In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Maggie Gyllenhaal talked about her rejections for casting roles in the past. Gyllenhaal shared all the negative criticisms casting agents had told her.
During a roundtable, the 37-year-old actress was sarcastically asked if she ever considered quitting acting. The actress recalled that she received plenty of ‘NOs’ during casting calls. Gyllenhall admitted that even today, she still gets that answer despite her success in Hollywood.
“When I was starting out, I used to hear ‘no’ a lot and still do,” said Gyllenhaal.
The worst lines that Gyllenhaal has admitted to hearing were ‘you’re not sexy enough’ and ‘you’re not pretty enough’.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Lange & Drama Actress A-List Tackles Race, Aging in Hollywood: http://t.co/mYXMnMikoB pic.twitter.com/TRRkQoCNgH
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 11, 2015
Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, Drama Actress A-List Tackles Race, Sexism, Aging in Hollywood: http://t.co/V7zQ1HYVru pic.twitter.com/TyezPnZEhR
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 11, 2015
“When I was really young, I auditioned for this really bad movie with vampires. I wore a dress to the audition that I thought was really hot. Then I was told I wasn’t hot enough,” added Gyllenhaal.
One person on the roundtable panel, Empire’s Taraji P. Henson, seconded the actress’s statement saying that she too had been told the same things before.
Gyllenhaal said she tried even harder to appear sexy at auditions after being told by her manager to “sex it up a little bit.” The actress then wore leather pants and a pink leopard top during another audition but she still failed to get the role.
“After that, I was like, OK, f*ck this!,” she exasperated.
Apart from being rejected due to her looks, Gyllenhaal has also been denied roles due to her age. She revealed that at age 37, she was rejected as being too old to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man.
The actress justified that she never bought and will never buy into the plastic surgery tradition in Hollywood.
“I wanted to show what a woman my age really looks like. I am much more turned on when I see people’s bodies that look like bodies I recognize,” said Gyllenhaal.
Sadly, other actresses at the same roundtable, such as Jessica Lange and Ruth Wilson, related to Gyllenhaal’s experiences.
My kind of ladies… pic.twitter.com/PhncWwwXix
— Maggie Gyllenhaal (@mgyllenhaal) June 10, 2015