Funny Ladies© Amanda Cuda
Mar 18, 2001
Comedy actors are probably the least respected of all movie stars. It seems that making people isn't deemed as worthy a feat as delivering a dramatic, tear-drenched speech.
Take poor Jim Carrey for example. He's so associated with goofy comedy that even award-begging "serious" performances in "The Truman Show" and "Man On The Moon" didn't win him Oscar recognition (although both performances garnered Golden Globes - which are far friendlier to comedic performers and actually have separate categories for comedic and dramatic acting).
But at least male movie stars can build a body of work out of comedic roles. Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray and others have gotten steady work in comedies. But few women do more than a couple of comedy roles in their career.
Try and think of film modern actresses who have built their entire careers around being funny. Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn - I don't know about you, but I can't really think of any more.
Actresses have a hard enough time being taken seriously in still male-dominated field. But if they happen to make their living making others laugh, they run the risk of being totally written off.
Look at Meryl Streep. Though she has a background in comedy acting, its her foreign-accented tear-stained roles in movies like "Sophie's Choice" and "A Cry In the Dark" that win her recognition from her peers.
The sharpest example is Cameron Diaz. She's done admirable work in both "There's Something About Mary" and "Being John Malkovich," but because her work isn't "serious" she gets little recognition from her peers.
When a woman - or anyone for that matter - actually does get serious attention for a comedic role (like Gwyneth Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love") it's for something with highbrow undertones.
It seems Hollywood just doesn't know what to do with beautiful, funny women.
Maybe it's because people think it's easy to be charismatic and charming when you're as beautiful as Cameron Diaz. What they don't take into account is the bravery some of these roles require. In "Mary," Diaz handles a number of gross-out gags with a grace that would stymie a lesser actress. In "Malkovich," she dons a frizzy brown wig and surrounds herself with animals without appearing the least bit silly.
Streep's handful of comedies also take as much guts and presence as the dramas that have made her famous. Who else could pull off some of the silly gags in "Death Becomes Her," such as walking around with her head on backwards or camping her way through an overblown musical number?
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