Anne-Marie Johnson Tackles Ageism and Relevance with The Addiction of Hope

 

Every actress reaches a moment in their career where the phone doesn’t ring, the opportunities and respect from the industry begin to dwindle, motivation from your team skeets right out the door with no apology or warning. At the Equity Lounge in New York on 46th Street, there were two seasoned actresses who I recall excitedly sharing how they were getting ready for pilot season or combing the boards for the next EPA (Equity Principal Audition).  Witnessing their addiction to hope as a college grad was inspirational.  Their unwavering belief that the next audition or gig was right around the corner was an emotion I had yet to experience.  As we age in this business, one reflects on all the weddings, birthdays, bridal showers and family milestones we missed for the sake of a gig or audition.  How many times we didn’t take a vacation or leave town for the holidays from fear of missing that one phone call, email  or text with hope on the other end..

Written and directed by Martin Gottlieb, The Addiction of Hope touches on age, race, gender, family, health and the choices we make in life. Do our actions, our work, our relationships make us feel good? Do they fulfill us? Do we want the same thing at an older age as we did when we were younger?  Jo Stock (Anne-Marie Johnson) is an African American woman of a certain age faced with a decision that could uproot her life when it’s uncomfortable to change. As an aging actress living off her past success, she’s forced to examine her choices and the importance of family versus fame when her sister, Lynnie (Harley Jane Kozak) gets sick in this story about having the courage to change your life.

The intimate nature of this film envelops the audience as if they were a fly on the wall to this family and their challenges making it resonate with the utmost endearing emotionality, while reminding us hope can be just as dangerous and life altering of an addictive as a stimulant – whether physical or ingested.  Hope is something that never really feels attainable until it has been seen or accomplished and for a woman who has made the choice to be an actor – hope springs eternal…until it doesn’t.

Anne-Marie Johnson performance is heartbreakingly relatable. Her struggles and her journey as Jo is so close to the realities of the business – one might forget that she in simply inhabiting a role that is suffering from glass child syndrome. Kozak is perfection as the sibling who has the ability to see the glass half full instead of half empty, reassuring her sister of their mother and the unique way she chose to love while battling her own personal demons.  Both women strike the difficulties and the balances of all of this with a feathered touch while welcoming the audience into the fold of their world. Jo navigating the all consuming self-tape, dropping in on your reps to be reassured that your time hasn’t passed you by or those moments where your family thinks you are a rich, famous star all while dealing with the realities of inconsistent income hits home all too well.  One of my favorite scenes is with Erika Alexander while they are both waiting to audition.  Baby, the reality of that was hilariously on point in more ways than one.

Yet at the end of the day, The Addiction of Hope has the ability to feel like a journal entry come to life in the most beautiful way possible and will serve as a cinematic blueprint for those seasoned actresses to let life happen first and the rest will follow suit. You can’t bring back tomorrow, but hope will help you stay present while navigating what the future will or will not hold.