Image credit: Sirens
Once upon a time, turning 50 in Hollywood meant fading into the background. You might get cast as the mum, the neighbour or – if you were lucky – the wise old friend. But centre stage? That was reserved for someone younger. Not anymore.
“A couple of years ago, female leads were getting younger and both TV and film were crying out for representation of women over 50,” says writer and entertainment expert Hannah Verdier. “But thankfully we’re seeing a shift – and why wouldn’t we? Women this age are fabulous and bring real-life experience to their roles.”
With Julianne Moore commanding the screen at 64 in Netflix’s Sirens, and Michelle Yeoh winning an Oscar at 60, a new wave of older on-screen heroines is smashing stereotypes and proving the spotlight doesn’t dim with age – it just gets more interesting.
“The shift is even more powerful when roles are created and written by women of our age who understand what their characters are going through,” adds Verdier.
“TV and filmmakers are now realising they need to appeal to, quite rightly, the vocal audience of women in midlife and beyond.”
From powerful dramas to blockbuster action, here are eight of the fabulous women proving that age isn’t just a number – it’s an asset.
Moore has always walked the line between indie depth and A-list glamour. She cut her teeth on daytime soaps in the Eighties before breaking through in Boogie Nights in 1997 and The Hours in 2002. But it’s now, in her sixties, that she’s arguably doing her most interesting work.
In Sirens, she plays a cool, complex lead in a thriller that doesn’t reduce her to a trope. Just like her recent roles in Sharper, May December and Lisey’s Story, Moore is front and centre – no sidekick status here.
She’s also a vocal advocate for ageing naturally on screen, bringing both intelligence and honesty to the way we see older women in film.
On ageing:
“There's so much judgment inherent in the term ‘ageing gracefully’. Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don’t have an option of course. No one has an option about ageing, so it’s not a positive or a negative thing, it just is.”
Thompson began her career in sketch comedy, rising to fame in the Eighties with Alfresco and winning her first Oscar for Howards End in 1993. But unlike many leading ladies of that era, she hasn’t faded into polite period dramas. In fact, she’s done quite the opposite and continues to challenge expectations.
In 2022’s Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, she played a widowed teacher exploring late-life intimacy – a performance full of warmth, humour and vulnerability. Not long after, she went full villain as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical. Whether she’s making us cry, laugh or both at once, Thompson refuses to tone anything down.
On ageing:
“I do think the infantilisation of our generation is one of the human issues of our time. People wanting to be 35 when they’re 50 makes me think: why? Why don’t you be 50 and be good at that?”
Bassett’s commanding presence has made her a standout star for decades and she’s only getting more powerful with age. She first turned heads in the Nineties, notably as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It, a role that earned her an Oscar nomination.
Since then, she’s been a consistent force in Hollywood, but her recent work shows just how magnetic older women on screen can be.
As Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she delivered a performance that was powerful, regal and heartbreakingly human. It earned her a Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination. She also stars in hit TV drama 9-1-1, playing an LAPD field sergeant with strength, vulnerability and authority, and more recently played the ultimate authority figure – the president – alongside Robert De Niro, in Netflix’s Zero Day.
On ageing:
“I love my age. Old enough to know better. Young enough to care. Experienced enough to do it right.”
Dame Helen has never played by Hollywood’s rules and that’s exactly why she’s still a leading lady in her late 70s. After early success with the Royal Shakespeare Company and her breakout as DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, she became synonymous with intelligence and intensity.
But she’s not slowing down. In her 70s alone, she’s played Catherine the Great, Queen Elizabeth II (again), and joined the Fast & Furious franchise as a cockney crime boss. Most recently, she starred opposite Harrison Ford in the Yellowstone prequel 1923, proving that romance, rage and complexity don’t have a cut-off point.
On ageing:
“As you reach each age, you gain the understanding you need to deal with it and enjoy it.”
Yeoh was already a legend: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, Bond girl brilliance. But it was Everything Everywhere All at Once that sent her into the stratosphere.
At 60, she became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress – a history-making moment, delivered with martial arts mastery, maternal tenderness and mind-bending comic timing. Post-Oscar, she’s in high demand, taking on roles in Wicked, Star Trek: Discovery, and The Brothers Sun, while continuing to champion visibility for older women and Asian actors in Hollywood.
On ageing:
“Don’t give up, because once you give up that’s a loss. Don’t let anybody put you in a box, don’t let anybody say you are past your prime.”
Kidman could have coasted on red-carpet glamour and early blockbuster fame – think Dead Calm, Days of Thunder and Far and Away. She became a household name in the Nineties, balancing box office hits with critically acclaimed turns in films like The Hours and To Die For.
But instead of resting on her leading-lady status, she’s leaned into complexity. In Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and The Undoing, she plays women who are messy, raw and powerful – and crucially, always at the centre of the story. Her performance in Big Little Lies won her an Emmy and sparked vital conversations about domestic abuse, proving that prestige drama can be both stylish and socially resonant.
Behind the scenes, she’s just as bold. A producer on many of her projects, she uses her clout to champion more nuanced storytelling – especially for women in midlife.
On ageing:
“Everything becomes more meaningful as you get older. It’s crazy. When you’re young you have that slightly laissez-faire approach to everything.”
Moore has lived many Hollywood lives – from Eighties Brat Pack breakout to Nineties megastar in Ghost, A Few Good Men and G.I. Jane. But her latest role in The Substance marks a bold new chapter.
The Cannes-premiered body horror film has been hailed as her comeback, but Moore’s never really left. She’s simply waited for a role that lets her push boundaries on her own terms.
After years of being scrutinised more for her looks than her talent, Moore is now embracing her age, complexity and edge, challenging the idea that women in midlife have to tone things down.
On ageing:
“I’m at a point where I’m writing my own story, as opposed to my story being dictated to me based on my age. Who says somebody can’t look a certain way or do certain things?"
From The X Files to The Crown, Anderson has spent decades playing smart, self-possessed women, but her recent roles have hit a new, thrilling stride. As Dr Jean Milburn in Sex Education, she redefined the TV mum: sexy, awkward, powerful and flawed. Her Golden Globe-winning turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown was equally commanding, showing her extraordinary range.
Far from being sidelined, Anderson’s midlife performances are some of her most bold and complex yet. She’s also refreshingly honest about the realities of ageing and menopause, using her platform to challenge outdated narratives around women’s bodies and worth.
On ageing:
“Women being cast as the leads in shows when they are 40, 50 or 60 didn't used to happen, so the fact that it is happening today, and we're quite used to it, is important.”
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