'The audience is aging, and the stars are too': How actresses over 40 are Hollywood's new power players
PUBLISHED: 19:05, 6 June 2013 | UPDATED: 19:28, 6 June 2013
Just a decade ago, as an actress aged her fate was sealed - planned obsolescence meant young faces were rolled out to dethrone the red carpet's older reigning A-list.
But as the median age of movegoers increases, it seems Hollywood's actresses are aging with them - and they are getting better parts, and better pay, out of it.
From Cameron Diaz to Sandra Bullock, and Nicole Kidman to Melissa McCarthy, top film actresses in their 40s now out-earn their 30-year-old counterparts.
Staying power: As the age of movegoers increases, it seems Hollywood's actresses are aging with them - and they are getting better parts, and better pay, out of it; Meryl Streep, 63, pictured in The Devil Wears Prada
'There's a change afoot,' Sean Bailey, head of production at Disney live-action films, told The Hollywood Reporter. 'Part of that is attributable to changing audience trends. Women and a broader array of age groups are starting to matter more and more.
'A lot of these big movies are no longer solely dependent on young men showing up. When you take that in combination with the number of phenomenal actresses in this age range, it adds up to something exciting.'
As Hollywood fails to groom another generation with the same kind of star power as Julia Roberts, 45, and Jennifer Anniston, 44, the industry's youth-obsessed culture seems to be losing steam.
Where middle-aged actresses once had to pick up supporting roles scraps - with the exception of Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Diane Keaton - they are now taking center stage, dominating big Hollywood's biggest parts.
In the upcoming action-comedy, Heat, out June 28, 42-year-old Ms McCarthy and 48-year-old Ms Bullock lead the film as a Boston cop and an FBI agent.
Ripe with age: From Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock to Melissa McCarthy, top film actresses in their 40s now out-earn their 30-year-old counterparts; pictured Julia Roberts, 45, in 2012's Mirror Mirror
Heavy-weight heroes: In the upcoming action-comedy, Heat, out June 28, 48-year-old Ms Bullock and 42-year-old Ms McCarthy lead the film as an FBI agent and a Boston cop
Career clout: Older actresses are also reigning supreme at awards shows: Naomi Watts, 44, was among the most recent crop of best actress Oscar nominees for The Impossible
And on March 15, the thriller The Call, opened as a top new wide release thanks the casting of Halle Berry, 46. It has also been rumored that Penelope Cruz, 39, is set to play a Bond girl - the oldest so far.
More than one-third of all U.S. movie tickets purchased in 2012 were age 40 or over, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. It seems baby boomers are more likely see movies in a theater because the habit (versus streaming online) is already ingrained.
And a recent Performer Q Study, which measures how well-known and how well-liked a celebrity is, found that Ms Bullock, Ms Roberts, and Ms Streep took the top three film actress spots among U.S. survey respondents over 18.
Ms Bullock, who tied with Tom Hanks, 56, as the overall winner, was given a 41 Q score. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Anne Hathaway and 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence had Q scores of 20 and 15, respectively. Twilight's Kristen Stewart scored just 10.
Many of today's A-list actresses, like 40-year-old Ms Diaz who was 21 when she auditioned for her break-out role next to Jim Carey in The Mask and 28 when she debuted as the voice of Shrek's Princess Fiona, have seamlessly transitioned into the over-40 set - and they are outearning sparkling 'new' stars in their 30s.
Icon status : As Hollywood fails to groom another generation with the same kind of star power as Nicole Kidman, 45, the industry's youth-obsessed culture seems to be losing steam
Looking good: Older actresses, with access to surgery, dermatologists, and personal trainers, are looking younger, and actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, 40, frequently top best dressed lists
Box office boom: On March 15, the thriller The Call, opened as a top new wide release thanks the casting of Halle Berry, 46
'There are more exceptional [casting] choices in the over-40 range than there are in the 30s range. The 30s range is kind of the tricky zone right now,' explained Fox 2000 president Elizabeth Gabler, adding the Hollywood hasn't produced as many 'next generation' shining stars - with only a few exceptions, such as Rachel McAdams and Amy Adams.
Older actresses are also reigning supreme at awards shows: Naomi Watts, 44, was among the most recent crop of best actress Oscar nominees for The Impossible.
And among the supporting actress nominees, three were over 40: Helen Hunt, 49, for The Sessions; Jacki Weaver, 66, in Silver Linings Playbook; and Sally Field, 66, for her role in Lincoln.
This may have a lot to do with the fact that older actresses, with access to surgery, dermatologists, and personal trainers, are looking younger.
Women over 40 are 'no longer are expected to look matronly,' writes The Hollywood Reporter. Julianne Moore, 52, Sarah Jessica Parker, 48, Ms Kidman, 45 and Gwyneth Paltrow, 40, frequently top best dressed lists.
Still got it: Many of today's A-list actresses, like 40-year-old Ms Diaz who was 28 when she debuted Shrek's Princess Fiona, have seamlessly transitioned into the over-40 set - out-earning stars in their 30s
Shining stars: Hollywood hasn't produced as many 'next generation' shining stars - and stars like Helen Hunt, 49, are securing the top roles
And television might be playing an important role, too.
Kyra Sedgwick, 47, became a household name thanks to her role in The Closer. Glenn Close, 66, appeared on The Shield and then Damages, and Holly Hunter, 55, in Saving Grace.
Lucy Liu, 44, whose career took off thanks to the Fox hit, Ally McBeal, has made a return to the small screen the CBS hit Elementary; Helena Bonham Carter, 47, will play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming BBC movie about the movie star's relationship with Richard Burton; and Ms Roberts is just taking on her first major TV role as a wheelchair-bound physician in HBO's The Normal Heart.
Leslie Siebert, senior managing partner at the Gersh Agency, explained: 'In TV, it's better now than it ever has been. Great, wonderful cable shows and even network shows are being built around female leads.'
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