New age of women dominating Hollywood as actresses past 40 years old called to ‘rise up’

Gone are the days where women are dismissed as “popcorn actors” or considered “past it” if they’re over 40, and the new female era in the film industry is thanks to these star actresses.

Kicking off the awards season in lavish style, the 82nd Golden Globes had all the hallmarks of a blockbuster Hollywood bash.

But this year, there was a change in the air.

Film and TV’s big night was well and truly owned by the women — the screen legends in their 50s, 60s and 70s — who are defying expectations in an era of empowerment.

Nicole Kidman and her bestie Naomi Watts, who have been pillars of support for each other since their days as Sydney schoolgirls, reigned supreme on a night of female achievement.

Her radiant beauty aside, Kidman, 57, is a veritable powerhouse and her unrelenting star power, combined with her unstoppable work output, shows no sign of fading.

Kidman is generating serious Oscar buzz for her role in Babygirl. Picture: AFP

Despite her Golden Globes loss, Kidman is generating serious Oscar buzz for her role as a tech CEO who indulges in an affair with a much younger male intern in the sexually charged Babygirl.

Gone are the days when actresses over 40 were considered “past it” and confined to playing the wife or mother.

Watts is also charging ahead in the empowerment stakes, morphing from multi-award-winning actress to a powerful campaigner helping women navigate the ups and downs of menopause.

Through her Instagram posts, roundtable discussions and holistic Stripe Beauty products, the 55-year-old is opening up a conversation around hormonal and life-affecting issues once considered taboo.

Naomi Watts during the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Watts’ advice to women approaching menopause echoes the sentiment of the new movement of female empowerment: “Don’t fear it, get ahead of it.”

Demi Moore won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture at 82nd Golden Globe Awards. Picture: AFP

In a victory speech that quickly went viral, an age-defying Demi Moore — now also favourite for an Oscar nomination — dazzled the Golden Globes audience as she marked her win for her role in The Substance with powerful words that cut through to women the world over.

The triumphant comeback of Moore is incredible in light of her battle with drug abuse and mental health issues after a harrowing split from ex-husband Ashton Kutcher.

In her speech, she recalled how a producer’s belittling comments early in her career – in which he referred to her as merely a “popcorn actress” — led her to believe that she wasn’t worthy.

“That corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it. Maybe I was complete,” she told the enraptured crowd.

She said that it wasn’t until the script for The Substance landed on her desk that the universe told her she “wasn’t done”, two words that encapsulate the new female power movement.

Capping off her speech, she urged women not to sell themselves short.

“In those moments when we don’t think we’re smart enough, or pretty enough, or skinny enough, or are basically just not enough. I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know you will never be enough but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.’”

Jennifer Aniston, 55, urged women over 40 to rise up. Picture: AFP

A-lister Jennifer Aniston, 55, herself a dazzling example of health and beauty, was quick to respond to Moore’s message, urging women over 40 to “rise up” in equally powerful social media post.

Aniston wrote: “Demi Moore’s speech about being told she was just a “popcorn actor” is another symptom of Hollywood’s ‘women expire over 35’ gaslighting by relegating beautiful women to roles that are solely about sex appeal, but there is nothing sexier or more provocative than a woman realising her worth, taking the reins, and turning the scars of lived experience into a lightning bolt of sheer, unstoppable radiance”

As the world tuned in to Moore’s speech, jaws also dropped over the star’s youthful appearance.

Time appears to have stood still for the proudly sober actress, who is in the best shape of her life due to a consistent regime of yoga, pilates and healthy eating.

Similar to Aniston and Watts, who now prefer strength training for bone density rather than high-impact workouts, the stunning star is a glowing vision of health.

In terms of surgery, Hollywood heavyweights are now opting for “tweakments” —

cosmetic work that is artfully performed and subtle.

Kathy Bates, is enjoying a career resurgence at 76. Picture: Getty Images

The new era of women being their “authentic selves” is also filtering through to the red carpet, with Pamela Anderson shedding her sex kitten image by continuing to go make-up free in a move of defiance against superficial norms.

Much-loved star Kathy Bates, 76, who is enjoying a career resurgence, remained elegant while rocking comfy sneakers on the Globes red carpet while Kate Winslet, 49, opted for a white trouser suit.

Bates has been open about how shedding the kilos with the aid of exercise and weight-loss jabs, which she says helped her get fit enough to take on her leading role in TV’s Matlock.

Kathy Bates & Henry Winkler in 1999 film The Waterboy.

Jonah Waterhouse, Vogue Australia’s fashion news editor, said there was a definite shift from the obsession with youth in both film and fashion, saying Moore’s speech on self-worth summed up the winds of change.

“If you look back at a lot of the big fashion shows from the past year, there’s been a lot of representation of a full life cycle on the runway and older models and not just models who are in their 20s,” he said.

“I think that it’s really interesting to see how that’s become such a common theme in the most acclaimed movies of this year.

“You have Demi Moore in The Substance — it’s all about this notion of ageing, it’s a satire essentially of the way that Hollywood treats women once they’ve reached a certain age.

“Nicole Kidman is also in a movie that a lot of people are talking about how it’s one of her career best performances.

“Nicole Kidman has been in the industry and acting for such a long time. So it’s really interesting to see how both industries at the same time are moving away from this idea that your peak is when you’re young.

“Because as we all know, that is not the case and people can start to have complete new life trajectories and beginnings and things happening to them, opening up, once they turn 40, 50, 60, 70.”

Originally published as New age of women dominating Hollywood as actresses past 40 years old called to ‘rise up’