WHATEVER WILL HAPPEN TO ... AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS?Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer WHEN MIRAMAX released the romantic comedy ``Kate & Leopold'' on Christmas Day, the studio figured it had a sure hit on its hands. The movie featured handsome up-and-comer Hugh Jackman playing opposite America's favorite nose-scrunching, romantic sweetheart Meg Ryan. Miramax spent tens of millions of dollars in advertising to let Ryan's faithful know that love was - once again - in the air. It didn't work. While it isn't a total failure, ``Kate & Leopold'' hasn't come close to meeting Miramax's expectations, particularly given the money the studio spent in promotion. And while no one is laying the blame completely on Ryan, there has been talk that at age 40, she was too old to play another pixie in the throes throe n. 1. A severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. See Synonyms at pain. 2. throes A condition of agonizing struggle or trouble: a country in the throes of economic collapse. of passion. Says ``Entertainment Tonight'' film critic Leonard Maltin: ``I thought Meg Ryan was just fine in 'Kate & Leopold,' but I know several female friends who thought it was no longer cute seeing her play cute yet again.'' Or as Reel.com's Hollywood Confidential columnist Jeffrey Wells puts it: ``Meg Ryan looks a little bit too old for Hugh Jackman. Your average 32-year-old guy, particularly one that looks like Jackman, is going to think twice about hooking up with a 40-year-old woman. He's going to want some young hottie.'' Ageism ageism Geriatrics A bias or belief that may be held by a health care provider that depression, forgetfulness, and other disorders are a normal part of aging and that older individuals will not benefit from treatment of mental disorders. Cf elderly. in the industry Sexist? You bet. But sexism when it comes to age has forever been the reality for women in Hollywood, an industry that thinks nothing of pairing Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22 1937), known as Jack Nicholson, is a three time Academy Award winning American actor internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. with the female flavor of the day but bristles at the idea of an older woman being anything other than a wife, mother or nun. At 40, Ryan isn't the only A-list actress facing the age-old age barrier. Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman will both turn 35 this year, Sandra Bullock is 37, Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning American actress, perhaps most widely known for her role in the television sitcom Mad About You. 38 and Jodie Foster Alicia Christian Foster (born November 19 1962), better known as Jodie Foster, is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, director, and producer. She has also won two Golden Globes, 3 BAFTA awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award, making her one of the few select will be celebrating her 40th birthday in November. Which of these actresses will, like Meryl Streep Noun 1. Meryl Streep - United States film actress (born in 1949) Streep , continue receiving good scripts and which, like Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21 1956) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated American actress and former fashion model. Biography Early life , will end up hosting the Academy Awards' preceremony fashion coverage is anybody's guess. But one thing is certain: Each one of them will soon have to adapt to the realities of Hollywood's institutionalized in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize tr.v. in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·ing, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·es 1. a. To make into, treat as, or give the character of an institution to. b. sexism. ``Movies are still mostly made by men and targeted for boys,'' says Susan Sarandon Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Biography Early life Sarandon, the eldest of nine children, was born Susan Abigail Tomalin , 55, the rare actress who has bucked the trend by enjoying her greatest career success after she turned 40. ``You can still find good parts as an older actress, but you have to have people constantly on the lookout for in search of; looking for. See also: Lookout good material. It's not going to come to you.'' That's why many of the aforementioned actresses - Ryan, Bullock, Foster, Hunt and Roberts among them - have formed their own production companies to develop material. In some cases, the production companies are little more than vanity operations. (After all, Alicia Silverstone even had one after the success of ``Clueless clue·less adj. Lacking understanding or knowledge. clueless Adjective Slang helpless or stupid Adj. 1. .'') But for others, like Bullock, who has producing credits on four of her own films, they're a key to survival. ``I would be really bored if I wasn't developing my own stuff,'' Bullock says. ``So instead of waiting for the next thing to come along, I'm learning and creating. I love to be constantly in motion. And I love finding stuff that's different and darker than what people think I would be doing. Otherwise, I think Hollywood would turn me into the next Doris Day.'' Day's career is instructive as she was rarely able (or allowed) to transform herself from the wholesome blonde into an adult woman minus the spunk and bounce of her most popular films. Actresses who have been tagged as ``America's sweetheart'' or whose appeal lies mainly in their youth and spirit find it more difficult to remake themselves once they hit their 40s. Ryan is the latest to face that harsh truth. And Roberts, even at age 34, may not be far behind. Film writer David Thomson opined that her latest movie, ``Ocean's Eleven,'' prompts one to ``ask whether Julia isn't beginning to lose her looks. You had the same suspicion in 'The Mexican' and 'America's Sweethearts.' This is a face now that has spent too many late nights reading scripts, trust fund reports and the Wall Street Journal.'' He finishes by noting, ``One day soon, not too far ahead, someone's going to say, 'What about Julia as the villain?' '' Sexist? Maybe. Brad Pitt's looks aren't examined under such a high- powered critical microscope. But again, that's the reality of Hollywood, and as writer Wells notes, Roberts' appearance and attitude may go hand in hand. ``Julia Roberts seems to be all about rage these days,'' Wells says. ``She's pissed off a lot now, both in her movies and any time she's around the press. And it's getting a little tiresome.'' A matter of survival Roberts, though, has had the good sense to attach herself to Steven Soderbergh, a gifted director who cast her in multifaceted roles in ``Erin Brockovich,'' ``Ocean's Eleven'' and the upcoming low-budget ``Full Frontal.'' That kind of credibility, along with last year's Best Actress Oscar, bodes well for her long-term prospects. The same formula is paying dividends for Kidman, also 34, also a likely Oscar nominee for either ``Moulin moulin (m  lăN`): see pothole. Rouge'' or ``The
Others.'' (Or both?) Although Kidman has taken roles in
mainstream films like ``The Peacemaker'' and ``Batman
Forever,'' her career has been forged working in edgy movies
like ``To Die For'' and ``Eyes Wide Shut.''
She's currently working with Dogma director Lars von Trier Trier (trēr), Latin Augusta Treverorum, city (1994 pop. 99,183), Rhineland-Palatinate, SW Germany, a port on the Moselle (Ger. Mosel) River, near the Luxembourg border. (``Breaking the Waves,'' ``Dancer in the Dark'') on
the low-budget ``Dogville.''
``Nicole will be working for a long, long time because she is not afraid to take chances,'' says ``Moulin Rouge'' director Baz Luhrmann. ``I had always wanted to work with her because she has so much to reveal. She is beautiful, but what people don't realize is that she's also a spectacular comic actress.'' Says Kidman of her career choices: ``I've been afraid a lot lately with the roles I've chosen and I think that's a good thing. I can use that boldness in the performance. I know I felt very vulnerable about singing in 'Moulin Rouge,' and I tried my best to get out of doing 'The Others' because I didn't think I was emotionally strong enough to play that character. Having seen how they both turned out makes me want to continue taking the risks.'' And it's that kind of risk-taking that might separate the women with long-lasting careers from the cover girls that come and go with the seasons. ``I think most actors of this generation are smarter about their careers,'' says filmmaker Cameron Crowe. ``Having worked with women like Renee Zellweger and Cameron Diaz, I know they're in it for more than the money and the stardom. They want to learn and grow, both as people and in their craft. That kind of attitude can only serve them in the long run.'' HOLLYWOOD REDUX Refers to being brought back, revived or restored. From the Latin "reducere." With the cream of Hollywood's A-list actresses primed to hit middle age soon, can the following remakes be far away? ``All About Eve: Behind the Music'': In this movie, released in 2006, Britney Spears plays the innocent fan who wants to take over the life of a vain pop star (Madonna). Guy Ritchie directs. Madonna forces him to. ``Driving Miss Daisy Driving Miss Daisy is a 1987 play by Alfred Uhry about the relationship of an elderly Southern Jewish lady shares with her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn, over the span of several decades. : This update shifts the setting from Georgia to East L.A. where a youngish divorcee di·vor·cée n. A divorced woman. [French, feminine past participle of divorcer, to divorce, from Old French, from divorce, divorce; see divorce. (Jennifer Lopez) employs the services of a homeboy home·boy n. Slang 1. A male friend or acquaintance from one's neighborhood or hometown. 2. A fellow male gang member. homeboy Noun slang 1. (Lil' Bow Wow) to drive the getaway car in a planned heist of her ex-husband's sweatshop sweatshop: see sweating system. shoe factory. (2022) ``Sunset Boulevard 2030'': After a 20-year career hiatus, Drew Barrymore is once again ready for her close-up playing Norma Desmond, an aging A-lister still trying to convince Bill Murray to make another ``Charlie's Angels'' movie with her. ``What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'': Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman do Joan Crawford and Bette Davis one better, playing the poison pair of former stars that trade barbs barbs the primary, delicate filaments that are given off the shaft of a bird's contour feather. They project from the rachis and bear the barbules. and blows in a rotting Los Angeles mansion. Off-camera relations between the actresses take a downturn after Roberts begins dating Tom Cruise and espousing Scientology precepts between takes. Kidman retaliates by letting her have Cruise. (2032) ``Harold and Maude'': Free-spirited spinster SPINSTER. An addition given, in legal writings, to a woman who never was married. Lovel. on Wills, 269. (Sandra Bullock) befriends a solemn young man and teaches him about life and love. Bullock's co-star to be played by the as-yet-unborn son of Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. Coming to theaters in 2035. ``On Golden Pond'': Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe mark their 50th wedding anniversary and make one last desperate Oscar bid by starring as the cantankerous can·tan·ker·ous adj. 1. Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord. 2. couple coming to terms with their mortality. (2049) CAPTION(S): 9 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- 3 -- cover -- color) HOW LONG CAN A STAR SHINE? A whole crop of Hollywood leading ladies may soon find out what happens when youth fades Photo illustration by Reuben J. Stern/Staff Artist (4) JULIA ROBERTS AGE: 34 CURRENTLY: Eye candy in ``Ocean's Eleven.'' UPCOMING: Small roles in ``Full Frontal,'' directed by Steven Soderbergh, and ``Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,'' directed by George Clooney. NEWS: While talking to reporters at the People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is one of the few to be based on the opinions of the general public. , reportedly said, ``I feel a hostile moment coming on,'' before returning to her seat in the ceremony. (5) MEG RYAN AGE: 40 CURRENTLY: Kate in the romantic-comedy ``Kate & Leopold.'' UPCOMING: Apparently looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. projects. Reportedly approached British solo sailing star Debra Veal about turning her story into a movie. NEWS: Recently mentioned her desire to have a daughter though currently single. (6) NICOLE KIDMAN AGE: 34 CURRENTLY: In the offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. ``Birthday Girl'' but Oscar possibilities ``Moulin Rouge' and ``The Others'' are around. UPCOMING: Plays Virginia Woolf in ``The Hours'' and currently shooting Lars Von Trier's small film ``Dogville.'' NEWS: Says she wants to move to London from L.A. for the sake of her two children, adopted with ex-husband Tom Cruise. (7) JODIE FOSTER AGE: 39 CURRENTLY: Out of sight. Not the movie, but she hasn't starred in anything since the lackluster ``Anna and the King.'' UPCOMING: Plays a nun in ``The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,'' which has been on the festival circuit. Replaced Nicole Kidman, who injured her leg, in David Fincher's thriller ``The Panic Room.'' NEWS: Recently slammed fellow stars for paying flunkies to lead their everyday lives for them. Had second child last October. (8) SANDRA BULLOCK AGE: 37 CURRENTLY: Took 2001 off, at least in movie theaters. UPCOMING: Barbet barbet Any of about 75 species of tropical birds (family Capitonidae) named for the bristles at the base of their stout, sharp bill. They are big-headed and short-tailed, 3.5–12 in. Schroeder's thriller ``Murder by Numbers'' and Callie Khouri's ``Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a novel written by Rebecca Wells. It is the sequel to Little Altars Everywhere. Unlike its predecessor, which is a series of short stories, Divine Secrets is a novel. .'' NEWS: Rumors are she might play Wonder woman in a new big-screen flick. (9) no caption (lady in a wheelchair with Julia Robert's face and another lady stading with Nicole Kidman's face) Box: HOLLYWOOD REDUX (see text) |
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