The Second Act: How Mature Women Are Rewriting the Hollywood Script

Forget the "mom" or the "librarian." Today’s mature women in cinema are occupying spaces previously reserved for men.

As we look forward, the trend is irreversible. Generation X actresses (Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts) are now the "mature women" of the 2020s, and they are refusing to fade away. They are producing their own vehicles, forming collectives, and demanding equity.

Today’s best scripts for mature women embrace cognitive dissonance. Consider the HBO hit Hacks , starring (71). Her character, Deborah Vance, is a legendary Las Vegas comedian. She is arrogant, wounded, petty, brilliant, sexually active, jealous of youth, and masterful at her craft. She is not "likeable" in the traditional sense. She is interesting . That is the key. Mature women are finally being allowed to be anti-heroes, just as men have been for five decades (think Tony Soprano , Don Draper ).

They didn’t. They rewrote the script.

(63) : After her acclaimed turn in The Substance , Moore has solidified her status as a "living legend" with a record-breaking $1.2 million per episode deal for a new HBO flagship series. Nicole Kidman

The "50 Plus" category has seen a surge in interest over the last several years for several reasons:

(59) : Currently starring in the crime-thriller Scarpetta , Kidman continues to dominate as both an actor and producer, with Big Little Lies Season 3 also on the horizon. Jean Smart