Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon reveal sad truth about ageing in Hollywood
At 67 and 70 respectively, actresses Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon are in the prime of the career. In their latest TV series Feud, Lange stars as ageing screen legend Joan Crawford alongside Susan Sarandon as Crawford’s bitter rival, Bette Davis.
But both successful women recognise that ageing, especially if you’re a woman, in Hollywood can spell the end of your career.
“Women are viewed as a commodity more so than male actors,” Lange tells PEOPLE. “At a certain age women are no longer considered a viable or a valuable part of the community – even if that’s when they may feel like they’re at the top of their game. And that’s not just in Hollywood.”
Sarandon says of the female stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, “All of those gals who had these amazing parts found themselves high and dry later when they were older because there weren’t that many people who were writing them.
“There are so many tragic stories of women who were so beautiful and couldn’t figure out a way to age within the system.”
Feud producer Ryan Murphy believes it’s important to tell stories that celebrate women of all ages, including older women.
“I think if Joan and Bette were alive, they would raise a glass to Jessica and Susan,” he says. “Bette and Joan have been frozen in amber in our culture for a long time as characters and I think what we worked so hard at doing was painting full, complete portraits of these women. Their story deserved to be told in that way.”