Staying Fit
In movies from Titanic to Unforgiven and TV shows from The Edge of Night to Two and a Half Men, Frances Fisher has been among Hollywood's busiest stars for nearly 40 years. She appears this month in the new film The Host, based on the novel by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.
Fisher plays the aunt of The Host's heroine (Saoirse Ronan), a young woman who is half-possessed by space aliens. The aliens have occupied the minds of virtually everyone on Earth, but an outpost of human holdouts — led by an older couple played by Fisher and William Hurt — live in a cave in the desert.
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Fisher, 60, says she loved the part, which is a sharp departure from the more glamorous roles her fans are used to. In a quiet spot after an AARP Movies for Grownups Awards event in Beverly Hills recently, Fisher discussed her latest role, Hollywood's hang-up when it comes to older actors, the budding acting career of Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, her 19-year-old daughter with Clint Eastwood, and why she'll never, ever have her face "done."
Frances Fisher: My character was described in the book as a 60-year-old, wrinkled white-haired woman. Yes! Let me do that role! [Laughs.] So I wear a long white wig and I don't wear any makeup. Look! [She pulls out her smartphone and brings up a photo of herself in character on the set.] This is no makeup. We're living in the desert.
AARP: Oh, wow! They let you do that? Ordinarily you'd expect them to say, "Well, we've gotta young this one up."
A: Well, thank God they were true to the character. And Bill [Hurt] plays a 60-something-year-old guy. We're, I guess, the movie's "old people." I think it's important for people to know The Host is not just about a bunch of young people. There are a lot of hot, fabulous young actors in the movie. But there are also a few adults.
Q: So often you see a trailer for a film, and you wouldn't guess there was anyone in it over 30. Then you go see the film and you're surprised to see two or three terrific 50-plus actors playing pivotal roles.
A: You're right. There are movies where I say, "Oh, the trailer looks awful," and someone says, "No, you've got to see so-and-so's performance." Oh! Well, why didn't they show up in the trailer? You know, that's a very narrow-minded way of marketing a film. They always seem to target the young people. And the thing is, there is a vastly higher number of people over 50 who go to movies. I doubt that I'll ever be seen in The Host's trailer. [Note: The trailer for The Host does include a two-second shot of Fisher. You can see the trailer below.]
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