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...or This morning while casually perusing Facebook I came across an article, and an accompanying post by a dear friend that was entitled "'Heavy Character Actresses' Need Not Apply?" I was taken aback, for a variety of reasons, became angry and then proceeded to read the article after reading my friend Ally's elegant addressal of this article in her long, and poignant Facebook Post.
My first issue with this: HEAVY CHARACTER ACTRESSES NEED NOT APPLY. Because let's be honest, if you're heavy, a women, and an actor, you're automatically tossed into the "Character Actress" category. It's not fair. It's not right. And it's something that we, as "heavy actresses" have come to accept and something with which we live, every single day we look at the casting sheets. We won't ever get the ingenue role. We will always be the sassy friend, the vicious villain, the forgotten victim. We will never be cast as Laurie, but almost always cast as Ado Annie. It's the lot in life that has be cast for us, because we have not evolved with the times. Something that is noted in the article is that according to a study, over 60% of women in the United States are sized 14 - 34. That's right, OVER SIXTY PERCENT! So why, in order for a TV show, Film, or Theater production to be considered "diverse" do they only have the "token fat girl" who more often than not is played by the "token black person". Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing or trying to bring up the race debate. I do believe that there is a lot of under-representation of a lot of different cultures, races, creeds, religions, and body types throughout all media. But studios try to save themselves the hassle of finding new and interesting people and faces by checking as many boxes as possible, with as few people as necessary. They can argue it's a budget thing, or a writing thing, but it's a close minded, "use what's always worked" thing. And it's getting old. There are so many interesting and amazingly talented people out there that don't look like "what's always worked". And they will never get the chance to show you that what they bring to the table will work, because you don't give them a chance. Why am I so bent out of shape about this? Well for starters, I have never been a size two. Ever. I still wanted to be an actor. But not a TV or Film actor, because let's face it. With the lack of vision or ability to see talent, and beauty in the unsuspecting places, why would I ever attempt to try? I fail before I even start, just because my body, even at it's thinnest, would never fit into the cookie cutter image in the studio's minds. I wanted to be a theater actor. The reasons behind me focusing on theater, are varied and vast. One of the main reasons for doing so was because of something my mother said when I was thirteen. We had gone to see the Broadway Tour of Godspell. It was the Sunday matinee, so we went after church. It was kind of the perfect follow up. But the cast was different. They weren't what I was expecting in a Broadway Tour cast. Afterall, I had only grown up seeing Film, TV and the occasional local theater, or high school theater play. These guys were suppose to be THE BEST! And they were AMAZING! But they didn't look like anything that I had ever seen on a stage. There were actors of color, not just black, but hispanic, there were two women who no one would ever consider to be a size two, let alone ten, and they all sang, and danced and gave a stellar performance. After the show, my mom said, "I like theater, and these broadway shows. They don't care about looks, they care about talent." At the time I was a softball player, swimmer, lifeguard, and swim coach. I was by no means fat. And it stuck with me, that talent, was rewarded, not size in theater. You didn't have to fit into the cookie cutter look that everyone seemed to fit into in Film and TV. You could be different, you could just be talented. I got older, I stopped being athletic, I gained weight. I became the classic "fat" actress type. But I came to New York, and pursued my dreams. But looking back, the reason I didn't pursue musicals, and when I did step into the pond of TV and Film acting, it was because these venues were not welcoming to someone of my "stature". And the reasons behind so many of the excuses given boiled down to them not wanting to say that I was fat to my face, which is even more of an insult. Do you think I'm blind and I don't have access to a mirror, or magazines? I know I don't look like a pixie stick. (But DAMN are they delicious.) And so I went back to theater. Which seemed like the reasonable art form. The forgiving art form, because it was an HONEST representation of life and humanity, with all their quirks and flaws. Now to see that the most welcoming venue, and outlet for larger artists is becoming more discriminatory is devastating to me. I hope that this conversation continues, and that there are more and more people that speak up and bring more insight and stories of their experience. I have included a link to the article from Playbill.com. Please read, and share. or... This past year has been a big year for feminists and their voices in media, and the arts. One could argue that they have always had voices in the arts, and before that person can continue 'mansplaining' to me about art and the different mediums and voices that art breathes life into, I am going to keep talking. Yes, women have always been present in art. Yes, women have always had a voice. But I am not here to argue about the overall stance of women in art, their voices, how and why they are/are not taken seriously. I am going to talk about two movies of this summer that have garnered a lot of scrutiny from the media because of their portrayal of women, and the way the directors, writers, producers handled the source material.
Suicide Squad was suppose to be the saving grace of the DC movie universe. They packed it with some box office draws (Will Smith) and heavy hitting actors (Viola Davis) and threw in some eye candy (Carla Delevingne) for good measure. Easily the most talked about performance was Jared Leto's (overrated) performance as the Joker. Only to push Margo Robbie's nuanced and skilled performance as Harley Quinn into the shadows. But there were some remarkable consistencies with another film that was released earlier this summer with women taking the helm. Ghostbusters was the remake that we didn't think or feel that we wanted or needed, until we all fell in love with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. (To be honest, if you watch SNL, you were already in love with them, but now it became mainstream.) It took a delightfully silly and somewhat scarey classic and made it more modern, with the added twist of a full female cast where there had been a previously male one. It was funny, without being crude, it had fun and sentimental throwbacks that were not over done. It was an overall great time to spend in the movie theater. But how are these two films similar? Glad you asked! I have developed an itemized list below. Featuring the obvious, the ridiculous, and the little acknowledged nuances. 1. Celebrated Pop Culture History Both films are based in two very well loved universes that are celebrated by pop culture. One from comic books (Suicide Squad); one from a cult classic film (Ghostbusters). Doesn't matter that they don't come from the same medium. They are loved, cherished, and protected vigilantly by their fans. 2. Supernatural Villians Both films save their respective cities from total destruction caused by entities that are "not of this world", or supernatural. Weird blue glowy lights were featured prominently. Ghosts, weird god like creatures, both of whom upset the balance of the group momentarily before they band together and stop the threat. 3. Specifically Developed Gadgets/Weapons Both films have some pretty sick gadgets featured. Specially developed by the people that use them, using science. After all, dealing with supernatural beings means that the normal weapons and gadgets will not work. And, necessity is the mother of invention. 4. Sexy Foreign Beefcakes Both films feature a sexy Australian Actor using their own sexy Australian accent. They might break out some dance moves as well. This has convinced me I need to go to Australia as soon as possible. 5. Cool Cameos Both films feature some amazing cameos. To be perfectly honest, I have to say the cameos in Ghostbusters were the best. Not to spoil it, but you get a glimpse of almost anyone that made the original worth watching. You could tell they were having fun, and seeing them gave this reboot, a giant stamp of approval. The unexpected early cameo in Suicide Squad was awesome, especially when it went from little cameo to street fight with Will Smith. MORE OF THIS PLEASE! 6. Strong, Smart, Fearless, Self Aware Female Characters Here's the bit that was really important to me, and was somewhat overlooked when people started ripping into Suicide Squad. But surprisingly celebrated in Ghostbusters. But both films featured more than one female character that was either a scientist, had a higher education degree such as a masters or doctorate, and each film had female characters that were not only strong in their convictions, and stood by them. Both films featured smart, intelligent women facing adversity, and overcoming it. Depending on the film, not necessarily in the healthiest of ways, but what are you gonna do? And honestly I could go on and on on this subject, but for the sake of time, and the briefness of the rest of list, I shall spare you, and save it for a different time. |
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November 2017
AuthorLondon Griffith is an Alaskan born, Montana raised, Southern influenced, New York Actress. She occasionally writes about her life and experiences of being on the verge ... |