SALON

Friday, Mar 1, 2013 4:58 PM UTC

Tina Fey: She’s on everyone’s A-list, including Hollywood’s

Post-"30 Rock," you'd think 42-year-old Tina Fey would return to the writers room. Instead she's a leading lady

By

Topics: Tina Fey, 30 Rock, Admission, Paul Rudd, Seth MacFarlane, Golden Globes, Hollywood, letterman, Feminism, Zooey Deschanel, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham,

Tina Fey: She's on everyone's A-list, including Hollywood'sTina Fey (Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

A wise woman once said that women in comedy are labeled “crazy” after a certain age. In a land of “Hangover” franchises and comic book blockbusters, a female on the verge of 43 is not often considered a hot commodity. One whose television series has recently ended would generally be considered a tough sell, lucky to get a steady gig as the flustered mom on another, lesser sitcom, or supporting roles as the wisecracking co-worker in a string of forgettable chick movies. She would not be regarded in savior-like terms. That is, unless she happened to be Tina Fey — that same woman who said that line about being labeled crazy.

Weeks after “30 Rock” pulled off one of the most memorably satisfying finales in TV history, Tina Fey could easily have slipped into quiet Hollywood middle age by moving more directly into screenwriting and producing. Instead, she is somehow emerging as a more viable, more flat-out necessary star than ever. This month, she’s the leading lady in a romantic comedy with über-dreamboat Paul Rudd. Earlier this week, the Hollywood Reporter pegged her as a likely co-star for Jason Bateman in the big-screen adaptation of “This Is Where I Leave You.” She’s in Europe right now, shooting the new Muppets movie. She is the glossy, gorgeous star of hair-care ads AND a Mark Twain Prize winner AND a best-selling author AND, by her own description, a “stone cold bitch.” She has had a crazy successful past few years, but the astonishing thing is that, post-”30 Rock,” she looks like she’s just getting warmed up.

At a moment in a Hollywood career when a woman is often relegated to what a character in “The First Wives Club” referred to as the “district attorney” phase, Fey has never looked more like a full-on, A-list leading lady. When our Oscars hosts are looking like, to coin a phrase, total boobs, Golden Globes co-host Fey, in contrast, proved herself gracefully both likable and acerbic. Her ad-libbed “Congratulations, Lena, I’m glad we got you through middle school” after losing to the “Girls” star was the apex of hostly perfection, biting yet charming. And as we find ourselves still exhaustedly having to explain why one might take offense at calling a child a vulgar term for the female genitalia, let us pause now to praise the woman who successfully built an entire half-hour episode of a prime-time comedy around that same word.

An essay in vagendamag earlier this week rightly pointed out that male satirists are never called out for not taking their politics seriously enough. In contrast, a woman who is funny is often viewed as a threat to The Cause — while a woman who is pissed off is regarded as your basic humorless buzzkill. Yet Fey effortlessly rises above it all, a graceful Godzilla of entertainment – a stunningly beautiful leading lady, affable mom who shows up on “Sesame Street,” a woman who can make a joke about rape kits.

On “Letterman” this week, Fey showed just how powerful she is right now by groaning at the very notion of taking on the seemingly enviable job of hosting the Oscars – because that would cramp her sweatpants-wearing style. The Oscars? Who needs ‘em? Not Tina and her Snuggie. She said this, by the way, while wearing a sparkly, perfect black dress. It’s kind of like how she has no TV show and says she’s going to spend more time with her family, while currently being one of the most marketable stars in show business right now.

She can write her own ticket, in large part because she’s so supernaturally talented. But to all those who say that chicks can’t open a movie, or chicks aren’t funny, or chicks being political is so not hot, somehow this little missy is sitting right at the top of the heap being all of those things. And when you look at the success of a whole lot of other unconventional women like Mindy Kaling, feminist in a Peter Pan collar Zooey Deschanel, Oscar winner and stair-tripper Jennifer Lawrence, it’s easy to see all the ways in which that brash, smart, take-and-like-it-nerds Fey attitude helped pave their path. And when vagendamag urges women to stand up and say, “I am sexy, I am funny, and I am a fucking feminist,” Tina Fey’s already doing it. For a living. And we couldn’t love her for it any more than we do right now.

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 19 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
526 points527 points | 26 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
438 points439 points | 32 comments
vote
Yes, there is a better search engine (1998)
102 points103 points | 32 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
93 points94 points | 33 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
96 points97 points | 9 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows