This Triple Crown Actress Was Called 'Not Pretty Enough' – Now Her Natural Aging Captivates

Before she became one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars — winning the highest honors in film, television, and theater — this actress nearly didn't make it, dismissed as not enough by casting directors.

You might know her as the fearless lead in some of Hollywood's most acclaimed films, or as one of the rare actors to earn the Triple Crown — winning an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony throughout her impressive career.

But what you might not know is that her greatest role may be the one she plays off-camera. From making a name for herself in a tough industry despite early criticism to becoming an award-winning star and a champion of natural aging, here's a look at how this famous actress made it on her own terms.

A Star Was Born

This actress began her career far from the glitz of Hollywood, earning her first major role in an independent neo-noir that few expected would make an impact.

At 24, newly graduated from Yale's M.F.A. program in acting, she was cast in "Blood Simple." It was her entry into professional film and also the start of a lifelong partnership with director Joel Coen.

The project set the tone for the kind of work she would be revered for — offbeat, emotionally layered, and unapologetically character-driven. A decade after her debut, the Hollywood star earned her first Academy Award for "Fargo."

That role didn't just make her a household name — it also cemented her status as an actress who could carry a film without relying on glamour or spectacle.

Over the years, she continued to carve out a career on her own terms. In "Good People," her work on Broadway earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She later added an Emmy to her name for her haunting portrayal of Olive in HBO's "Olive Kitteridge."

With those three wins — Oscar, Tony, and Emmy — the actress joined the exclusive ranks of Triple Crown actors, a rare accomplishment achieved by fewer than thirty performers at the time of writing.

In the background, she and Coen had moved in together not long after meeting, though they waited 10 years to marry. The actress shared:

"It was a revelation that I could have a lover who I could also work with and I wasn't intimidated by the person. [...] It was: 'Wow! Really! Oh, my God! I can actually love and live — not subvert anything, not apologize for anything, not hide anything.'"

The couple said "I do," and she wore a wedding band that had once belonged to his first wife, dismissing sentimentality with pragmatism. In 1995, the couple adopted a baby boy from Paraguay, Pedro.

However, despite her prominence in film, the "Fargo" star's household never operated like a celebrity enclave. This preference for substance over spectacle extended into her work. The projects she chose were often steeped in tension, psychology, or quiet rebellion.

In "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," she delivered a visceral performance as a grieving mother, earning her second Oscar. However, she almost didn't take the role. Though the actress admired the script and found the character compelling, she initially declined.

The actress believed that she was too old to play the mother of a teenage daughter. At 58, she worried the timeline wouldn't ring true for the character's background. However, after much back-and-forth, it was Coen who convinced her to take the part.

Casting agents dismissed her with familiar refrains.

Later, in "Nomadland," this Hollywood star portrayed a woman navigating grief and economic uncertainty with understated resolve, resulting in her third Academy Award win.

A few years prior, the actress began speaking more publicly again. After nearly a decade away from the press, she returned — not to reclaim attention, but because she felt compelled to be the representation of an older, more powerful actress at the pinnacle of Hollywood.

Too Old, Too Plain, Too Real – And That's Exactly the Point

This actress is none other than Frances McDormand, who, long before she became one of the most respected actors of her generation, was repeatedly told she didn't fit the mold.

Casting agents dismissed her with familiar refrains. She recalled, "I was often told that I wasn't a thing. 'She's not pretty enough, she's not tall enough, she's not thin enough, she's not fat enough.'"

"I thought, 'O.K., someday you're going to be looking for someone not, not, not, not, and there I'll be,'" she added. Thus, the award-winning actress learned early not to tie her self-worth to beauty or image.

She has since spoken openly about disliking the monitor on set, preferring not to see herself during filming. Furthermore, McDormand admitted to not owning a full-length mirror and never made vanity part of her public identity, even as her fame grew.

While she wanted access to serious work, she had no interest in presenting herself as a product. The Hollywood star said:

"I feel like I need to represent publicly what I've chosen to represent privately. Which is a woman who is proud and more powerful than I was when I was younger. And I think that I carry that pride and power on my face and in my body."

That pride wasn't just about aging — it was also about resisting the need to hide it. For McDormand, aging naturally became a quiet rebellion against an industry built on illusion.

Thus, she rejected cosmetic work, revealing, "I have not mutated myself in any way. Joel and I have this conversation a lot. He literally has to stop me physically from saying something to people, to friends who've had work. I'm so full of fear and rage about what they've done."

However, the "Fargo" star did not see these choices as individual flaws, but as symptoms of a deeper issue. "I think that ageism is a cultural illness; it's not a personal illness," she said.

McDormand believed that culture at large has developed a resistance to aging. "No one is supposed to age past 45 — sartorially, cosmetically, attitudinally," she stated. "Everybody dresses like a teenager. Everybody dyes their hair. Everybody is concerned about a smooth face."

McDormand's appearance, shaped by that belief, has since drawn both admiration and criticism online.

In contrast, she left her hair natural and did not attempt to disguise the lines on her face. She saw those signs of age as proof of a life fully lived.

Looking older should be a point of pride — a reflection of the experiences lived and the lessons learned. It should signal that beneath the white hair is someone carrying a lifetime's worth of knowledge. However, McDormand also made it clear that she did not want to be praised for avoiding cosmetic enhancement.

When asked during a press conference for "The Tragedy of Macbeth" about her role as an influence on young women, she rejected the idea of being a model for anyone's self-image. The actress spoke plainly about her own insecurities:

"I have problems with my body. We all do. I don't like everything about myself. I hate my voice."

She added that she had worked hard to grow her hair back, only to find it made little difference in how she felt. But in the end, she acknowledged that visibility mattered.

Speaking to fellow veteran actors at the same event, she said that if older people tried too hard to look young, they would no longer be recognizable in moments when they were needed.

Elders, she believed, should be just as easy to identify and just as essential. "I want to be revered. I want to be an elder; I want to be an elderess," McDormand said. While she understood that aging could be a difficult process, the actress also knew that it was not because of biology alone, but because of the added burden of social expectations.

And in her view, cosmetic enhancement only made the aging process even harder. "I don't believe that cosmetic enhancement makes it easier; I think it makes it harder. I think it makes it much more difficult to accept getting older," she remarked.

McDormand's appearance, shaped by that belief, has since drawn both admiration and criticism online. "She was a cutie," one person commented on a throwback photo of the Hollywood star.

Another netizen said, "Frances McDormand was a hottie." A third person added, "Frances McDormand is beautiful as she is." Others pointed to her skill and the impact she had on them personally. "Frances is my very favorite actress," read one comment. Another simply said, "This woman is so talented!"

Other comments, however, were far less generous. "What happened to her?? Didn't even recognize her??" asked one person. Another was blunter, stating, "Put some makeup on." One netizen even questioned McDormand's condition altogether, writing, "Is she homeless?"

Despite mixed reactions from the public, by refusing to alter herself, McDormand did not adapt to the industry — she challenged it. She made the case, through both her choices and her presence, that age did not have to be concealed to be accepted.

For her, aging is not about reinvention. It's about continuity. And by staying visible, she reminded others that getting older could be something to stand for, not retreat from.