The statistics from that era were damning. A San Diego State University study found that in the top 100 grossing films, only 25% of the characters in their 40s were female, dropping to a mere 8% for characters in their 60s and beyond. When they did appear, they were often one-dimensional: the dying matriarch, the foul-mouthed octogenarian for a laugh, or the ghost of a love interest who exists only to motivate the male hero.
At 55, Viola Davis is doing things no one has ever done. She won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony (the Triple Crown of Acting) and then pivoted to become an action star. Her shaved-head, warrior-general turn in The Woman King (2022) was a physical feat that also carried profound emotional weight. Davis refuses the "elegant aging" trap; she plays messy, aggressive, powerful women who sweat, bleed, and scream. BBCParadise.24.08.28.Riley.Rose.MILF.Stuffs.Her...
: Despite individual successes, lead roles for women in top films reached a seven-year low in 2025, with only 11 women directors represented in the top 100 films. The statistics from that era were damning