Despite progress, the fight is far from over:
As viewers, we have the power to accelerate this shift. Stop skipping the movie because it features a "senior" cast. The Irishman was celebrated for de-aging Robert De Niro; imagine the praise for a film that doesn't need to de-age a woman to make her relevant.
(Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) proved that women in their 70s and 80s could lead hit comedies that were both sharp and subversive.
Today, streaming platforms and indie studios have realized that the demographic with the most disposable income and the deepest appetite for complex storytelling is women over 40. We don't want to watch a 22-year-old figure out her love life for the tenth time. We want to watch a woman who has lived, lost, loved, and has the scars to prove it.