Judy Greer has said that Hollywood is not accommodating to women going through perimenopause, citing a “fear about ageing in the business”. The 50-year-old actor, known for her roles in 13 Going on 30, spoke to The i about her own experiences with symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats and low mood in 2021 due to declining oestrogen and progesterone levels.
Greer said that despite much talk about inclusivity, the film industry often falls short. “I don’t feel like Hollywood is in general accommodating to anything that is not… financially lucrative right now,” she explained. “I think that there is still a lot of fear about ageing in the business.” The actor, who frequently played best friend roles in romantic comedies early in her career, noted that she now prefers playing “women my age, who really do something”.
Greer will next appear in the thriller Dead of Winter alongside Emma Thompson, who is 66. In the film, Greer plays a kidnapper who takes a young woman hostage and is discovered by a grief-stricken widow, portrayed by Thompson, at a remote cabin in snowy Minnesota. Greer described Thompson as “probably the greatest actor” she could have hoped to work with, adding that she was warm and welcoming off set.
Thompson has been a vocal advocate for menopause awareness. In 2023, she called for the menopause to become a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, telling LBC’s Andrew Marr that more must be done to support women. “The fact of the matter is, what women need or want, or need protection from, or desire has never been at the top of anyone's agenda in any country, in any part of the world until very recently,” she said at the time.
