George Clooney Sets the Silver Standard for Men in Hollywood
George Clooney sets the standard for aging men in Hollywood. (Photo: Getty Images)
In a world that seems obsessed with hanging onto youth until it’s ripped from our cold, dead hands, it’s refreshing to see someone in Hollywood buck that standard. In one corner, we have many in the entertainment industry embracing every means of looking like the youngest version of themselves possible, and in the other we have George Clooney, the world’s most amazing silver fox, comfortably aging like a fine wine.
While promoting his new movie, Tomorrowland, the 54-year-old actor told BBC Radio that he just couldn’t fathom altering his now-famous salt and pepper hair. “I don’t think it would make much sense,” said the actor. “I’ve seen it happen, and particularly on men I don’t think it works very well. I think it actually makes you look older. I’m a big believer in the idea that you can’t try to look younger — you can just try to look the best you can at the age you are.”
Without naming names, some quite obvious faces might pop into your mind, and it brings to light that it’s not only Hollywood’s female population that has to fight the stigma of aging — although the bias against older women in entertainment is legendary. Maggie Gyllenhaal admitted in a recent interview with The Wrap that she was told she was too old to pay the lover of a 55-year-old actor at the age of 37. Actresses like Meryl Streep, along with Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, and Patricia Arquette in Amy Schumer’s viral video (NSFW), have famously spoken out about the negative perception of women getting older under the bright lights of Tinseltown. Sure, men like Clooney still feel some pressure, but it’s not quite evenly distributed among the sexes throughout the industry.
There is some good news when it comes to Hollywood and embracing getting older. With others like Liam Neeson and Russell Crowe joining Clooney’s club and aging gracefully while retaining leading-man status, will others follow? Do we get to watch Brad Pitt and Matt Damon follow their friend’s lead and go gently into that silver-haired good night? Only time will tell, but we’ll vouch for one thing: The most attractive thing about a man isn’t his hair color but his confidence, and Clooney has that in spades. We can only hope others will follow his lead.
Related:
Patricia Arquette on Aging Naturally and “Boyhood” [Video]
