Ellen Burstyn Has A New TV Show

No need to include Ellen Burstyn in that group of actresses complaining about lack of roles. This fall she'll have three films in theaters and will be seen weekly co-starring in a new TV show called That's Life.

Burstyn told CBS News Early Show Anchor Bryant Gumbel that "There is a certain amount of ageism in Hollywood but having three films out, I certainly am not the one to complain."

She said one of the reasons the lack of roles for older women hasn't impacted on her is that she hasn't "been afraid to put on a gray wig and play grandmothers when necessary. So, you know, I haven't had any real dry seasons. I've had slight dips, but I've kept working."

One of her new films, Requiem For A Dream is creating some Oscar buzz.

Burstyn said Requiem required more of her than any role she could remember with the possible exception of Exorcist.

"It was physically demanding. I went through a 50-pound weight change with the help of prosthetics and fat suits and weight loss and everything," she said. "There were nine wigs and there was a lot of special makeup. I was always uncomfortable and always having to go places in my psyche that I would prefer to avoid, if possible."

In That's Life, an hour-long drama on CBS, Burstyn plays Dolly, the matriarch of a tight family.

Burstyn said the writing for the show is "just so good. Diane Roggerio is the writer. She's from New Jersey and is a fresh voice. It has a fabulous cast and I'm perfectly happy doing it and so is everybody else. We're having a great time."

Burstyn, who's won an Oscar, a Tony, and earned five Academy Award nominations, says she doesn't make any distinction at all between stage work, television, film work.

"I like acting, so wherever they'll have me do what I do, I'm satisfied…As long as the writing is good and the circumstances are good, I make no distinction."