Julianne Moore Thinks It’s Way Sexist That You Would Ask Her About Her Parenting
Celeb ladies who happen to be mommies get pretty much asked the same questions in interviews — most of which are variations on these two inquiries 1). Aren’t you panicked as shit about aging? 2). What’s it like to be a mommy? Luckily, Julianne Moore recognizes how lame it is to repeatedly ask actresses about these same novel topics.
The mother of two and damn good actress appears in DuJour sprawled all over various printed fabrics (like you do). The profile is pretty conventional as the reporter lunches with Moore, gabbing about her stint in the movie biz — that is, until the questions get too conventional:
In person, Moore comes across as both warm and no-nonsense””her responses to several of my questions betray a very low-key frustration with the kinds of questions she’s always asked, but she’s genial nevertheless. “Do we have to talk about parenthood?” she wonders, after I push her to elaborate. “I don’t mind, but I do think it’s an extremely profound experience, something that’s difficult to encapsulate in a single interview.”
And it doesn’t just end with Moore refusing to distill motherhood into fluffy sound bites either:
Later, she worries that queries about parenting and getting older might be inherently sexist, regardless of intent. “Men aren’t asked about age,” she points out. “Men aren’t asked about their children. Not that these things aren’t important, but I do feel like it becomes reductive,” she says, returning to the same (not particularly common) word that she used earlier in our conversation, “when a woman’s life becomes, ‘Talk to me about your kids and how you feel about plastic surgery.’”‰”
“Reductive,” derogatory, and flat out offensive. Especially if you’re flippin’ Julianne Moore and have an actual career with actual acting talent. How insulting to be one of the most celebrated actresses this side of Meryl Streep’s career and still have to field questions about your latest facelift or how you manage to “have it all.”
(photo: Joe Alvarez/ WENN)
