Instead, she wants to feel authentic when she gets on stage this weekend to play a woman with ovarian cancer. She both produces and plays the lead role of Vivian Bearing in "Wit," Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play being performed this weekend by DuckEars Theater Company as a benefit for the American Cancer Society.Women shaving their head for a role is not very common, but it does have precedent. Glenda Jackson famously shaved her head to play the role of Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC series Elizabeth R.
"I never considered not shaving my head. I was afraid if it didn't look completely natural, I'd lose the audience; they'd be paying attention to the fact I was wearing a skullcap. I wanted them to take the journey with me," she said.
Still, a woman shaving her head is still very rare, and it's considered a much greater sacrifice than if a man would shave his head for a role (for instance, Michael Rosenbaum).
1 comment:
How about women who do it for something even bigger then some role in a play or movie.
Just over two years ago now, I shaved my head with 14 of my male colleagues to help raise money for cancer in honour of one colleagues 6 year old nephew who had been living and fighting brain cancer his whole non infant life.
I was the only woman in our department to do it, and in an organization of over 14000 employees I was the only woman to have a shaved head. I've kept it and since then three more employees have done it for a one time thing.
I continue to keep my head shaved because I love everything about it, how people react to it (good and bad) and how it makes me a stronger and more beautiful person.
The irony is, two months ago I was diagnosed with Stage 2b Breast Cancer, for which I am undergoing radiation treatment now.
Post a Comment