Sam Elliott, an actor who has been in the business for over 46 years, believes that Hollywood is “hard on women,” and that it has become significantly tougher for older actors.
The 71-year-old actor, who stars alongside Lily Tomlin in “Grandma,” spoke to HuffPost Live on Tuesday about minimal opportunities for older actors in the entertainment industry — especially older women. He drew from his own personal life after being married to the same woman for over 30 years.
“Hollywood is hard on women,” Elliot said. “It’s hard on all of us actors, I think, in this day and age, because it’s all about youth. [Maybe] not ‘all about’ — I mean, nothing is ‘all about,’ obviously — but there is certainly a focus on it, for lack of a better word, at the moment.”
However, Elliott believes the tolerance is getting better, and referenced “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” a film he starred opposite Blythe Danner earlier this year.
“I think it’s getting better,” said Elliott. “I hope that it is […] I did a film with Blythe Danner this year that did really well and a lot of people responded to it in a positive manner. It’s another one of those coming-of-age kind of things, old age, with a big female cast. I think the whole thing is that those in Hollywood that look at everything based on numbers where they recognize the fact that there’s an audience out there, that’s what’s going to make these movies of the older generation more valuable.”
“Grandma” will be in theaters Aug. 21.