much luck.
“I went to get another agent, and it was like no one wanted me,” she told the morning show co-hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley. “And so, even though I had Golden Globe nominations, and blah, blah, blah, zero people wanted a woman over 50.”
Richardson eventually got new agents and said they “started finding little ins wherever we could, doing The Sandman (also Netflix), Lady Chatterley’s [Lover] playing the northern housekeeper Mrs. Bolton, just like trying to sort of get through the door so people would consider me for roles. And then, they started to come.”
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The former Nip/Tuck star called being on the Ryan Murphy show a “dream” and after the series ended, “wanted to do something else” and returned to theater and “did lots of Off-Broadway productions.”
“I needed that,” she added about doing theater after the FX series. “It was like a lovely bridge.”
Richard had some advice for Shephard, who is about to turn 50 later this year, telling him, “Enjoy 49. And what I say about 50 is 50 is like a thing to get your head around. But the minute