The actress who played the iconic 'Pigeon Lady' in Home Alone 2 spoke out about how she was slung on the scrap heap in the later stages of her career.
Irish screen star Brenda Fricker has a host of incredible roles under her belt, but to the majority of people, she's best known as the kind-hearted stranger who helped Kevin McCallister during his Christmas crisis.
Along with her army of birds, she took Macaulay Culkin's character under her wing in the hit 1992 film while he was being chased through New York by the Wet Bandits.
She ends up saving the day by showering Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) with bird seed in Central Park, prompting the loyal flock of pigeons she befriended to descend on the villains.
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But we really ought to put more respect on the Pigeon Lady's name, as Fricker has put in a lot of incredible performances elsewhere, too.
The Dublin-born star became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar in 1990, as she bagged the gong for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the biopic My Left Foot.
Fricker also appeared in flicks such as So I Married an Axe Murderer, Angels in the Outfield and A Time to Kill, Veronica Guerin, Inside I'm Dancing and Albert Nobbs throughout her illustrious career.
But after she turned 70, the actress said that she felt as though opportunities to appear in more movies suddenly dried up.
In a poignant interview with The Times which took place last year, Fricker explained that she felt 'invisible' after hitting her seventh decade.
"They don’t write for old women," the Home Alone 2 star said. "Shakespeare wrote for old women, but none of the young writers do. None.
"There are so many wonderful people around...interesting women with history and stories.
"Remember these words when you turn 70: you become invisible. Richard Harris said that to me while sitting on the rocks looking out over the Atlantic Ocean and it stuck in my head.
"On my 70th birthday I thought, ‘He’s wrong, I feel great.’ A week later I knew exactly what he meant. It’s weird.
"You have to shout to be heard. So it’s not that I’m out of work for any other reason - there are no parts to do."
These days, Fricker is now dealing with a number of health problems which she says have left her pretty much bedridden.
Although she didn't disclose the details, she explained that she spends 'every day in pain' and is constantly 'weary'.
Speaking to The Guardian in September this year, the 80-year-old said: "I’m out of breath just talking.
"I’ve never known tiredness ever in my life. Weary. Will I ever get up again? I’m having a dreadful death. I’m just dying, every day in pain. I’ll probably live to be 100."
When she is unable to sleep, Fricker said she sticks The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on to cheer her up - as she added: "It’s better than sex. It’s better than getting drunk. I just love it."
Despite her name being synonymous with one of the most beloved Christmas films, the actress previously revealed she doesn't really enjoy the festive period.
"I would be lying if I said it would be a nice and happy Christmas because I’m old and I live alone," Fricker told Radio 1 in 2021, as per The Independent. "It can be very dark.
"I turn the phone off and put the blinds down. I do pre-record some good programmes and I have my dog and I get myself through it that way.
“I don’t want to be sounding kind of negative but it is a different kind of Christmas, that’s all. While I don’t find Christmas all that difficult, what I do find difficult is New Year’s Eve."
Topics: Celebrity, Home Alone, Celebrity News, TV and Film
Olivia Burke