Women's Media Nation | Social, political, and cultural issues relating to women

Hollywood Women Speak Out

posted by Women & Hollywood
Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 3:26pm EDT

Three Hollywood women -- Glenn Close, Nicole Kidman and Heather Graham -- got into the political action this week each on a different issue.

Nicole Kidman went to Capitol Hill to talk about violence against women. No matter what she has or hasn’t done to her face Kidman, for many years, has taken on this really, really important issue. We all know how cool it is to deal with refugee issues and children’s issues (and they are so important and worthy and need people bringing attention to them desperately) but it takes serious guts to focus on women’s issues and violence against women which Kidman has. She has my eternal gratitude for her work on the issue. She testified yesterday before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee and acknowledged that Hollywood contributes in some way to violence against women because women are portrayed as “weak” by Hollywood.

Weak is usually an understatement in big Hollywood films. Absent and silent is more the norm.

She went asking for an increase in the UNIFEM budget and clearly know her issues saying:

“In the real world, the laws go unenforced and impunity is the norm,”

Kidman: Hollywood probably contributes to violence (AP)

Glenn Close is talking about mental illness and with her sister Jessie she appeared yesterday on Dr. Nancy’s show to promote the new project Bring Change to Mind. Close appears in a PSA with her sister trying to blow the lid off the stigma associated with mental illness.
Here’s what she wrote in a Huffington Post piece.

Whether it is Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in The Shining, or Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilkes in Misery, scriptwriters invariably tell us that the mentally ill are dangerous threats who must be contained, if not destroyed. It makes for thrilling entertainment.

The original ending of Fatal Attraction actually had Alex commit suicide. But that didn’t “test” well. Alex had terrified the audiences and they wanted her punished for it. A tortured and self-destructive Alex was too upsetting. She had to be blown away.

So, we went back and shot the now famous bathroom scene. A knife was put into Alex’s hand, making her a dangerous psychopath. When the wife shot her in self-defense, the audience was given catharsis through bloodshed — Alex’s blood. And everyone felt safe again.

Yet when it comes to bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia or depression, an uncharacteristic coyness takes over. We often say nothing. The mentally ill frighten and embarrass us. And so we marginalize the people who most need our acceptance.

Here’s her talking about mental illness on The View.

Heather Graham in her ad from MoveOn.org for a public health insurance option