Demi, Jodie and Nicole: Is Hollywood finally ready to recognize complex female characters over 40? | Natasha Ginnivan

There’s something spectacular happening in movies and television right now and it’s not a superhero fight sequence or a motorcycle stunt off a cliff. No, it’s a celebration of courageous, multi-layered, middle-aged and older female characters, represented on screen in all their complexity.

The Golden Globes highlighted this trend by handing out awards to the women who played these characters – often to their surprise.

Longtime Hollywood star Demi Moore, who won the award for best female actor in a musical or comedy – rightly so for a film that criticizes the way the film industry rejects older actresses – said that She was shocked to receive this award. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, about 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve won anything as an actor.”

Jodie Foster also noted the trend by accepting her fifth Golden Globe for the final season of True Detective. “The greatest thing about being at this age and time is having a community of all these people,” she said.

2024 has been an exceptional year for complex and courageous female characters, who demonstrate unwavering perseverance to overcome life’s challenges, while remaining unpredictable.

Take Hannah Waddingham, 50, of Ted Lasso fame, who plays Rebecca Welton, an embittered divorcee who manages to turn her disappointment and shame into incredibly strong support for the trainer she hired. She shows us how to get over a nasty divorce with wit, humor and charm.

Another example is Jean Smart, who received the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series for her role in Hacks. Her character, Deborah Vance, is insecure And ambitious. It’s this double-edged sword that gives Vance his comedic side and his depth.

For a long time, the things we thought were important to see in older female characters—their depth and intuition, their strength and courage, and most often an ordinary, aging appearance—were not reflected to us in most series. or movies we watched.

In an acceptance speech for a Palm Springs International Film Festival award last week, an emotional Nicole Kidman explained how she was “very lucky to be given a role of this nature,” referring to the thriller recently released erotica Babygirl, in which she plays a highly competent CEO who begins an affair with a twenty-something intern. She pointed out that in the past, the film industry would never have asked a woman in her 50s to play such a role.

Jennifer Berry, an award-winning writer, director and professor of gender and women’s studies at California State University, says it’s important to show older female characters in films — as well as older bodies. old, naked, average looking. She is grateful to A-list actors, including Kate Winslet, for their stance in remaining authentic when portraying older female characters.

There is a need for authenticity and diversity in the stories we consume in film and television. We’re excited to see more actors of varying cultures, sexualities, gender identities, and abilities starting to play leading roles in film and television, and there’s certainly a place for age diversity too .

This doesn’t just mean including more older men and women in leading roles. This means representing a diversity of ages working together, collaborating and mentoring each other.

For centuries, Hollywood has portrayed leading women as the male star’s romantic interest and they were rarely cast in roles beyond the age of 40. Older female characters were usually relegated to being the kind-hearted “support person” or mean bitch.

It is in these binary categorizations that the disconnect in media representation occurs, as younger women are so much more than their looks, and older women are an entirely different type of sexy. They are much more confident, sophisticated and funny and less willing to conform to conventional notions of beauty. They can be ironic, multifaceted and at the same time can take a complicated turn. And a simple approach to life. This was born from their years of meeting, but also rebelling against societal expectations.

Pamela Anderson, 57, the star of the upcoming film The Last Showgirl, is a woman in her 40s who has rewritten the narrative of her career, life and image. She continues to evolve and transform in her professional and private life. She appeared as a guest at numerous fashion shows, bare-faced, and said: “I don’t have to be the prettiest girl in the room” – and the Internet went crazy over it .

Michelle Yeoh, 62, who won the 2023 Best Actress Oscar for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, said in her acceptance speech: “Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime. age.” It could just be that entertainment executives, producers, writers and directors are starting to take notice.

• Natasha Ginnivan is a researcher in psychology and aging. She is a member of the UNSW Aging Futures Institute and regularly blogs about age stereotypes, ageism and her perceptions of ageing.