Haims: An Ode to Helen Mirren

When people think of Hollywood actors and actresses, most likely they think of young beautiful people. Glamorous, charismatic, sexy, revered, rich, are probably some of the more common words people use when describing their favorite actress or actor — until more recently. 

Hollywood’s main objective is to make a profit and, historically, the largest moviegoing audience has been that of people between 18 and 35 years of age. Adventure, animation, sci-fi, superhero, and fantasy movies have been the highest grossing of all movie genres. Beyond box office revenue, Hollywood makes millions of dollars selling films to digital platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon. Oh, let’s not forget the pandering of merchandising which can make hundreds of millions of dollars.

Fortunately, Hollywood’s narrative is evolving. In recent years, film and television have increasingly celebrated older actors with leading roles that draw us into emotionally rich, authentic worlds. This shift isn’t accidental, rather it is the reflection of cultural and artistic change.

For decades, writers and production studios have focused on younger audiences, assuming older viewers were not a revenue viable population. This view is changing as aging Baby Boomer are living longer and wield significant consumer power. Recognizing this, Hollywood studios and streaming content creators are producing more content to attract not only the 50-plus demographic who are willing to financially support shows that feature characters and stories they can relate to, but also to attract those in their 30s and 40s as well. 

Shows like “1923,” “Yellowstone,” “The Kominsky Method,” “The Old Man,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “The Morning Show,” “Grace and Frankie,” “A Man On The Inside” are putting recognizable older names front and center — Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Jerom Flynn, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Ted Danson, and Sally Struthers. Whew, that’s a lot of great entertainment and award winners over the past couple decades. 

The complex characters portrayed by these older actors and actresses explore human nature and sophisticated narratives like societal decay, regret, resilience, power, loss, and moral compromises. Sometimes their characters make us laugh, sometimes cry, but above all, they adeptly touch us emotionally.

Aging can make it difficult for actors to get leading roles — this is especially true for women. For too many years the culture of ageism within the entertainment industry has meant fewer roles written for older actors, and those that are available frequently rely on stereotypes that are less than great. While the challenges of aging affect both male and female actors, they are significantly more pronounced for women.

In my opinion, at 80 years of age, Helen Mirren is one of a few older actresses that defy the conventional Hollywood narrative that a women’s careers peak in their youth. Throughout her career, many of her roles have been about women in positions of power, authority, and leadership. Her acting roles go beyond just being strong, often they are layered with intelligence, wit, and vulnerability. While she has many laudable recent projects, her roles in “The Tempest,” “Red” and “Red 2,” “Woman in Gold,” “The Queen,” “Trumbo,” “The Duke,” “Catherine the Great,” “1923,” and recently “MobLand” and “The Thursday Murder Club” (which I watched last night) are roles of strong women and send a powerful message that women are formidable can hold leadership roles irrespective of age. 

More than likely, older actors and actresses excel at these roles because their age brings a unique blend of wisdom, experience, and emotional depth that enables them to portray characters with a level of complexity and sophistication that younger actors may not yet have had the time, or life experience, to develop. 

While there are many others, actresses like Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Viola Davis, Maggie Smith, and Annette Bening are paving the way for younger actresses by showing that age should never be a barrier to playing strong, multifaceted roles. 

If you’ve been here in town for a while, you may know that there are a number of women in town whose wit is sharper than ever, who command rooms with a glance, and who are proof that power doesn’t fade with age. Quite simply, they are inspirational. 

With all the contacts people in our community have, perhaps one day we can host Mirren or other senior actresses — not just to celebrate their fame, but to honor what they represent: the power of presence, resilience, and time on earth. If Hollywood can finally learn to embrace the brilliance of age, perhaps we all can — not as nostalgia, but as inspiration.