Frances McDormand’s work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is one of the most memorable and critically acclaimed performances by the actress. The 2017 crime-drama film not only had an impressive cast, with actors like Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage, and Samara Weaving, but also had one of the most captivating and grabbing storylines. The film follows the story of Mildred Hayes, who after the death of her daughter, protests and challenges the law enforcers in her town to help get justice for her.
McDormand played the role of Hayes, something that is no easy task for any actor to play. She, however, did an excellent job at this, so much so that the actress was nominated for and won a number of accolades for this project, including winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. After all of this, it is interesting to find out that McDormand had to be convinced to play this role, being reluctant to accept due to her age.
Frances McDormand Did Not Want To Do This Role
Frances McDormand is one of the most inspiring and influential actresses in Hollywood. Not only through her work but also through her being extremely vocal about the issues that she cares deeply about. Due to this, it is extremely surprising to find out that the actress wasn’t all too sure about taking up the role of Mildred Hayes in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The actress talked about the reason for this at a TIFF press conference, via IndieWire, confessing that she was hesitant about taking this role due to her age.
“When I first read it, I loved it, I thought Mildred was amazing. I was very flattered, but then I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, I’m too old,’” she went on,“Because at the time he gave it to me I was 58…I was concerned that women from this socioeconomic strata did not wait until 38 to have their first child,”
McDormand revealed that she believed that she was too old to play the role of Hayes. The reason for this was the fact that she was 58 at the time, and she did not think that, with where the film was set, a woman like the character she was to play would wait till she was at the age of 38 to have a child. This was the reason why she initially rejected to be a part of this film when the director and writer of the film, Martin McDonagh, approached her with the script. McDonagh went on to reveal that he had no plan on how to proceed with this film if the actress had not changed her mind.
Why Did Frances McDormand Change Her Mind?
The question that arises now is what made Frances McDormand change her mind and decide to be a part of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The actress revealed during this press conference, according to IndieWire, it happened to be none other than her husband, Joel Coen, the widely respected film director, best known for works like Fargo and No Country for Old Men.
“So we went back and forth and we debated that quite for a while, and then finally my husband said, ‘Just shut up and do it.’”
She confessed that she was extremely perplexed about whether or not she should take up the role in Martin McDonagh’s film, as she had loved everything about it. Upon hearing his wife’s confusion, Coen ended up telling her, quite bluntly, that she should stop thinking about this so much and simply do the project.
Source: IndieWire
