Being in showbiz opens up a person to all sorts of critiques. It’s not uncommon for viewers to judge an actor or actress for being too old to play certain roles. That being said, the entertainment industry may seem more cruel to actresses in that way. Actors who are in their 40’s can still be casted as leading men, while opportunities for actresses of the same age tend to fall in supporting roles such as mothers or aunts whereas those who get the leading role may not be so well-received.
The 39-year-old Joe Chen plays the heroine in Queen Dugu, but she also failed to escape criticism from those who thought she was too old for the part.
Joe Chen admits that the comments she read on Weibo were both ridiculous and sad. She asks, “Since when did it begin? Oriental women are viewed only from the perspective of whether they are youthful or not.”
She says that regardless of age, whether a girl or a woman, females should be appreciated, and at times, even protected. With the harsh words Joe has seen, she didn’t see anyone being gentlemanly and neither does she expect anything more even from women as we now live in a society with skin deep values. She ultimately says that women like her need to love themselves since we live in a malicious world.
In Queen Dugu, Joe Chen plays a strong and determined young woman named Dugu Jialuo. Realistically though, the character matures even until after she is coronated queen. Joe Chen is certainly not the first and last actress to speak gender inequality in showbiz.
Recently, the Medical Examiner Dr. Qin star Jiao Junyan said hat a 30-year-old actress auditioning could be likened to choosing from vegetable. There are those that would grumble that it’s too old and no longer fresh.
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Anonymous
She might have gotten criticized because her age is far from the real age of the character. I never used to be a fan of hers years ago at her prime but she's grown on me. Thanks for the news
Zhilie
39 old casted as 16 old girl obviously ridiculous. Eventhough i always like joe chen's acting i still feel annoyed with queen dugu… be honest… camera and make up cant cover her age.
jiminie
I do agree that Joe Chen is a bit too old for her character but I don't see anything wrong with being casted in role like hers in Queen Dugu. A good actress can always pull off anything really well. I just feel like the costume and makeup in the drama wasn't really a good fit for her that's why she looks too old for her character.
Anonymous
It better than having new actor/actress that can't even act!
Anonymous
They make these comments about every actress over 30 really. Anyway the problem is that the storyline spans from the time her character is age 13 to her 40's. So who are they suppose to cast? A young actress just can't pull off a mature and wise Queen with 10 kids.
Maysharon
She doesn't look like 39 at all.she doesn't even change for these years???