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Film and television portrayals of older women, especially women of color, are limited in number and scope.

A found that nearly three-quarters of on-screen characters over the age of 50 are men. When older women are cast, they are more likely than their male counterparts to play roles that are 鈥渟enile,鈥� 鈥渉omebound,鈥� 鈥渇eeble,鈥� or 鈥渇rumpy.鈥� Further, older characters are less racially diverse than younger characters. Veteran actor and Peabody Award鈥搘inner LisaGay Hamilton, known for her roles on-screen (The Practice) and onstage (Beloved), has firsthand experience with such biases and shared her thoughts with YES!

Sonali Kolhatkar: You鈥檝e been in this industry for a long time. How have opportunities changed for you over the decades?

LisaGay Hamilton: I鈥檝e been in the business a long time, and I鈥檝e been fortunate enough to fluctuate from theater and film to television, with theater being the place I love most. I still find theater as the place where I grow the most as an artist because the roles are much fuller, more interesting, more challenging, and they give me the opportunity to tell a much deeper story than just film and television.

As a Black actor, I鈥檓 usually offered roles that are still the asexual, generic best friend, sergeant, detective. On the one hand you say, I鈥檓 gonna take that job because it pays the bills. On the other hand, you鈥檙e forced to go into work maybe three times an episode and do some exposition and leave, which is disheartening and sad and challenging.

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Kolhatkar: As you鈥檝e gotten older, do you think the roles are less central and less well-rounded?

Hamilton: As I鈥檝e gotten older, the roles have gotten even more generic. Of course I鈥檓 playing the mom and the grandma now; they鈥檙e not central to the storyline. I can鈥檛 say that the roles are interesting or challenging or even full-blown characters. 

Women in general, regardless of race, don鈥檛 have the luxury of aging gracefully as far as the executives are concerned. Although there have been some movies of late where they鈥檝e proven that women directors, cinematographers, and stars of a broad range can make money, the bottom line is: Can I make money off of this person?

Kolhatkar: In recent years, we鈥檝e had some game-changing projects, like on Netflix. Jane Fonda, who played Grace, and Lily Tomlin, who played Frankie, tackled not only the challenges of women aging, but also being single and exploring sexuality as you age. with Emma Thompson explored the sexual life of an older woman. Emma Thompson, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin are incredible actresses. They鈥檙e all white.

Hamilton: I haven鈥檛 been offered those opportunities. You鈥檙e naming roles and projects that star white women, which is good for them and good that they鈥檙e tackling topics that are closer to my age range. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that I get those opportunities because I鈥檓 a Black woman. 

It鈥檚 all about the green, so if a project were to come through that hit all those right markers [and had] women of color in it, then perhaps it might get approved. I鈥檓 not the most optimistic human on the planet, so I鈥檓 not quite sure what would make that change happen. I鈥檝e done my share of pitching semi-autobiographical projects for myself, and no one鈥檚 interested, primarily because I鈥檓 not a celebrity. It鈥檚 just really hard.

Kolhatkar: If you could envision the broad outlines of your ideal role on television, what would they be?

Hamilton: I love roles that have a social impact and that allow the character to be a reflection of the politics of today. So let鈥檚 say there was a show about the Black Lives Matter movement, for example. If there were a show about , their lives, their ups and downs, and their decisions that we on the outside sometimes think, Oh my gosh, I can鈥檛 believe that you鈥檝e turned into this, I would find that fascinating. 

Kolhatkar: How do we create a world where these stories get green-lit? 

Hamilton: I honestly don鈥檛 know. I see what鈥檚 on public view and I think to myself, I can鈥檛 believe that got [funded]. I do know that there has to be a sense of faith that if I push hard enough, if I gather folks of like mind, that at least the project can be funded. Maybe not in the millions-of-dollars range, but I could raise a million. I could take my iPhone and do my own content and put it on the internet. It鈥檚 a wonderful thing we have this technology. Look at TikTok. Those videos get views. Mind you, those aren鈥檛 the kinds of individuals or topics that I鈥檓 interested in or that I think are healthy for our society, but somehow other people are watching that stuff. I do think there鈥檚 an audience for us, and the way to get that work out there is via the internet.

Kolhatkar: Is there any promise in collective action?

Hamilton: Oh yes. That is the only way to do it. Finding like minds both artistically and politically is often hard 鈥檆ause you don鈥檛 know where they are necessarily.

But yes, finding like minds, working together, and being supportive of each other鈥檚 work would be the most ideal way forward. I would love something like a collective where you have an already-made support system for your work and there鈥檚 a commitment to the collective. Theoretically, those kinds of environments seem to be rich and full and supportive and provide you the opportunity not only to hear your work, but to hear others鈥� works, to critique those works. And that is exciting and challenging.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.