the.com/actress
A woman paid to feel things on command, then asked if she does her own stunts.
means A woman who performs roles in plays, films, or television as her profession.
from From actor plus the French-derived suffix -ess, which marks the feminine form (as in waitress or lioness) — itself from Latin -issa and -trix traditions for feminine agent nouns. Actor goes back to Latin agere, 'to do or drive,' so an actress is, at the root, simply a 'doer' — one who carries out the action. The word entered English in the 1600s as women began legally appearing on stage, a role that had previously been played by men and boys.
- outdated term
- many now just say actor, regardless of gender
- oscar category
- still gendered, unlike almost every other award
- etymology
- from Latin agere, to do or drive
- pay gap
- female leads still earn less than male costars