So, there’s this very weird tale circulating of Melissa Leo bankrolling her own promotional ads in advance of the Oscars, presumably to sway voters into giving her the statuette. Lainey Gossip correctly notes that this is a very bizarre thing to do when you have won every single lead-up award and are the heavy favorite for Oscar; it’s not like she is jumping up and down in the back of the class, desperate for her hand to be seen because she has the answer to the question. When Deadline Hollywood Daily reported it, the site included quotes from Leo about how the ad is really just purely promoting Melissa Leo, The Actress, claiming she can’t land a magazine cover because this town is ageist (which she calls “the great dilemma and mystery of getting a cover of a magazine”). So either she did it as an Oscar campaign she may not need, or suddenly Melissa Leo is randomly and inexplicably all about being a cover girl (as opposed to a CoverGirl, although maybe that’s on the agenda too), which, considering she didn’t even wear decent makeup on the red carpet as recently as The Fighter‘s December premiere, is really out of whack with my perception of her.
Regardless, if she is going to go to all that trouble to say whatever the hell it is that she’s trying to say, here is my question:
Shouldn’t she have considered using a better photo? Melissa Leo is a good-looking woman, but in this photo she looks more like a melange of peculiarities than a cohesive whole. I mean, for one thing, she seems to have Shannen Doherty Face. Not that there’s anything wrong with Brenda Walsh’s looks — I love her — but the famous, pronounced asymmetry of her features is not really something I’ve ever associated with Melissa here. She looks neither like the pre-makeup earthy Melissa, nor the revitalized hottie from the Globes red carpet. This in-between nether world is just Painted Actress of A Certain Age, One Of Whose Eyes Might Be Sliding Down Her Face, Is Going To Jump Out Of This Magazine And Peck You To Death If You Don’t Consider Her. And does she really need to try this hard? She’s about to be an Oscar-winner. She works a ton. I’m assuming even if she loses the Oscar, winning everything else is going to get her some work. But now someone might look at this and think, “Oh, that’s the CONSIDER lady. I think maybe I’ll CONSIDER calling someone else.” I hope not, for her sake, but … seriously, Melissa, have someone else pick the photo next time.
Comments (32):
I seriously thought this was a picture of Melissa Gilbert.
All it’s making me consider is what the heck happened to her arms.
Oh, my!! This is HEINOUS! She looks like an armless velociraptor! Or a head stuck on some random, amorphous shape. She doesn’t look human.
This whole thing made me so sad. On one hand, I totally get the injustice of having her be ignored in favor of, say, Mila Kunis who is EVERYWHERE. And it does suck that she didn’t get the recognition she deserved at the age Mila Kunis is now. But at the same time, she’s Melissa Leo. She made her name after the age of 40, which is practically unheard of in this industry. I kind of expect her to be above the game.
Also, why is she standing like she really has to pee and where are her arms?
What becomes a legend most? Not this pose.
Laughed at loud at the pecking comment, because it is both really funny and really true. Love Melissa Leo, but this pic is not the most flattering. (or fluttering. Cue Looney Tunes Foghorn Leghorn chicken yard music. It’s in my head already)
I think she looks different from when she was on Homicide:Life on the Streets.(And not just older) I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s too much makeup. She usually looks so gritty – this seems like a mistake.
Ding! Lindy nailed it.
An armless velociraptor.
And just for the record, Mila Kunis is highly overrated.
somebody shoot that photographer!
Admittedly, this picture is terrible and not a good representation of Melissa Leo. At the same time, though, I don’t think that self-promotion is a bad idea in this case. Whether or not she has been winning the awards that she was nominated for, she has clearly not been getting the visibility or attention that is typical of actresses who are up for an Oscar. The media machines are ageist…we should use this example to talk about that issue (the lack of visibility of women of a certain age in Hollywood) and not slam those who are trying to battle it.
I think it’s kind of awesome, because I feel like it has to be some sort of art project or statement (besides “I want to be on a cover!”).
I am literally cracking up at the “armless velociraptor” comment because it’s 100% true!
I get the point of the ad, but this reeks of trying too hard. She’s all up in your face with this “Don’t you want me?!?!” expression.
And the reasoning makes no sense to me; because she isn’t on magazine covers? Isn’t it more important to be nominated for the slew of awards than be featured on a cheesy cover alongside sex and beauty secrets?
Lainey also has another photo of her in a full-length white fur. Why fur?? Are they remaking Sunset Boulevard and that’s what she wants to be considered for?
Weird, I thought Lea Thompson.
Melissa WHO? What has she cut her teeth on?
Oh, honey, no.
I feel like this ad is her campaign to be the next Susan Sarandon, who is a famous over-40 hotty who (occasionally) gets covers. And yes, Melissa Leo, it is hard to do that and that’s not fair blah blah blah. But you know what? It’s also hard to be a working actress. Period. She’s worked her but off and is clearly very talented, but there are also tons of talented actrasses who just never quite get there. So to be in this enviable position where she is the front-runner for an Oscar, and have a steady income, and then be like “Poo! Why don’t people think of me as a sexy galmourpuss who may/may not be dating a ping-pong star? I COULD be that.” is pretty lame. You know who else doesn’t get a lot of covers? Meryl Streep. Cause that just ain’t what she’s known for, thank god.
And, more to the point, if she is GOING to go there, which is pretty dissapointing to begin with, for the love of necks and arms, pick a different photo.
She looks like Krystal Carrington’s busted up long lost half-sister.
Aside from the bad hair and makeup – big head, little (crooked) body, no arms, missing torso area, looks like she’s doing a potty dance.
I was disappointed in her for this, but then yesterday I read a story about how she agreed to star in a college student’s thesis film, and when she heard his parents disowned him for being gay, she invited him to move in with her in LA so he could work and she’s taking him as her date to the Oscars. So yeah, bit of a mistep, but she’s too awesome to be mean to. Which is rare for me to say. Also, I don’t think the point of this was to get her more magazine covers, but to draw attention to all women in her situation, more talented and interesting than all these twats the rest of the world worships and who get so little recognition. She’s not wrong. Just, maybe not this way. Or this photo.
Besides looking like an armless velociraptor (lol), it almost looks to me like she’s trying to do that thing that younger women do where they lean over really far so that you get a REALLY good view of their cleavage. Which, even on a younger woman usually looks trashy, at her age….
Oh, honey, No…
why aren’t the producers of The Fighter taking out ads on her behalf? I thought that was common to do and since she’s been winning awards it seems odd that they wouldn’t have taken ads out for her int he first place…very weird all around
Yeah, the image is pretty try hard. And nice Blackglama reference, Alix. Separately, if you’re goal is self promotion, perhaps choose a photo within which you’re recognizable as, you know, YOURSELF. Without the text, I wouldn’t have have immediately thought “Melissa Leo” and I’ve been aware of Melissa Leo, Actress since 1988.
She looks like she’s about to take part in the Over 40s Disco Speed Skate at the local Roll-a-Rena. (Imagine someone saying “On your marks!”)
Shame for her really because her point is perfectly valid.
Love her and kudos for not being injected, stretched and plumped to the nth degree. But I hardly recognize her with all the makeup, isn’t there a happy medium between this and the roles she’s known for? I also can’t blame her for wanting recognition for her work.
Did anyone else think of Jackie Collins’ “Hollywood Wives” when they saw this? SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER The whole “Who is Ross Conti/Buddy Hudson” plotline? (for those who haven’t read it, there was a Hollywood agent who got 2 unknown actors famous by putting up billboards of them with the line “Who is. . .” I wonder if Melissa Leo is a Jackie Collins fan? I really need to dig out that book and read it again, come to think of it. . .
Is she trying to mimic the silhouette of an oscar statue??
Did you see the other ad she ran? It’s her at like Hearst castle standing by a pool. She’s wearing a full length white “faux fur” coat. Essentially she looks like the White Witch from Narnia. Do not run brag ads of yourself period, but if you are, try not to do a Sunset Boulevard/Baby Jane/I’m a desperate aging actress caricature.
This isn’t so surprising if you have heard any of the numerous interviews she’s given about how she is WAY too young to be the mom in The Fighter but the part was just so great and the director really wanted her yadda yadda yadda.
She wants to make sure we know that she is no Louise Fletcher. Pretty sad, understandable, and likely to backfire. Reminds me of the Carherine O’Hara character in that Christopher Guest movie about the Oscars.
does she really need magazine covers? her name is gold. she’ll work for as long as she wants to. there was no need to resort to advertisements that seem to be advertising someone completely different and less attractive than herself. so if i may channel my inner grandma – please, put your chichis away and stand up straight and take that crap off your face.
I’m late to the party w/my comment but. . .
I loved her in Frozen River,never realy recgnized her from anything else until now. Her ad worked for me in that way of recognizing her and realizing she’s been in more stuff. She’s kind of right about the age issues. I recall other celebs taking out ads before too.
@ Kate … really? that is so amazing of her, i need to look it up and share that story somehow