Make an Argument
Actresses over 45 who should have television shows
By Eric Hughes
August 4, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Though I’m not a fan of the show’s title, I do like that The Big C ambitiously seeks to find humor in a dark situation. Even more, the series is toplined by Laura Linney, an actress I have adored for years from projects like The Truman Show and The Squid and the Whale, to The Savages and HBO’s John Adams.
If the writing is good, and The Big C proves to be a story worth telling, I have little doubt that it’ll succeed. I put that much faith in an actress like Linney, who I’ve read will be in just about every scene of the show.
And you know, casting Linney in a show like The Big C is inspired. But if any network were to do so, it makes sense for it to be Showtime. Prior to The Big C, the pay cabler has developed a bit of a niche in greenlighting programs with “older” actresses as leads. Mary-Louise Parker (46) headlines Weeds, Edie Falco (47) top bills Nurse Jackie and, well, Toni Collette (37) plays the titular character on United States of Tara. (The latter Collette is on here more for consistency sake; 37 certainly isn’t old in my book).
Based on the success Showtime has had with the shows on its programming slate, I thought it a good idea to brainstorm other actresses who could probably launch successful shows on Showtime (or, really, any cable network).
Two stipulations: 1) They have to be at least 45 years old, and 2) They have to be actresses who would actually do TV shows. Would a show with Meryl Streep in a leading role be successful? Sure. But I’d never expect her to cross that line. Then again, Dustin Hoffman will soon be starring on a show for HBO, so maybe anything is possible).
Catherine Keener (51)
I wasn’t familiar with Catherine Keener – or, at least, able to recall her with such clarity – until her undeniably sweet work as Steve Carell’s love interest in Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She plays a struggling mother on one bratty child who sells things on eBay for a living. As Jonah Hill comes to find out, she may own a storefront, but she doesn’t think to sell things in the rented space.
Since then, she played Harper Lee in Capote, the hippiest of hippies in Into the Wild, Adele in the little seen Synecdoche, New York and mother of wild child Max in Where the Wild Things Are. Every time I see her, I seem to appreciate her more.
I could pick her raspy voice out of a crowd every time, and her face is a face you can trust.
Annette Bening (52)
Annette Bening proved her worth to me about 11 years ago in American Beauty. Her character in the movie, Carolyn, ran the gambit on emotions and really was one of the meatier roles for a woman to play that I had seen up to that point in my life. (I was a teen then).
Carolyn is, shall we say, crazy, a trait we don’t fully grasp in the character until we get a bit further along in the movie. Like Lester, her husband played by Kevin Spacey, Carolyn realizes that the life she’s been leading is less than satisfying and mixes a cocktail of impulse and bad decisions to get what she wants.
I could see her doing something similar in a quality family drama, maybe even one like Six Feet Under. Or perhaps Parenthood. Though in terms of screen time, Bening would obviously warrant as much as Frances Conroy’s Ruth Fisher than Bonnie Bedelia’s Camille Braverman.
Maura Tierney (45)
Speaking of Parenthood, I was so totally elated to find out that Maura Tierney was cast in a major role in the movie-turned-TV series, playing younger sister to Peter Krause’s character, Adam. For years and years, she had played the oftentimes morose Abby Lockhart on ER and it intrigued me to get to know what she’d bring to her new character.
Due to medical complications, Tierney was forced to back out of the show and would eventually be replaced by Lauren Graham. Now Graham is good, but I can’t help to think that she plays Sarah a bit more frantic than Tierney would have. Tierney has such a warm, calming way about her and probably would have played the character without so much need for sympathy.
Earlier this year, Tierney returned to work in a satirical stage play called North Atlantic with separate runs in Los Angeles and New York. As far as I know, she’s again looking for work, and it’d be a great thing if she were eyed for a second chance at TV post-ER.
Frances McDormand (53)
Also a star in Tierney’s satirical stage play, Frances McDormand’s acting chops would make for a compelling character on television. I’m pretty sure McDormand is the nation’s cutest 50-something, and I’ll say right now I’d watch her perform in just about anything at this point. She could be a dog walker by day, circus entertainer by night, and I’d go, “Whoa, that sounds like an awesome series.”
McDormand stole the show in Fargo. Correction: Her Minnesota accent stole the show in Fargo. And the crazy thing is she doesn’t appear for the first 30 minutes or so. It may actually be closer to 40. Besides that foot in the wood chipper scene, her character – and that bun in the oven – are probably the things that people recall the most from Fargo.
She was charming in Wonder Boys and played reserved and anxious to a T in Almost Famous. (“Rock stars have kidnapped my son!”). And who could forget her kooky character in Burn After Reading? Sadly, that’s surprisingly the last time her mug has graced the big screen.