What did you miss?
Joely Richardson has said she could not find an agent who wanted to take her on after she turned 50, despite her years of success and Golden Globe nominations.
The Nip/Tuck star can currently be seen in streaming series One Day, The Gentlemen and the forthcoming Renegade Nell, but said it had been a long battle to make her way back into an ageist industry.
Richardson also offered This Morning host Ben Shephard her advice on turning 50, saying: “It’s about being free.”
What, how and why?
Richardson is barely off TV at the moment, with roles in series One Day, The Gentlemen and Renegade Nell.
But despite her hugely successful career, which has included two best actress Golden Globe nominations for the US series Nip/Tuck, she admitted that she found “zero people wanted a woman over 50” when she had to look for a new agent.
Appearing on Tuesday’s This Morning, hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley asked her why she had been left questioning her place in the acting industry in recent years.
“My agent that I’d worked with for many years, she retired young to be with her mum and so I went to get another agent, and it was like, no one wanted me,” she said.
“So even though I’d had Golden Globe nominations, zero people wanted a woman over 50.”
Explaining how she had fought her way back in, Richardson said: “My new agent, we just started finding little ins wherever we could, doing The Sandman, Lady Chatterley playing the northern housekeeper Mrs Bolton, just trying to get through the door so people would consider me for roles. Then they started to come.”
What else did Joely Richardson say on This Morning?
Richardson will turn 60 in January and offered Shephard some words of advice on how to navigate his 50th birthday when it comes around in December.
She told him: “Enjoy 49, and what I say about 50 is 50 is like a thing to get your head around, but the minute you’re over that day you’ll settle into it and you’ll realise you’re free. That’s what the last third, I call it, of my life is about, it’s about being free.
“Less worried about what people think of you, what should I be doing, what is success, you just get to be you.”
This Morning airs on ITV at 10am on weekdays.
Read more: Joely Richardson
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
