Episode 152: Young Breadwinner
/“I knew from the beginning that this was a fun thing to do but it was also a financial thing to do, and that I was helping my family access a better quality of life. And that above all is what made me happy. ”
Marie on location for a movie, early 1990s
Having her hair and make up done on set
My guest in this episode started working right around the time most of us started school.
Marie was just five years old when her acting work began supporting her entire family. She loved the work and while she never went to school, by the time she was 15 she was already an experienced professional.
But as she got older she noticed all the best parts were going to the boys, while the roles she was getting relied on her looks. Her dreams of continuing in acting were dashed when she realized what she was expected to do to get better parts.
Today she has a totally different career, but she’ll never forget what show business taught her - about professionalism, teamwork, and sexism.
You can also read a transcript of the show.
Further reading: The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has statistics about the numbers of women today who work in front of the camera and behind it.
The number of female protagonists in movies has gone up quite a lot in recent years. But behind the scenes where the real power lies, men still hold about 80 percent of positions - and that’s a big improvement.