From the steely resolve of Siobhan in Bad Sisters to the unapologetic rage of Grace in Bad Sisters , from the Oscar-winning heft of Michelle Yeoh ( Everything Everywhere All at Once ) to the quiet power of Meryl Streep in Only Murders in the Building , mature women are no longer just supporting acts. They are the main event.

But audiences have proven that theory wrong. Violently wrong.

For decades, Hollywood operated on a quiet, cruel arithmetic. If you were a woman, your "expiration date" as a leading lady was roughly 35. After that, the scripts dried up, replaced by offers to play the quirky mom, the nagging wife, or the mystical grandma who pushes the young protagonist out the door.