(59): Both have experienced significant career longevity in the post-#MeToo era, securing leading roles that were previously unavailable to women in their age bracket. June Squibb (96): In
Historically, cinema treated age as a problem to be disguised. Meryl Streep, at 45, played the witch in Into the Woods —a role that had little to do with her romantic viability. Leading parts for women over 50 were often relegated to the "wacky grandmother," the "harping mother-in-law," or the "wise mentor who dies in the second act." Male counterparts, from Sean Connery to Harrison Ford, continued playing romantic leads and action heroes into their sixties and seventies, while women like Maggie Smith were relegated to supporting roles (brilliant as they were) that seldom centered their desires or ambitions. Mature Milfs