Hollywood rediscovers leading ladies

By Claudia Puig
USA Today

From left, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman star in "The Hours," one of several 2002 movies that featured unusually strong roles for women. "The Hours" has not yet opened in Honolulu. Robert Deutsch • Gannett News Service

"I almost talked myself out of it," she says.

Until she learned Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore would be her co-stars. "From the moment they said these are the other women, I didn't even think twice," says Kidman. "This opportunity rarely comes along. It's unheard of, to be honest."

Movies with three major roles for women are rare indeed. Even more rare: "The Hours," which opens in some markets today (but not Honolulu), also features such acclaimed actresses as Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Miranda Richardson and Claire Danes in supporting roles.

Kidman, Streep and Moore are the most visible symbols of a year that has provided moviegoers with more meaty major women's roles than any year in recent memory.

"It's been a banner year," says Streep, who has two Oscar-caliber movies out this month. She plays an editor throwing a party for an old friend dying of AIDS in "The Hours" and has a darkly comic role as real-life writer Susan Orlean in "Adaptation" (also yet to open in Honolulu). "Absolutely. It's just wonderful. And they're interesting, unconventional sorts of things that don't fit the formula."

Some femme-oriented films feature actresses who reached milestones. Some are possible Oscar candidates, others popular favorites:

• Nia Vardalos, the unknown and unglamorous daughter of immigrants whose movie about her nutty family, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," became the box office phenomenon of the year.
• Jennifer Aniston, the glossily cheerful TV star who proved she could tackle a serious and more substantive role in "The Good Girl."
• Diane Lane, the child actress who came of age in a sexy role as the philandering suburban wife in "Unfaithful."
• Halle Berry, the first Bond girl to earn her own spinoff movie after "Die Another Day."
• Reese Witherspoon, the perky "Legally Blonde" star whose asking price shot up to $20 million after visiting "Sweet Home Alabama."
• Jennifer Lopez, who proved she can go up against the old guard ("Star Trek") and come out the winner in "Maid in Manhattan."

One result of a year of strong women's roles is a tight race for Oscar.

The names most frequently bandied about as contenders for best-actress nominations are Kidman, Streep (both for "The Hours"), Moore ("Far From Heaven"), Renee Zellweger ("Chicago"), Lane and Aniston. But you can't discount longer shots such as Sigourney Weaver in "The Guys," Salma Hayek in "Frida" and Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Secretary."

Sherry Lansing, who as chairman of Paramount Pictures' motion picture group was a driving force behind "The Hours," says it all represents change in the industry: "We're seeing slowly, but surely, gender-blind decision-making. As women gain the power to green-light movies, we're going to show women in more complex and diverse ways.

"It's not perfect yet, but it's very exciting."

"Hours" director Stephen Daldry says the lot of women in Hollywood "is slowly coming around."

Others are less convinced the trend will be a lasting one.

Says Moore: "Everyone knows that in Hollywood there are no trends."

And her co-star Streep, after more than 25 movies over 25 years, attributes the good year to serendipity. "There have been years where that's been true at other points in my endless career," she says. "And other times where there's been a drought. I'm not sure what it's due to."

More women in audience

Perhaps the most persuasive argument for more movies for and about women comes from female-driven box office grosses.

"If you just want to shake the guy executives, look at the 'Big Fat Greek Wedding' phenomenon," says Todd Haynes, director of "Far From Heaven," of the $5 million picture that has been playing more than eight months and grossed more than $210 million.

"It's due to female filmgoers. It's a female-centered kind of story that is about the family and all these characters in a household. Women are telling their friends to see it, and they'll drag their husbands. That's what characterizes its unique slow burn and staying power. So, guys, it's not just testosterone movies we should be considering when we're putting films together."

Sigourney Weaver, who stars as a journalist who writes eulogies for fallen firefighters in "The Guys," thinks executives were already starting to realize the power of estrogen.

"Women and men in the business are realizing much more what a resource we are and how popular stories about women are," she says. "And I think it might continue for a while. Dare I knock on wood?"

Relevant movies

Julianne Moore also thinks Hollywood misses a major opportunity if there's a return to short-shrifting movies for women.

"My theory is, there's always a female audience," says Moore. "But we will only go if they make movies for us, because we're just too busy. It makes me crazy when people ask why women don't go to the movies. No. 1, there are no movies for us and No. 2, we have jobs and families. I never get out of the house with two little kids. If I go, I want to know it really is something for me. I want it to be relevant to me."

Patricia Clarkson, who plays Moore's best friend in "Far From Heaven," sees more people in the industry sticking up for such movies.

"I do think there are more great people in our business that want to make great projects and they'll make these female-driven parts and take the risk," she says. "I think it is getting better."