AGING IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY


uneasiness” if there were too many old or death jokes for Arthur. “The driving force for the series was that Arthur was part of an old neighborhood that was gentrifying and he was struggling with the changes—good and bad… Even though Arthur was a curmud- geon, he needed to slowly evolve because of his love for Franco. It was far more interest- ing to watch an old man slowly change than just stay the same. I think it also felt hopeful that Arthur was getting a second chapter to his life with the advent of this young kid in his life, and the positive outcome.” The series provided a dose of art imitat-


ing life for its creative team. “It's funny— that happened to me and some of the other over-50 writers,” she says. “Working with Jermaine Fowler and some of the other young writers gave us a new perspective on things, shaking up our middle-aged views.” “Hot In Cleveland,” which ran for six


seasons before moving to syndication, ex- amined aging on multiple levels. “I think the premise—and as I age, speaks to me even more—is ‘It’s never too late for a second act.’ Who doesn’t want to have a second act with all of our friends in a city where nobody knows us! Oh, and if we can have three and four chapters like Betty has… well, that would be great too,” Milliner said. For White’s role, “First and foremost we


were trying to create a character that was interesting and fun for Betty to portray,” he added. “That, and that no matter your age, you can still have fun and create fantastic adventures for the rest of your life.” Milliner says there was never a time when a


scene in development seemed "too young" or "too old" for Elka. “Never. Age really was never an issue. And it was fun for us to put Betty in any situation. I think our biggest conversations were about who should we have as Elka’s love interest? I think my favorites were John Ma- honey and Carl Reiner. What great choices.” Hazy Mills is the home studio to series including “Grimm” and “Hollywood Game Night.” Asked whether it’s easier to bust open stereotypes on aging in comedy than in dra- ma, Milliner responded in the affi rmative. “Probably easier in comedy because you


can laugh about it. And, even if people start laughing a tad uncomfortably… at least they are laughing,” Milliner said. “We used to say at [improve comedy enterprise] The Second City that a groan is as good as a laugh. At least we are getting a reaction.”


Same Old Story? But is Hollywood moving fast enough on its embrace of substantive roles for aging adults? University of Southern California’s An-


nenberg Inclusion Initiative is a leading think tank studying diversity and inclusion in entertainment through original research and sponsored projects. In analyzing the 100 top-grossing fi lms from 2016-18, the Inclusion Initiative’s most recent report, in partnership with health insurance company Humana, determined characters age 60 and over continue to be misrepresented in fi lm. Further, researchers determined the inac- curate portrayals may adversely aff ect how older adults view themselves.


The 60-year-old Hollywood star, who will


next be seen starring in a second “Malefi - cent” fi lm and in “Avengers: Endgame” as superheroine Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, told the magazine, “I just look for [projects] I can get excited about. And honestly, that gets harder and harder because I also know what it's like to not work so hard and enjoy my life, and I have other interests.” The Annenberg study further determined


the majority of seniors in fi lms are portrayed uncharacteristically, i.e., disengaged with tech- nology and uninterested in travel, a notion Humana research found to be the opposite. According to Humana, the vast majority, 89 percent, of aging Americans use com-


Of fi lms analyzed by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 57 titles featured a leading or supporting senior character. Of those 57 fi lms, 44 percent featured characters referred to in demeaning, ageist ways including the phrases “old and decrepit,” “grumpy old rat” and “crazy old man,” researchers determined.


Of fi lms analyzed, 57 titles featured a


leading or supporting senior character. Of those 57 fi lms, 44 percent featured charac- ters referred to in demeaning, ageist ways including the phrases “old and decrepit,” “grumpy old rat” and “crazy old man,” researchers determined. A majority of the fi lms with ageist comments also included negative references regarding the health of seniors, including remarks about mental well-being, memory and hearing. “There has been virtually no progress in


the volume of senior representation in the top-grossing fi lms in the past year,” Profes- sor Stacy Smith, director of the initiative, led the fi lm portion of the research, said in a report. “As Hollywood embraces represen- tation of other diverse groups, it’s impera- tive for aging Americans to be included in the industry’s focus on inclusion.” While she didn’t specifically say the


reason was stereotyped or condescending options, it’s notable that veteran actor Mi- chelle Pfeiff er recently told Vanity Fair she fi nds it increasingly diffi cult to fi nd acting jobs she is "excited" by.


10 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019


puter technology on a weekly basis, where on screen, only 41 percent of senior char- acters are shown engaging with technology. “As aging Americans continue to see


these inaccurate depictions of themselves onscreen, their view of life past the age of 60 may begin to feel scary or ominous,” Dr. Yolangel Hernandez-Suarez, vice president and chief medical offi cer, care delivery at Humana, stated in the report. “Our re- search shows that staying optimistic is vital to the perceived physical and mental health of seniors, and fi lms may be negatively im- pacting their health by portraying seniors in demeaning or inaccurate ways.”


Ticket to Success As Hollywood is following trends as much as it is creating them, it’s informative to look at who goes to the movie theater these days. The Motion Picture Association of America determined younger people in the United States are more likely to go to the movies than their counterparts over age 40. In 2017, the report found, the 25-39 age group over-indexed in tickets sold, accounting for


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