Jutta Speidel, Michaela May + Gisela Schneeberger
“First mother, then grandma or dementia”
Jutta Speidel and Michaela May
© Dominik Bindl / Getty Images
The actresses Jutta Speidel, Michaela May and Gisela Schneeberger criticized their offers for German television in an interview. On the other hand, they want more complex roles, such as those played by Meryl Streep in Hollywood.
They are an integral part of German television. But Jutta Speidel, 69, Michaela May, 71, and Gisela Schneeberger, 75, are tired of being restricted to certain roles. In an interview, the actresses heavily criticized the offers for older women in film and TV.
Michaela May: “The image of women on television is underground”
“The image of women on television is subterranean,” states May in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” magazine, quoted by “Spiegel Online”. “These can’t be the only roles for a woman – first mother, then grandmother or someone with dementia.” Broadcasters, editors and producers are wrong to focus on stories about young people. While older men would figure prominently, women would be reduced to certain roles: that of the abandoned wife or that of the grandmother. However, this does not reflect the interest of the viewers, according to the accusation.
Gisela Schneeberger also joins the criticism.
© Sebastian Widmann / Getty Images
Jutta Speidel: “They obviously don’t know any old women”
“I talk to so many women, from all backgrounds, in the city, in the country,” says Schneeberger and says honestly: “They also think that what film and television have to offer for our age is banal shit.” According to her colleague Speidel, the responsibility lies with the television editors and directors and film funding. “They obviously don’t know any old women – and if they do, they’ve never really listened to them,” she says.
In contrast, things are now more progressive in Hollywood, agree Jutta Speidel, Michaela May and Gisela Schneeberger. Role models there are the roles that actresses like Meryl Streep, 74, Frances McDormand, 66, or Judi Dench, 89, are likely to play. Germany still has a lot of catching up to do.
Source used: sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de, spiegel.de,