And the winner is ... the rising generation of older female actors

‘Why is it that older female actors’ ages, and those of their characters, are still up for discussion?’ Isabella Rossellini, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Demi Moore, Kathy Bates, and Nicole Kidman. Composite: Shutterstock; Getty

Something seems different about Hollywood awards ceremonies. At the Golden Globes in January, at the Screen Actors Guild awards last month and in the list of nominees for Sunday’s Academy Awards, there’s a sense of cultural readjustment. There are not just women working the red carpets and in the running for gongs: there are successful, prominent and, crucially, prospering older women.

Demi Moore could win an Oscar to go with her Golden Globe for her leading role in the dark modern parable about cosmetic surgery The Substance. Isabella Rossellini is also nominated for an Oscar for the Vatican drama Conclave. Elsewhere there’s Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Hard Truths, Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl, Nicole Kidman in Babygirl – and more.