Judith Light, 73, Says Ageism Is ‘Baked Into Our Culture’
Judith Light shared how she has worked to overcome ageism throughout her acting career.
“You have to really pay attention. And you have to do what, we women, all of us have to do, which is to really stand up and to say, ‘We’re not over. Attention must be paid,’” she said.
The actress is staying busy at 73, recently having starred in HBO Max’s Julia.
Over her decades-long career, Judith Light’s shine has only grown brighter—and at 73, it’s at full-on supernova status. For an actress to be starring in so many roles in their 70s is nearly unheard of in Hollywood. So how did the Tony award-winning actress do it? It’s simple: She refused to take no for an answer. Now, she’s sharing her thoughts on aging and how she’s battling ageism in Hollywood.
“You have to really pay attention. And you have to do what, we women, all of us have to do, which is to really stand up and to say, ‘We’re not over. Attention must be paid.’ Which is a great line from Death of a Salesman,” she recently told Hoda Kotb and Justin Sylvester on Today. “It’s like you really have to say, ‘We are here, and there are stories about us that people actually want to see.’”
That’s how Light ended up with over 15 gigs in her 70s alone, one of which is her part in Julia, HBO Max’s ode to iconic chef Julia Child. But these jobs weren’t just handed to Light—she often had to carve them out for herself.
“There have been other roles where they’ve been written for somebody younger, and then I talk to [filmmakers] and they say, ‘Wait, we’re gonna go with you with the age that you are,’” she told Insider in March.
Perhaps it’s easy for Light to be so up-front about the elephant in the room that is ageism because she knows it’s not exclusive to the industry. “It’s not just Hollywood. It’s in our culture. It’s baked into our culture,” she said on Today. “And the more women that stand up ... They’re saying, ‘We’re here and give us the work. And give us the stories.’”
And in her experience, one or two modest reminders of her existence and capabilities haven’t cut it. The Transparent star has been unapologetically loud and proud about her talents. “You have to keep saying it over and over again until it becomes something that becomes more natural to the culture,” she explained. “It was the same thing with the gay community. You have to keep saying the same things over and over again until people’ve got it.”
It also helps that Light has long embraced aging on a personal level, which has seamlessly translated into her professional life. “Somebody once said to me, ‘Well, you’ll get older or you won’t. So how about appreciating every minute, day, week, month, year you have on the planet in this particular body for this time?’” she told Glamour in March. “And it’s true. It’s how you think, who you are, how you live your life, and your kindness. It’s how you are of service in the world.”
She continued: “We are magnificent, and as we age, we garner wisdom and connection.”
We couldn’t agree more.
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