Naomi Watts speaks out against Hollywood’s ageism

Naomi Watts has spoken out about the stigma of going over the hill and how women are held to a different standard than men when it comes to aging.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Naomi Watts said, “I was told…’You better get a lot done because it’s all over at 40 when you become unf—able.’ And I’m like, ‘What? What does that mean exactly?’ Then you think about it, and you go, ‘Oh, right. When you are no longer reproductive, when those organs are no longer functioning, you are not sexy, so, therefore, you are not hirable.’”

For a timeline reference, Naomi Watts turned 40 in 2008. For the next three years, she had two movies out in each, proving she was indeed a catch to producers. She even earned her second Oscar nomination, for 2012’s The Impossible.

In the interview, Naomi Watts, who is now 54, also lashed out against the double standards between genders. “It’s something we just all have to get comfortable with and women are asked to do it more than men. We don’t talk about a man aging hardly ever. We don’t talk about his gray hair.” Unless, of course, it’s used as a positive, like calling George Clooney “a silver fox.” The insinuation here is that a woman with graying hair would rarely, if ever, get such a compliment.

Despite the claim she is “not hirable”, Naomi Watts has been quite busy as of late, with her new Netflix limited series The Watcher streaming on October 13th. She has numerous other projects lined up as well, including co-starring on the second season of FX’s Feud.

How do you feel about Naomi Watts’ comments regarding age and gender in Hollywood? Does she make a strong case? Let us know by chiming in below.