Comediennes Talk Ageism in Hollwood

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton

“If you go where you’ve always been, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” Diane Keaton said last night at Orchestra Hall in Mpls, MN for the Smart Talk series.

Diane Keaton should know, she has been to a lot of places. From movie star and singer to photographer and real estate developer, Keaton has been everywhere.


Dorothy Dean Keaton Hall is on the fat left.

Keaton talked about her life travels, focusing on the rediscovery of her mother, Dorothy Dean Keaton Hall, through her mother’s journals. Using film clips of her mother, Keaton shared her insights with the audience.

Crediting her mother as the reason for her “luck” in life, Keaton traced her career backwards in time until she landed on the support and encouragement of her mother.

“My mother was the foundation for my convoluted belief to be a movie star.”


Annie Hall

The support she received from her mother has resulted in 36 movies, an Oscar, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards and numerous other awards and achievements.

“One of the most important people in a woman’s life is her mother.”


Diane Keaton with her son, Duke

Keaton also talked about her experiences with being a single mother, adopting her first child at the age of 50. Her advice for women thinking of motherhood later in life was, “Get help.”

Commenting on age discrimination and women becoming invisible with age, Keaton said she realized she was getting older when a man looked straight through her for the first time. It’s a realization that makes most women dress “age appropriate” and start accepting limitations, but not Diane Keaton. At 57 years old, Keaton’s nude scene in the film, “Something’s Gotta Give” proved that older woman can be sexy, and very, very visible! At the age of 60, she became the new face of Loreal, challenging the idea that only youth is beautiful.


The New Face of Loreal

The only question now is, where will Diane Keaton be when she’s 70? Someplace she’s never been.

Special and Invincible

(Best known as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, for which she received two Emmy Award Nominations, Phylicia Rashad is also the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for best leading Actress for “A Raisin in the Sun.” In 2009 she won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding Actress.)

by Stella Strout

Born on June 19^th 1948 in Texas, also known as Juneteenth, the day African-Americans were given Emancipation in Texas, Phylicia Rashad (then Allen) took comfort in the knowledge that she was special, after all, everyone in town celebrated on her birthday.

Poised and confident and beautiful, Rashad’s rich mellow voice commanded the attention of the hundreds of women attending the Smart Talk 2009 Series at the Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“The sun and the moon followed me wherever I went.” Rashad said of her childhood. It was another proof that she was special. Then one day, when climbing a tree as high as she could go, she fell. Landing in a lower branch, shaped like a hand, she was caught safely. Now she knew, not only was she special… she was invincible!

She and her siblings were encouraged to be creative and value education by their mother, Vivian Ayers. When the children sprinkled baby powder on the living room floor to go ice skating or scattered cornflakes on the porch so that the crunching noise would warn them of a possible intruder, their mother’s only response was, eyes raised to the ceiling, “Mercy.” She never discouraged their “inventions.”

Rashad spoke often of her mother’s advice and lessons throughout the evening. Art, Ayers had explained to her children, is fundamental to human development. Rashad found that it was also her gateway to freedom.

While in grade school, Rashad was chosen as Mistress of Ceremonies in a state school competition. On stage, she would stand in the spotlight and talk to the light, speaking her memorized lines. After the show she heard people talking about her, saying, “Look at that girl. She’s so beautiful.” It was exactly what Rashad wanted to hear.

 “When I grow up,” She decided, “I’ll be an actress and play in the light and be beautiful all the time.”

Rashad graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University and moved to New York City.

“Shaft was on every corner.” She said. “I was totally unprepared for the city.”

She lived at a YWCA and supported herself typing, a skill her mother taught her when she was just seven years old. Rashad started in community shows and was spotted for a part in “Young, Gifted and Black.” Soon after, Rashad took a part in a musical, and was let go before the show began. Special and invincible no longer applied.

“It felt like the ground disappeared beneath my feet.”

Instilled with a strong work ethic by her parents, Rashad got back to work, married and had a son. She was hired as an understudy in “Dream Girls” on Broadway.

“I saw my son in the morning and then in bed at night when I got home.” When she was passed over as a full time replacement, Rashad quit.

“I told him I wasn’t an understudy. I was a leading lady. He said, ‘You’re right.’ And I left.”

“Sometimes you think you made a wrong turn, but it turns out to be the right one.” She says about that period of her life. Divorced by then, she went on unemployment which gave her time with her son and a chance to rediscover him. Then, joining the cast of “One Life to Live” she could work days and see her son at night.

Soon after her father died, a crushing event for Rashad, she had the opportunity to audition for “The Cosby Show.” Her fame from this show would forever overshadow her other, numerous accomplishments. Rashad does not regret a minute of it and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity.

In 1985, Rashad married former NFL receiver Ahmad Rashad. By then she had two children and had a third child during this marriage. Although the marriage did not last, Rashad speaks of love.

“Love is a constant in life.” She explains, “Love has always been there and always will be. There isn’t a lot else that matters.”

Rashad’s love of her children, her spirituality and her mother’s advice carries her through life. She advises other mothers to “Bring your children everywhere with you. Find a way to make them part of your life.”

When asked what she would do differently in life, Rashad said she had only one regret, not pursuing piano lessons.

 [Go to SmartTalkWomen.com for more information about their 2009 series. Tickets are still available for  Diane Keaton on 5/21.]

Cancer Schmancer

(Best known for the award winning sitcom, “The Nanny,” Fran Drescher is also a two-time best selling author, a lobbyist for women’s health and is now serving as a US diplomatic envoy, and is president of the Cancer Schmancer Movement.)

by Stella Strout

“You have to put yourself first.” Fran Drescher explained to hundreds of women attending the Smart Talk 2009 series in Minneapolis, Minnesota last night. “You’re useless to your family if you’re 6 feet under.”

Drescher learned that lesson first hand when she was diagnosed with uterine cancer after two years of symptoms and eight doctors.

“I was in more stirrups than Will Rogers.” She said in her distinctive voice, with a twinkle in her eyes.

Why did it take so long for Drescher to get diagnosed? That’s what she wants to know, and she’s determined to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

“Turning pain into purpose…” She says about surviving cancer, “What you do with it and how you handle it makes all the difference.”

Making a difference is exactly what Drescher is doing. Writing her award winning book, “Cancer Schmancer” was her first step in turning pain into purpose, and that has grown into the Cancer Schmancer Movement, which is dedicated to ensuring that all women with cancer are diagnosed in Stage 1, when it is most curable.

“Always follow your instincts.” She says about women’s health, “Who knows better than you what’s good for you?” Stressing the need for woman to be proactive about their health, she advises writing down questions for your doctor, and then writing down the answers. Bring someone with you that will be strong and support you, and won’t make it about themselves.

Drescher also advises three key points all women should know.

1. Learn the early warning signs.

2. Look at your family history.

3. Know what tests are available.

Women can find this information (and more) on her Cancer Schmancer website.

When Drescher was asked who her role model was, she said she had three. One was her mother, who supported her and showed her how to be a strong woman by being one.

Another strong woman Drescher admires is her manager, Elaine Rich. The third is her therapist, who helped Drescher find herself and discover who she is.

Now, Fran Drescher is putting herself first, and helping more people than ever.

[Go to SmartTalkWomen.com for more information about their 2009 series. Tickets are still available for Phylicia Rashad on 4/21 and Diane Keaton on 5/21.]

What will Ann Bancroft's Second Act Be?

by Robin Sauerwein

“I get cold really easily.” Ann Bancroft admits with a big grin.

That’s a surprising confession coming from one of the world’s most renowned polar explorers. Yet that doesn’t mean it stops her from getting to where she’s going: making expeditions across the coldest regions of the planet. In fact, it is cold places like Antarctic that fill Bancroft with wonder and possibility.

“I love wide open spaces. It is a big place and it is so alive. It is both intimidating and daunting. You stand there like a little dot,” she said.

Ann Bancroft has changed a lot from her explorer self of 20 years ago when she first headed out on the ice as the only female member of the Steger International Polar Expedition in 1986. She’s continued to make a few headlines throughout the years: Bancroft was the first woman to cross the ice to both the north and south poles; in 1995 she was inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2001 an estimated 3 million children and adults followed Bancroft and fellow explorer, Liv Arneson of Norway become the first women to cross Antarctica.

Although no one had done it yet, the first expedition didn’t seem like a big deal to Bancroft.

“I had my head in the clouds when I was in my 30's,” she said. 

From that first expedition she learned about how much of a responsibility and privilege it was to go. That was how The Ann Bancroft Foundation, a non profit organization, dedicated to supporting girls and women realize their dreams, came about.

Today at 51, Bancroft is much more introspective, almost philosophical. The accumulation of life’s lessons and the priorities of what she knows to be really important have guided her. She is much more present to the unfolding of life than she was 20 years ago.

“I’m motivated because of my age now. I have never paid much attention to birthdays and age. There was something about turning 50 that was introspective for me. I was kind of excited about it. And this year I have been extremely aware of getting things done.”


“What’s my second act going to be about? If you want to get some things done in the world you have to stop yapping about it and go do it. It’s about legacy. It’s whittling down what your work really wants to be about and making decisions. I can’t do everything. I am being much more prudent about the things that I get involved with so I can actually make an impact,” she said.

One direction she has chosen to embark on is another polar expedition to the North Pole with co-explorer Liv Arneson in 2007.

A similar expedition in 2005 had to be abandoned due to political bureaucracy in Russia. This may be an opportunity in disguise for the two explorers.

2007 marks the International Polar Year. Not many people in the U.S. know about it but it is an important year for scientists and educators who will talk globally about environmental concerns like global warming around the Arctic, Antarctic and Greenland areas.

“It’s important for the two of us, the urgency of this trip, she said. “Enough to dust off my old cranky knees to go on this expedition.”

Along side this expedition, Exploring Cultural Conflicts: Journeys toward Peace, a K-12 curriculum, will help kids develop skills needed to resolve conflicts peacefully. The curriculum has been translated into several languages and will remain in the classrooms long after the expedition is over.

And thanks to technology, the explorers will have a large audience. Satellite phones and the internet will allow millions of kids the ability to experience the Arctic through the eyes and voices of Bancroft and Arneson.

“It is such a great teaching vehicle,” she said.

When Bancroft begins training for the expedition, part of her routine will be dragging three tires and a heavy sled behind her up and down hills along the St. Croix Valley. She says now that she is 51, it takes more time to get in shape. Gaining weight isn’t hard but warming up is harder.

A very boring yet necessary training exercise, it allows her to mentally prepare for the trip from making lists of the numerous details to creating plans on what she would do if she fell into the ocean.

The planning and mounting of the project is almost harder than the actual expedition.

“When Liv & I get on the ice we take a communal deep breath. Everything makes sense.” It’s what we know. It’s a great relief,” she said.

When Bancroft and Liv Arneson completed their 2001 historic crossing of Antarctic, women from all over the world wrote to them about how their expedition sparked their own expedition dreams. They were not too old. Antarctic resonated with these women.


“The people who write to us about their dreams are not outdoor people either. It’s a great metaphor for things they do. I can talk to any group. It’s about overcoming challenges, the barriers you create,” she said.

“The thing that’s most on my mind is the foundation and just what a privilege to have opportunity to use these trips to give back in ways that have nothing to do with the trip. I get so much back from it when I watch young girls get inspired to do their thing whatever that is. It’s taught me so much about the act of giving. You get so much more back, always. There is no exception to that rule in my experience.”

One of the activities The Ann Bancroft Foundation does is award mini grants to girls grades 6-10 to help them explore an interest and to help adolescent girls, who do not have an advocate for themselves. It’s all about self esteem.

As a teacher, Bancroft is quick to recognize other’s gifts. Risk is relevant to the risk taker. She insists she is not any better than the single mother of three or the corporate executive who is out doing her work.

“Everyone makes a difference. You make the most positive difference when you are fulfilled by following your dream. I put my best foot forward where I am doing what I love,” she said.

Ann said that women are quick to elevate others and often times discount their own achievements. Rather than compare her achievements to theirs, she believes that we are all contributing.

“We all contribute. Explorers are hopeful creatures by nature. Our trips are slow and long. That is true with all we do. When I was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame, I looked at all these pictures of women before me. If those women hadn’t done those things, I wouldn’t have got my stab at the pole. People broke down barriers for me. When we go forward and do things we are standing on a lot of shoulders and we will be stood upon. It brings us all along,” she said.

Life’s lessons have prepared Bancroft for the future. The experiences in her life are on a much deeper level; from the kids who will follow them on their expedition to enjoying her co-explorer, Liv everyday, to laughing as much as she can. It’s about enjoying life.

Bancroft laughs a lot about her age. She recalled one night during the 2001 expedition when they were in their tent and needed to read a number off a card for the satellite phone. They couldn’t see it because the numbers were too small.


“We were sitting in tent one night and it was so cold. We had our glasses on but in a tent that’s 50 below zero they instantly frost up and fog up and you keep clearing it but they keep fogging up. I said we are so pathetic there’s a hundred years between us and we can’t read the card to make a phone call. We would just crack up every night about something that had to do with our ailing bodies not cooperating,” she said.

“Life is so reflective to the expedition. People always say, ‘why you always say it is fun.’ Fun doesn’t mean that it’s not hard. Actualizing a dream doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult. Expeditions are filled with what Liv calls a salad of emotions. You can go from tears of despair to absolute knee slapping laughter depending on what the other person is doing. Feeling so good one day about your body and that it’s working and the next day you feel horrible. It doesn’t mean that life is easy necessarily everyday. It’s not simplistic in that way. I guess I do enjoy embracing the salad,” she said.

Another lesson she’s learned recently on aging was while she was on a canoe trip with her mother. She realized that her mother couldn’t carry the same weight she used to carry on their traditional trips. The importance of experiencing the trip together was far more important than anything else. With age comes a certain type of honesty that she has learned to face about herself.

“I don’t want to be one of those stubborn people who says don’t help me.” Although Bancroft footnotes this by admitting that she _is_ stubborn and that she will probably have to work on it. But as she ages, she says, the older self must adjust so that, “The quality of life follows me. It takes grace.”

Although she never says never about doing another expedition after 2007, her future work may take on a new shape and form.

“Maybe I become the elder who comes home and finds a new venue to share those stories and lessons,” she said. She also admits to being quite a homebody and would like to spend time with her family. But whatever path she takes, she will always be involved in teaching.

“I understand now why my older friends say it’s so fun getting older. I get it. I ‘m all smiles about it, she says and adds, “Not always about my sore joints but the quality of life is so great.”

(Publishing source, "Best of Times")