Julianne Moore is speaking out against the "totally sexist" term "aging gracefully," which she says is unfairly used too often describe women, and less commonly men.
In an interview with As If magazine, which was revealed by People on Thursday, the 60-year-old actress explained that there was "so much judgment" inherent to the phrase.
"Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don't have an option of course. No one has an option about aging, so it's not a positive or a negative thing, it just is," she said. "It's part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?"
Moore added that aging should be about "inner growth."
"We are given a narrative as children that we keep growing through school, maybe go to college then, after school is finished, the idea of growth is done," she said.
"But we have all this life left to live. How do we continue to challenge ourselves, to interest ourselves, learn new things, be more helpful to other people, be the person that your friends and family need or want? How do we continue to evolve? How do we navigate life to have even deeper experiences?"
That, she said, is what aging should be about.
During the interview, Moore also spoke of sexism and racism in the entertainment industry and how she was glad certain "behaviors are no longer being tolerated."
"The dismantling of these systems and putting other more equitable systems in place is helpful in preventing people from abusing one another and giving everyone equal opportunity," she said.
"It's the first time in my life that people are talking about representation. Are there female directors? Are there Black or Asian directors? Is there trans representation and are people with disabilities being represented? These are conversations we have never ever had before. It's been amazing."
Moore has been vocal about sexism and gender differences in Hollywood. In a 2019 interview, she revealed she was not receiving equal pay in comparison to her male counterparts. She explained that while part of the pay disparity was due to outdated beliefs, a character's importance also played a role.
"So if there are people who have bigger parts and are bigger stars, they'll be paid more," she said, according to E! News.
"But I think the question everyone is asking is, well, even if it is hierarchical, and you have actors of equal stature and equal parts, then they should be paid the same. But obviously it's very challenging."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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