Stephanie Cole has called for more TV roles for older women.
The 77-year-old actress is known for having starred in the likes of ‘Open All Hours’, ‘Doc Martin’, and ‘Coronation Street’, and has said more needs to be done to allow older women to thrive on screen, as although things are changing, she thinks the process is "bloody slow".
During an appearance on ‘Lorraine’ on Friday (04.10.19), show host Lorraine Kelly said there are more roles available that aren’t just for teenagers, to which Stephanie replied: "It’s a bloody slow process if that’s the case. It really is. I mean first of all, it’s beginning to get better now for women, it’s beginning. And for 50 year olds, maybe, better and better and better, but it’s slow."
And the ‘Scarborough’ star insists it shouldn’t be taboo to hire an older actress or write stories for older characters, as the "feelings" people have don’t change with age.
She added: "The thing I think people forget is that the older you get – okay you know, your looks change – you get hopefully a little wisdom along the way, but your feelings, if you love somebody, the feeling is still the same. If you get very angry with someone, the feeling is just the same. It’s exactly the same, it’s just that it’s tempered with hopefully a little bit of wisdom that you’ve come to over the years."
Stephanie believes there’s a "gold mine" of stories about older characters that are yet to be told, and thinks ageism is "the last barricade" that needs to be broken down when it comes to equality.
The ‘Gentleman Jack’ actress said: "The storylines, particularly for women but older men as well of course, there’s a huge wealth. There’s a mine, a gold mine of stuff that people could write.
"I suppose if you’re a young writer your experience of much older people would be your granny and grandpa, and of course you view them in a particular way. So I suppose that’s part of the reason, but that’s not all of the reason. I think it’s one of the last barricades that we need to fight."
Stephanie Cole wants more TV roles for older women
