: The 2025 Golden Globes saw a historic seven Best Actress nominations go to women over 40. Notable wins included Demi Moore , who earned her first Golden Globe at age 62.

Recent industry data from 2026 highlights a significant cultural shift. Audiences are increasingly demanding "richer, more realistic portrayals" of women in midlife—characters navigating ambition, agency, and complexity rather than just physical aging.

: At the 2026 Oscars, women over 40 finally broke through with roles that embraced midlife complexity rather than just the "narrative of decline".

But Streep ( Meryl Streep ) says being an older actress in the industry was initially tough. Meryl Streep Elle Fanning

Mature women are increasingly securing their longevity by stepping behind the camera to "flex production muscles previous generations could only dream of". By sourcing their own scripts and novels, they are ensuring that diverse, authentic stories about older women actually get made. Meryl Streep

: While only 1 in 4 films currently pass the Ageless Test —which requires at least one female character over 50 who is essential to the plot—advocacy groups like the Geena Davis Institute are successfully pushing for more humanizing portrayals. The Power Players of 2026