What would people think if they announced that the new Star Wars movie would star Melissa Mathison’s ex-husband?
By Megan Hussey and Erin Valentine
The majority of headlines following a celebrity’s death celebrate their accomplishments, the awards, and the milestones they reached in their career. However, for the recently departed Melissa Mathison, it seems that the entertainment media has decided to focus not on her credentials, but instead on her previous marriage to actor Harrison Ford.
Mathison was a screenwriter for E.T. and worked extensively on projects with people such as Steven Spielberg and the Dalai Lama. Yet, nearly all of Mathison’s obituaries identify her in the headline as “Harrison Ford’s Ex-Wife.”
Why should her claim to fame be a man she used to be married to? Instead of focusing on her accomplishments and works, it is her marriage to a man (which ended over a decade ago) that has become her final defining characteristic.
Many photographs in the obituaries feature her with Ford, as opposed to a solo photo or her with anyone else in the industry. While Ford may have been a part of her life, his fame and name recognition seems to be used as clickbait for media outlets instead of a proper obituary for Mathison.
Several articles on Mathison’s death focused at length on her divorce settlement with Ford and mentioned how her career ‘took a back seat’ to their marriage. People commenting on the articles would also raise questions, possibly spurred by the headline, about if Mathison was pretty enough to ever have been married to Ford.
Groundbreaking comic Anne Meara was remembered in obits as Ben’s mother
A similar fate befell Polly Platt, who passed away in 2011. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter and producer was remembered by many media sources as the woman who Peter Bagdanovich left for Cybill Shepherd. Similar to Mathison, Platt’s accomplishments were a sidebar to the story of the rise and fall of her relationship with Bagdanovich.
Fashion designer L’Wren Scott was remembered for her association with Mick Jagger
For Mathison, her career is one to be celebrated and shared. She won or was nominated for seven industry awards, including an Oscar nomination for E.T. Mathison also wrote the screenplays for the intergenerational family classic The Black Stallion and the cult favorite The Indian in the Cupboard. Along with screenwriting, she was also a film producer, a crew member, and a published author. Her last scripted film, The BFG, will debut in 2016.
The sexist coverage of Mathison’s death did not go unnoticed by some of Hollywood though. Well-known actress and director Rose McGowan addressed the coverage on Twitter by saying, “She stood on her own. Her career credits shouldn’t include ex-wife.”
Melissa Mathison entertained and inspired generations of people through her work; and showed women everywhere that — regardless of any obstacles that face you — your dreams can take you as high as the stars when it comes to your life’s accomplishments.
Oh, and she was married to an actor.
All photos are used for review purposes only. All headline graphics are the creative work of Erin Valentine.
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