BETWEEN US
Robert Love EDITOR IN CHIEF
Movies for Grownups Shines Bright and Helps Us Fight Against Ageism
For more than 20 years, we’ve been pushing Hollywood to reject timeworn stereotypes
Clockwise from top left: Hiroyuki Sanada; Jodie Foster; Danny Trejo; June Squibb & Fred Hechinger; Adrien Brody; John Stamos & Demi Moore; Joan Chen; Jane Seymour; Colman Domingo & Clarence Maclin; Alan Cumming
THIS YEAR’S Movies for Grownups Awards ceremony had to be postponed because of the Los Angeles wildfires in January. But on Saturday, February 8, a game and glittering crowd of actors and filmmakers gathered at the Beverly Wilshire in LA for the rescheduled event. We have been dressing up and putting on this annual celebration of older artists and filmmakers for more than 20 years, aided in recent years by PBS, which broadcast the show on February 23. (Stream it for free on the PBS app until May 31.) Demi Moore, Jodie Foster, Adrien Brody and June Squibb were among the actors honored, breaking down stereotypes about youth, beauty and cinematic creativity. Google their ages if you like, and you’ll find a span of more than 40 years, from Brody, who turns 52 in April, to Squibb, who’s 95. The winning films ranged from the age-proof Wicked to the nostalgic Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. Proceeds raised at the event for our charitable affiliate, AARP Foundation, will support local on-the-ground organizations helping affected families and communities recover from the wildfires.
So many wise words were spoken that day. AARP’s new CEO, Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, set the tone when she noted that the intergenerational film Thelma had given Squibb the “first leading role of her 70-year career.” At AARP, Minter-Jordan added, “one of our top priorities is taking on the rising problem of fraud, which is at the heart of the movie Thelma.”
Joan Chen, 63, who won best supporting actress for Didi, gave us a poetic shout-out: “AARP reminds us that aging is something to embrace, a badge of honor, actually. As the author of The Little Prince put it, ‘In spite of decoys, jolts, and ruts, you have continued to plod like a horse drawing a cart.’ And I’m so fortunate I am still here, still drawing my cart.”
Beneath the glamour of the show was something more profound: our ongoing efforts to combat age discrimination in the shows and films Americans watch. In a recent AARP study, more than half of respondents told us they wanted to see more positive representation of older adults. We want that too.
Older audiences, and older actors, deserve it. Nobody said it better or more pithily than Career Achievement winner Glenn Close, 78: “I’m still here, raring to go!”
AARP VS. AGEISM
AARP Foundation attorneys fight against workplace age discrimination across the nation. In Washington, D.C., AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly takes on local cases. Learn more: aarp.org/agediscrimination.