Seasoned performers are working to address ageism in the entertainment industry.
Ageism is the bias that is typically ignored in passionate campaigns to end racism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination. And it’s a societal issue: The perception of society of people over 50 and whether they’re viable for anything … bleeds into writers and producers dictating the product.
Henry Groener
Actor
On April 15, SAG-AFTRA held the Seasoned Performers: Senior Representation On-Screen panel as part of its Stop the Hate Week. Guest speakers included SAG-AFTRA National Seniors Committee Chair Jackie Joseph and Los Angeles Local Seasoned Performers Committee Chair Lee Purcell, and actors Sheri Foster Blake (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Harry Groener (About Schmidt), and Geri Jewell (Deadwood, The Facts of Life). SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local Board member Ellen Crawford moderated.
The panel discussed the biases and misrepresentations senior performers experience in the industry, and the need to include persons 60 years of age and older. Purcell offered the idea that there is a greater need for the union’s contracts and agreements to create more work opportunities for older performers.
“I have always been a firm believer in legislature, and I think if we can get changes [in our contracts] with stronger language and rewards for productions to use more seasoned performers, we have a stronger leg to stand on,” said Purcell.
Joseph, Foster Blake and Groener discussed the necessity of senior performers being more involved with other industry creatives in developing roles and narratives that humanize them and disrupt stereotypes.
“Good stories come with a diverse cast, and I think if we were to work with creatives [who] include us in their stories, I think that’s a huge start,” said Foster Blake.
The full panel is available below.
View other panels from Stop The Hate Week:
- Disability Inclusion in Hollywood
- IllumiNative Re-Centering Native Americans in the Media
- Moving from Conversation to Action
- Middle Eastern/North African Performers: Hollywood’s Journey to Equity
- Widen the Screen
- Normalizing Diversity: Change the Narrative
- UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report Series: Connecting the Dots Between Industry Inclusion and the Bottom Line
- Tired of Talk: More Latinos On Screen
- Where We Are Today: LGBTQ Performers in the Workplace
The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA’s endorsement.
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