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The Golden Age: The Older Stars Do Not Stop | Israel today

2021-10-23T05:59:01.222Z


Clint Eastwood directs at age 91, Abba returns to a wide range in the 70s of their lives, and the most successful series star actors at the age of grandparents • How did old age become the winning ace of the culture industry?


Members of the Abba band return to bounce the fans in the eighth decade of their lives.

Indiana Jones will once again leap between chases and traps at age 79, as if left somewhere in the Eighties.

And Madonna, of course, continues to provoke scandals of sexy dress even when she's 63, but who's count.

It seems that wherever you look recently, the seniors club is conquering the world of culture.

Older (very) actors hold series and attract ratings, past stars shrink back to their youth without the need for a Filipino therapist, and a faded ID card from seniority is no longer an obstacle, perhaps quite the opposite.

Take, for example, 83-year-old Jane Fonda, whose god of Botox, Photoshop, or just the fine family gardens help her continue to star on screen with endless Ziv.

"I went through a heroic age, and I only feel my best now," she said candidly in an interview she gave me three years ago, on the occasion of the promotion of the film "The Good Book Club," in which she starred.

"I can't believe what's going on around me, and I'm constantly pinching myself."

In that light-hearted romantic comedy, about seniors who discover "Fifty Shades of Gray" and realize it's not too late to give love another chance, Fonda starred alongside Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen, both 75-year-old maidens. The film, produced on a modest $ 14 million budget , Put in 104 million at the box office - and was crowned as a surprising success.

Next year it will cost him a sequel, all in contrast to the prevailing assumption in the film industry that older actresses are unable to bring audiences to theaters.

"A young audience watching a film with older actors gets a lesson in life along the way, that there is nothing to fear from old age," Fonda explained.

Fonda, who was at the top of Hollywood in the '60s and' 70s with two Oscars for Best Actress (for "The Phone and Detective Girl" in 1971 and "Return Home" in 1978), has been rejuvenated in recent years.

The star, known as a rebel activist and the guru of aerobic exercise on home tapes, began starring in the Netflix comedy series "Grace and Frankie," which ends in early 2022 after seven seasons.

Funny at 83. Jane Fonda in the series "Grace and Frankie",

In the comedy, signed by the creator of the sitcom "Friends" Martha Kaufman, she stars alongside comedian Lily Tomlin, herself 82, in the actual union between the two, who starred in the 1980s cinematic comedy "9 to 5."

Last month it was announced that they will also star together in a new comedy film called "Moving On", which will be filmed in the coming year.

"I'm old, and television, more than cinema, is more forgiving of aging women," Fonda said in an interview with Harpers Bazaar six months ago.

"At my age I am better at understanding things and arranging them in my head. In general, in a room full of people I always feel the youngest and greenest, inexperienced. I continue to be a student."

• • •

And what about Clint Eastwood, who at 91 continues to direct and act?

"The whole idea of ​​going into directing was to have something to do when I grew up," Eastwood told the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview.

"I sometimes wonder why the hell I'm still playing. Will they start throwing tomatoes at me soon?"

Judging by his pace of work, and the way his films are received, it seems that the tomatoes meanwhile remain deep in the crate.

Eastwood began playing in 1955 and broke into the West for "A Handful of Dollars," "The Snipers," and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," which made him a cinematic icon.

In 1992, he directed and starred in "Unforgivable," which won him two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

He repeated the same feat in 2004 with "Million Dollar Baby," starring Hillary Swank, and then officially became the oldest Oscar-winning director at age 74, a record he holds to this day.

Seven years ago Eastwood hit Hollywood radar again thanks to the war drama "American Sniper" he directed, starring Bradley Cooper.

The film soon became the blockbuster of Eastwood's career, with close to $ 550 million at the box office and six Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture in 2014.

Since then, he has directed, among others, "Sally: A Miracle on the Hudson," with Tom Hanks, and "The Mule," in which he starred himself as an elderly man assisting drug traffickers in smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Last month it went up in the U.S. in limited distribution, and a combined rise in the streaming service HBO Max, his new movie "Cry Macho," dubbed "Neo-Western," in which he plays a forgotten rodeo star who helps unite a young Mexican and his father in the U.S.

The film has not been widely promoted, and has grossed $ 11.5 million so far, against a production budget of $ 33 million.

"We filmed the movie in New Mexico for nine weeks, during Corona. When I got home I thought I was lucky I'm still here," Eastwood said in an interview with Parade magazine. "In the morning I will really get up in the morning. I do not feel 91 years old, because I do not know how a 91 year old is supposed to feel. My mother passed away at the age of 97".

Although a man his age is certainly allowed to rest and sum up his life, Eastwood made it clear in an interview that he has no thoughts of retiring, although he has not yet officially announced his next project.

"I'm constantly thinking what's the next thing I want to do. Some people want to make movies and then retire, and that's great for them. Maybe they have other things that keep them busy. I don't have any.

"I love movies and enjoy making them, and I know how to maintain a positive spirit and work, not give up easily. At my base I am a positive person, like to look at things and think about how to fix them. There is always something to do."

• • •

At the sight of the actors who continue to frolic in front of the cameras even in the advanced decades of their lives, the question arises: What is the meaning of the refinement that adults in culture are now experiencing?

Aside from the fact that veterans can present fine game shows that breastfed players can only dream of, the main answer lies in the natural increase in global life expectancy, thanks to advanced medicine and a wider awareness of a proper and healthy lifestyle, bringing to halls - and content channels - Their unknowns.

In an age where young people are veered into ticketing and influenced by YouTubers for whom the eighties are prehistory, the older audience seeks to identify with the characters on whom and with whom it grew itself.

While "aging" audiences are not traditionally considered a coveted demographic segment, TV and movie viewing figures still refer to viewers up to age 49 - but advertisers and content channels have internalized in recent years that adult viewers also sign up for streaming services, thanks to grandchildren, too.

In this situation, it pays to direct dedicated productions to adults, such as those who would not necessarily get the same stage on the major national broadcast networks, such as CBS and NBC.

For example, "Grace and Frankie", which we already mentioned, or "Kominski Method", a sweet little series on Netflix, with 77-year-old Michael Douglas as an aging acting teacher and 87-year-old Alan Arkin as his best friend, who wanted three seasons and bought herself a devout audience And loyal.

Not to mention "Only Murders in the Building," which has now aired in Hollow and combs 76-year-old Steve Martin with younger-generation star Selena Gomez, as occupants of a luxury Manhattan apartment building working on solving detective riddles.

• • •

The 70-year-old Gene Smart also won an Emmy a month ago for her performance in the series "Hacks," in which she plays an aging entertainer in Las Vegas - further proof that while the television industry is having a hard time producing fresh comedy series and lagging behind the trend of serious quality dramas. Of veteran actors increasingly stealing the show and bringing the color back to the cheek genre.

And of course, no list of seniors would be complete without 84-year-old Morgan Freeman, who continues to star in action thrillers and lead documentary series on the National Geographic Channel; Or 86-year-old Dame Judy Dench, who stars in Kenneth Branagh's new film Belfast, which won last month's Toronto Film Festival, hoping to screw up for the upcoming awards season; Or 89-year-old Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1961 for her role as Maria in the musical "The Story of the Suburbs" and will appear in the remake of Steven Spielberg - which will be released in December (in recent years she starred for four seasons on Netflix); Or 90-year-old James Earl Jones, who in recent years has starred in dubbing roles (Disney's remake of "The Lion King" from 2019, and "Star Wars: Skywalker's Rise"), and even starred in the sequel to Eddie Murphy's comedy "Discovering America 2."

"I enjoy growing up and getting smart, I feel young at heart, and I intend to keep playing for as long as I can," Jones said in an interview with AOL last year. "I'm an actor, and actors can keep working until the day they finally collapse from their feet. As long as you get to the set, do not accidentally drop the set and remember the text - you're fine."

further. 88-year-old Michael Caine stars in the comedy film "Bestseller," which came out in a small distribution two weeks ago in the United States, and will also star in the historical drama "The Middle Ages," which will hit theaters next year; Dynasty, set to appear in a period drama series and film adaptation of the musical "Tomorrow Morning"; 86-year-old Donald Sutherland, who last year was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the mini-series "You Should Know" alongside Nicole Kidman, will star in a science fiction film called "Moonfall" with Halle Berry, and also filmed for a drama series called "Swim with Sharks"; Italian screen legend Sophia Loren, 87, was praised last year for her performance in "All Life Before Him," and at the same time a documentary about her life was released on Netflix; and Shirley McClain The 87-year-old has two drama films scheduled for release next year.

"I tell people the truth inside, but I'm not a diva," McClain explained a year ago in an interview with Variety. When I think about my life, it is possible that all the travels in the world were more important to me than the show business itself. "

81-year-old Patrick Stewart, who a few years ago seemed to be on the verge of retirement when he wound up in the Israeli film "Hunting Elephants," returned to one of his familiar characters in the science fiction series Star Trek: Picard, which aired last year and will soon air a second season;

And 82-year-old Oscar winner John White has also had television success thanks to the seven-season drama series "Ray Donovan," which will soon air a TV movie to end the plot.

This, along with a role in the biographical film about former US President Ronald Reagan, which will air next year.

And the icing on the cake: Harrison Ford, who will return to the second character most identified with him (after Han Solo from "Star Wars") and star in the fifth film in the "Indiana Jones" series just after he turned 80 on July 8022 - and after Hollywood gave up trying to find a young replacement.

Indiana Jones in a nursing home.

Harrison Ford, Photo: EP

Want more proof of the trend?

Last April, 83-year-old Anthony Hopkins became the oldest Oscar-winning winner, winning the Best Actor award for his performance in "The Father," after surprisingly defeating the late favorite, the late Chadwick Bozeman, who died of cancer a few weeks before the Blues' release. Ma Raine "starring on Netflix.

When Hopkins, who first picked up an Oscar 30 years ago for "The Silence of the Lambs," was declared the winner of the year, he is actually sleeping deep in his home in Wales.

"Good morning, at my age I did not expect to receive the award," he said in a video he uploaded to the Internet the next day.

In an interview with the British "GQ" magazine, Hopkins explained: "So I slept while they announced that I had won an Oscar, and I refused to fly especially to the ceremony in Los Angeles to sit and clap from the crowd. So what? These ceremonies are nice business, but in the end they are worthless. "With the nurses and the surgeons and the doctors in the hospitals? Where are the prizes they deserve? Unlike us, they save lives."

Also, the Korean actress, who was fairly anonymous in Hollywood until last year, 74-year-old Ya Zhangyun, won an Oscar for supporting actress on "Minari," an independent film in an American production but a Korean speaker.

parable.

• • •

But wait.

Before opening too many champagnes and celebrating the blossoming of aging cultural heroes, several indications have recently emerged that may signal that the industry will not continue its positive attitude towards the advanced yearlings.

Just this week the news spread in Hollywood that due to the corona plague less "mature" audience, i.e. one defined in the industry as aged 35 and over, returned to frequent the halls after reopening.

The direct result of this figure is that films that do not belong to the horror genre or the superhero genre (which are identified with young actors and appeal to a target audience of days), tend to crash more at the box office recently.

Adults also have a beat.

Abba, Photo: PR

Such dramatic news has immediate business implications: In response, Disney this week rejected a series of planned films, including the release of the new "Indiana Jones" with Harrison Ford - which moves forward no less than a full year, and will only be released in June 2023. Until then, Hollywood hopes the adults They too will return to the halls and justify the new projects financially.

So all that is left is to wait and see if the adults continue to bombard in the near future with more movies and series - or the market laws will eventually do their thing, forcing seniors to stop playing in front of the cameras and move to play instead at home, with the grandchildren.

dcaspi@goldenglobes.org

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2021-10-23

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