‘I GET SENT ROLES FOR 80-YEAR-OLDS!’
The Aussie icon’s shedding light on ageism in SBS’ new doco series, What Does Australia Really Think About...
You reveal during the documentary that you’ve experienced ageism in your career. When did it begin for you?
Look, it goes in phases, particularly for women. Once you hit 40, you’re no longer considered romantic leading lady material. And yet there’s no problem with men in their 60s having 28-year-old girlfriends on screen! So you start to become aware of it. Now I’m [68 on Tuesday] and I get sent roles for 80-yearolds. Give me a break! I know COVID has worn us all down but… [laughs].
Do you think ageism is more prevalent in the entertainment business because it’s so focused on looks?
In the media business, yeah, absolutely. We don’t have a lot of older women who are in a position of authority as a spokesperson. In the States, they have a lot of older women – Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey... We don’t promote women in the media just as we don’t promote
women in boardrooms.
It is slowly changing because women are speaking up and drawing a line.
Did you ever worry that ageing would spell the end of your acting career?
No. It’s not the be-all and end-all for me anyway. If I couldn’t find stories I thought were worth telling, I’d rather knit jumpers for a living! I was very well prepared for this career. I’m a fourth-generation performer, so my parents made sure I had a wide range of skills I could use.
Have you ever missed out on a role you really wanted because of your age?
Interestingly, [TV series] City Homicide, which I did for six years or something, they first approached me to be part of a pilot and about a month later I spoke to my agent and said, “What happened to that?” and she said, “They thought you were too old.” I was 50 at the time. They made the pilot and then they came back to me after the pilot and said, “We actually think that you’ll be very believable bossing Shane Bourne around.” [Laughs]
Do you ever bump into fans from your or
Play School Better Homes and Gardens
days who still expect you to look the same?
No, not really. It’s not like they haven’t seen me for 20 years! But every day of my life someone talks to me about Play School.
Are you hoping to do more documentaries to highlight issues such as ageism?
I’m a huge fan of SBS and the ABC, and I think they do amazing work. I’d love to see these documentaries screened in schools. I think they’d be wonderful talking points in high schools. If it helps people to think and recalibrate, then that’s a story worth telling to me.
Has COVID paused any of your upcoming projects?
Yes, it has. There’s a film that’s been delayed several times. And I also did a mini-series called Fires about the 2019 Victorian bush fires. Another season of Every Family Has A Secret is in the works and I’m writing a book.
‘It is changing because women are speaking up’
Is your book fiction?
No, it’s reflections of the decades I’ve lived through and what it was like for women in all those decades and how far we have or haven’t come.
What shows have you been bingeing to get you through lockdown?
Anything to do with France I love – I’m a Francophile! Whether it’s Escape To The Chateau or James Martin’s French Adventure.
So France will be your first port of call when overseas travel returns?
You bet it is!
WHAT DOES AUSTRALIA REALLY THINK ABOUT… premieres Wednesday, 8.30pm, SBS and SBS On Demand. Noni’s episode about older people airs August 25.