Famke Janssen has hit back at Russell Crowe for claiming there are plenty of film roles for older women.
The 50-year-old actress has spoken out following the ‘Noah’ star’s controversial comments to insist that there are still too few movies in which women take on the lead role.
Speaking about Russell’s view that actresses who complain about a lack of roles are ones who are still trying to play 21 year olds instead of acting their age, Famke said: "That’s interesting. I don’t remember him being female.
"When you compare it to the 1920s and 30s it’s a shame what’s happened since then. That was the golden age for women in film. They were allowed to be smart, funny, quirky, dramatic, whatever, you name it … that’s clearly not the case anymore."
The ‘Taken 3’ star claims Hollywood has gone backwards by forcing female actresses into supporting roles rather than letting them be leading ladies.
Famke continued: "If you look per movie the number of male parts and female parts – and I know because I even directed one myself [‘Bringing Up Bobby] and put a female [Mila Jovovich] in the lead. It’s really rare [for women to take the lead]."
However, while she’s unimpressed by the state of the film industry, the ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ actress believes there are increasingly better roles for women in TV.
According to Us Magazine, she explained: "The good news is it’s changing and it’s changing largely because a lot of the shows … are turning to women for female-driven storylines and plots. I think that’s a really great departure from where we are."
Famke’s comments come after ‘Interstellar’ actress Jessica Chastain also called Russell out on his views while Meryl Streep claimed she thought he’d been misunderstood.
Famke Janssen hits back at Russell Crowe
