Years ago I met Melissa Silverstein and was so impressed with her website – Women & Hollywood – I signed up straight away. 

What got me so excited? 

As a movie fan, I’ve been curious about how women’s roles in blockbuster movies have changed in recent years (a couple of decades actually).  For the most part, the strong leading female roles portrayed by Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep to name a few have been outweighed by women playing more disposable roles: the ingenue, the sidekick, the love interest.  On the one hand, this has meant more roles for women in film and who can complain about that.  But, there are many other roles that exist, we just don’t hear much about them in the mainstream media! 

To find more ‘meat-y’ female film roles in film (in front as well as behind the camera), we need a guide.  Melissa’s website — Women & Hollywood — is an impeccable source!  Check it out and sign up to receive her weekly updates!

Speaking of leading women, I came across this top twenty list of female actors.  What do you think?