Russell Crowe came under fire recently over comments he made about women in Hollywood who refuse to act their age. But Oscar winner Meryl Streep came to the actor’s defense during a press conference for “Into the Woods,” held on Wednesday.
“I read what he said. All of what he said. It’s been misappropriated, what he’s talking about. He was talking about himself,” she said. “I agree with him. It’s good to live within the place where you are.”
Crowe’s original comments came after a reporter asked him about his role as a father in “The Water Diviner.”
“The best thing about the industry I’m in — movies — is that there are roles for people in all different stages of life,” he told Australian Women’s Weekly.
But then he went on to talk about actresses who have trouble in Hollywood finding acceptable roles. “To be honest, I think you’ll find that the woman who is saying that is the woman who at 40, 45, 48, still wants to play the ingenue and can’t understand why she’s not being cast as the 21-year-old,” Crowe said.
He cited Streep, along with Helen Mirren, as two examples of women who have made it work on screen after their 20s and 30s.
“Meryl Streep will give you 10,000 examples and arguments as to why that’s bullshit. So will Helen Mirren, or whoever it happens to be,” he said. “If you are willing to live in your own skin, you can work as an actor. If you are trying to pretend that you’re still the young buck when you’re my age, it just doesn’t work.”
Streep certainly didn’t go young for her role in Disney’s “Into the Woods,” which was adapted by director Rob Marshall from Broadway to the big screen and opened on Christmas Day. In the press conference for the film, Streep explained why it makes more sense for younger actresses to play older than the reverse.
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