Despite all the advancements society is making, there remains a pressure on women to appear to want to get married and have children. And for women who don't, many suspect they'll come to regret it.
Which is why we absolutely love Patricia Clarkson's unapologetic and instantly iconic response to this.
Patricia Clarkson has had a long and esteemed career on stage and screen.
From picking up Oscar nominations for 2003’s Pieces of April to winning the Golden Globe for HBO’s Sharp Objects (not to mention winning three Emmys along the way and being nominated for Tony awards), it’s easy to see that acting has certainly worked out for the Dogville star.
However, the Easy A actress has revealed in a new interview on Bruce Bozzi’s Table for Two podcast that she would’ve been fine failing as an actress, she just wouldn’t have liked to have failed as a parent - but that's just part of the reason why she rejected the whole 'marriage and babies' route.
In a refreshingly candid chat, Patricia opened up on the “big choice” she made to focus on her career in the arts and how it informed her decision to never get married or have children.
She revealed, “I'm fine failing as an actor. I didn't want to fail at being a parent.”
Adding, “I have so many sisters who have beautiful children, and they now have beautiful children. I love being an aunt, I love it more than - probably more than acting, which is odd. They’re on par. But I’m telling you, these are gorgeous children, but that doesn’t have to define every woman.”
“I had a window to have a child, but [at] the end of the day I loved working, and I grew up with great parents who sacrificed everything for me,” she added.
“And you have to really be committed to having children. You have to be a great parent, and I was afraid I couldn't be.”
While we can’t help but love the House of Cards star’s candour on quite a taboo subject, nothing could have prepared us for the absolutely iconic line she would add later in the interview.
Challenging any old-fashioned myths that women who refuse to have children or marry will end up regretting it, Patricia uttered an immediately legendary retort.
She explained, “My mother said, ‘Patty, I just don't want you to wake up at 50 and be unhappy.’” Instead, she “woke up at 50 in stilettos and a thong. I’ve had a great sexy-ass life.”
We bow down.
Patricia isn’t the only star to confront the topic of women choosing to stay single or not have children recently. Legendary actress Diane Keaton shared her powerful reasons for never getting married.
In a series of questions for Interview Magazine, Diane shared, “It goes back to my mother, because, for me, most everything does. I love my dad, of course—that goes without saying—but she was always there, and he was always working. He was working hard, and he was really interesting.”
“She had four kids, and I was the firstborn. I saw how much she gave up. I mentioned watching her get that crowning glory and being Mrs. Highland Park. After that, we moved down to Santa Ana, and it was over. There was no more trying things out. I feel like she chose family over her dreams. And she was just the best mother, but I think that she is the reason why I didn’t get married.”
