Actresses.

[DG]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 4:27am

I got into a discussion about the general topic of 'movie actresses' this evening, and I got a little stuck.

I can come up with a fairly substantial list of real actresses in their 50's and 60's. And I can name at least a few in the 'young and up-and-coming' range. BUT, who is there in the 'mid-range'?

The first that came to my mind was Cate Blanchett, who seems to have exploded into a dominance in this category. Tilda Swinton has always been a fave of mine, but her 'uniqueness' keeps her . . . well, unique. On the American side, Julianne Moore and Laura Linney come to mind - but both tend to keep . . . private - and really don't have all that much 'product' being produced.

So help me out here. Who are the dominant actresses in the 30-40 range? Julia is Julia - who I actually like - but have we really lost that much of an entire generation of actresses?
Updated On: 7/11/08 at 04:27 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 4:38am

Charlize Theron

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 4:50am

Hillary Swank

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 5:02am

Rachel Griffiths
Toni Collette
Nicole Kidman (all Aussies)
Penelope Cruz
Salma Hayek
Renee Zellweger (whom I don't really like but seems to be considered a big actress in Hollywood)
Reese Witherspoon
Definitely Laura Linney
Naomi Watts (who is very hit an miss, but an Oscar-nominee nonetheless)
Marissa Tomei
Sophie Okonedo
Rosie Perez

All of them are Oscar-nominee/winners, and I think that all of them have a line of decent work to show for themselves.

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 5:15am

Laura Linney, Marisa Tomei, and Rosie Perez are not between 30-40.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 7:19am

Drew Barrymore

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 8:00am

Sarah Polley is 29-and-a-half...and amazing!

[StockardFan]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 8:09am

Jennifer, I think the OP meant actresses in their 30's and 40's not neccesarily between 30-40?

Brooke Shields is 43. Not that I'd consider her a "good" actress. The girls from Sex/City (with the exception of Kim Cattrall) are in their 40's.

[shameless]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 8:27am

Rachel Weisz
Kate Winslet
Angelina Jolie

Edit:
Thandie Newton
Vera Farmiga
Monica Belluci
Emily Blunt

And the fact that all of these women are stunning is just a coincidence.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 08:27 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 8:53am

Jodie Foster
Gwyneth Paltrow
Catherine Zeta-Jones

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 08:53 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:19am

The deeply underused and underrated Natasha Richardson.

[DG]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:20am

Which brings to mind Miranda.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:59am

Another of my favorites we don't see enough of!

[DG]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:03am

It's so weird to read through these names. On most of them I think, "Oh, yeah!" - so why don't they immediately come to mind?

I think it's because we really DON'T see enough of them - which, unfortunately, probably validates the notion that roles for women - REAL roles for REAL women - are few and far between.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:09am

She may already be in her 50s now, but another fanstastic actress who doesn't get the kinds of roles she should is Angela Bassett.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:12am

I really love most of these actresses, and think they are really building quite a strong resume.

My absolute favorite is Kate Winslet though she was who popped to mind when I saw the thread title.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:12am

I just saw Mary Louise Parker in The Spiderwick Chronicles, and I forgot how really great she is on screen. Doesn't make enough movies, but she's always so good! Even in a movie like this.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:20am

Mary Louise Parker is someone who seems to be great in just about everything she's in. I love her on Weeds, which is also a great showcase for Elizabeth Perkins, another actress of a certain age.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:22am

Chloe Sevigny

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:29am

Chloe Sevigny will always be inexorably linked to Kate Beckinsale with me, because I saw them both for the first time in The Last Days of Disco. I love them both.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:08pm

Besty, how could I forget about Mary-Louise Parker?
I wonder why she doesn't do that many movies (even before WEEDS she didn't really do much film). She never fails to shock me with her great acting in WEEDS, and there isn't a movie I have seen her in in which she doesn't shine. Definitely one of the best.
Kate Winslet needs an Oscar...like now.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:11pm

I like Mary Louise Parker as well. She was excellent in Angels In America also.