The industry still largely treats the mature woman as a “prestige” item rather than a commercial asset. For every The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal directing Olivia Colman), there are a dozen scripts where a 55-year-old actress is asked to play the mother of a 48-year-old male lead.
We are living in the "Third Act." It is a messy, glorious, and still fragile revolution. For every Killers of the Flower Moon featuring a nuanced role for 80-year-old Lily Gladstone, there are still ten scripts where the only note for a 55-year-old woman is "warm."
