No./7
The rise of the 60+ female star
From Michelle Yeoh to Jennifer Coolidge, Hollywood is giving sexagenarians their due
Clockwise from top: Angela Bassett; Jennifer Coolidge; Michelle Yeoh; Jean Smart.
DURING HER OPENING monologue with Amy Poehler at the 2014 Golden Globes, Tina Fey cracked a joke: “Meryl Streep is so brilliant in August: Osage County, proving that there are still great parts in Hollywood for Meryl Streeps over 60.” Indeed, the industry has largely under-served women in the 60-and-over bracket since its genesis, with the exception of Streep or, more recently, Frances McDormand. As late as 2021, a US study — titled ‘It’s A Man’s (Celluloid) World’ — concluded that in the top-grossing films of that year, only six per cent of speaking characters were women over 60 (11 per cent were men in that age bracket).