Celebrate the leading ladies of Hollywood who are still killing it in their 40s, from “White Lotus” star Aubrey Plaza, to “UnPrisoned” actress and producer Kerry Washington and “Big Little Lies” star and Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon.
Here are some of our favorite 40+ femmes breaking ground in the industry.
Aubrey Plaza (1984) She’s come a long way from “Parks and Recreation,” with roles in HBO’s hit “The White Lotus” and Francis Ford Coppola’s epic “Megalopolis,” not to mention her killer turns hosting the Independent Spirit Awards. We also loved her “SNL” hosting gig and her role in the gritty indie “Emily the Criminal.”
Kerry Washington (1977) Kerry Washington broke out in films like “Ray” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” but really came into her own on the small screen, picking up Emmy nominations for her work in Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal” and for playing Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation.” In 2020, she starred with Reese Witherspoon in “Little Fires Everywhere” and in 2023, her comedy-drama “UnPrisoned” premiered on Hulu.
Zoe Saldaña (1978) Zoe Saldaña is best known for starring in the science fiction franchises “Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Star Trek.” She also costarred with Nicole Kidman in the Paramount+ series “Special Ops: Lioness.”
Reese Witherspoon (1976) A star since her teenage years, Witherspoon has expanded her profile with the Draper James fashion and home line as well as producing projects (that she often also acts in) such as “Wild” and HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” Since 2019, she has co-starred on Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show.”
Jennifer Hudson (1981)
The “Dreamgirls” star became the 17th entertainer to earn the rare EGOT honor — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — in 2022 for producing the play “A Strange Loop.” In 2022, she launched “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which was recently renewed for a third season.
Rose Byrne (1979) The Australian actress can do drama (the series “Damages”) or comedy (“Bridesmaids,” “Neighbors” and “Physical”). In 2020, she played Gloria Steinem in the FX limited series “Mrs. America.” From 2021 to 2023, she starred in the Apple dark comedy “Physical.”
Angelina Jolie (1975) Academy Award-winning Angelina Jolie has starred in “Girl, Interrupted,” “Maleficent” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” She has also written and directed several films, including “Unbroken” and “First They Killed My Father.” She joined the Marvel universe with “Eternals” and is playing opera star Maria Callas in “Maria,” from “Spencer” and “Jackie” director Pablo Larraín.
Eva Longoria (1975) Besides starring on “The Young and the Restless” and “Desperate Housewives,” Eva Longoria launched her own production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, in 2016, and directed her first film, “Flamin’ Hot,” in 2023. She joined the cast of “Only Murders in the Building” for its fourth season, as herself, who’s been cast as Selena Gomez’s character.
Jessica Alba (1981) As a Golden Globe-nominated actress, Alba has tackled everything from “Fantastic Four” to “Sin City” to “LA’s Finest.” She also parlayed her Honest brand of baby products into the “Honest Renovations” reality series on The Roku Channel.
Jessica Chastain (1977) Jessica Chastain, who won the Best Actress Oscar for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (and nabbed previous nominations for “Help” and “Zero Dark Thirty,”) made her film debut in 2008’s “Jolene” and has gone on to star in “Miss Sloane,” “Molly’s Game” and “IT: Chapter Two.” She founded her own production company, Freckle Films, in 2016 and, in the TV world, was nominated for an Emmy for her role as country singer Tammy Wynette in “George & Tammy.”
Stephanie Beatriz (1981) Her debut as Detective Rosa Diaz in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” earned Beatriz the role of Carla in the hit musical film “In the Heights.” She also voiced Mirabel Madrigal in the 2021 Disney film “Encanto.” She also voices Lulu on the animated series “Big Mouth” and Daphne on “Krapopolis.”
Charlize Theron (1975) From “Mad Max: Fury Road” to “Long Shot,” this Academy Award-winning actress can do it all. She reprised her role as villain Cypher in 2023’s “Fast X” and has already filmed “The Old Guard 2,” a sequel to the 2020 action movie.
Natalie Portman (1981) The “V for Vendetta” star received an Academy Award for her performance in “Black Swan.” She also starred as Jane Foster in “Thor” and “Thor: The Dark World,” and hoists the hammer herself in “Thor: Love and Thunder.” In 2023, she costarred in and produced the Todd Haynes film “May December,” and in 2024, she headlined and produced her first TV series, “Lady in the Lake,” for Apple.
Sutton Foster (1975) After winning two Tony awards for her work on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster broke into Hollywood through her leading debut in “Younger.” In 2024, she was back on Broadway as Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” opposite Aaron Tveit in the title role.
Kate Hudson (1979) After her Golden Globe-winning performance in “Almost Famous,” the actress and Fabletics founder has starred in “Bride Wars,” “Music” and Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion.” In 2024, the singer/actress released her first studio album, “Glorious.”
Alicia Silverstone (1976) The “Clueless” star has also starred in “Batman & Robin” and “Miss Match,” along with publishing two vegan cookbooks. In 2023, she costarred in the Netflix thriller “Reptile” with Benicio del Toro and Justin Timberlake.
Michelle Williams (1980) The “Dawson’s Creek” actress has starred in “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Greatest Showman” and “My Week with Marilyn.” She’s been nominated for five Oscars — including, most recently, for Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” — and won an Emmy for playing dancer Gwen Verdon in “Fosse/Verdon.”
Bryce Dallas Howard (1981) Besides costarring in the massive “Jurassic World” films, she has also directed episodes of “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett.”
Amy Schumer (1980) Comedian Amy Schumer is best known for her roles in “Trainwreck,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “Snatched,” and co-hosting the 2022 Oscars. In 2024, she appeared in Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy “Unfrosted.”
Uzo Aduba (1981) Best known for her Emmy-winning role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on “Orange Is the New Black,” Aduba also won an Emmy for playing Shirley Chisholm in “Mrs. America” and played Dr. Brooke Taylor on the HBO drama “In Treatment.” She is set to star in the upcoming Shondaland Netflix series “The Residence” as Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective who investigates a case at the White House. She received Emmy and SAG nominations for her role in the 2023 Netflix miniseries “Painkiller.”
Chrissy Metz (1980) For her role as Kate in “This Is Us,” Chrissy Metz has earned nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy. In 2024, the singer/actress was revealed to be the Poodle Moth on “The Masked Singer.” She also has the Starz drama “Hunting Wives” and Netflix’s “Bank Of Dave: The Sequel” coming up.
Carrie Coon (1981) Carrie Coon is best known for “Gone Girl,” “The Leftovers,” “The Sinner” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” She was Emmy nominated for her roles on “Fargo” and HBO’s “The Gilded Age.”
Isla Fisher (1976) The Australian actress, who broke out in “The Wedding Crashers,” stars in and executive produces the Peacock series “Wolf Like Me.”
Kirsten Dunst (1982) The star of “Bring It On,” “Spider-Man” and several Sofia Coppola films was finally nominated for an Oscar for her performance in “The Power of the Dog.” In 2016, she received an Emmy nomination for her role on “Fargo.” In 2024, she starred as a photojournalist in Alex Garland’s dystopian drama “Civil War.”
Kate Winslet (1975) The Oscar-winning “Titanic” star earned two Emmys (for the HBO mini-series “Mildred Pierece” and, more recently, for her her role as a dogged smalltown detective in 2021’s “Mare of Easttown”). She’s been nominated for seven Oscars. In 2024, she played the autocratic leader of a fictitious country in the Max series “The Regime.”
Rebel Wilson (1980) The Australian actress is best known for “Pitch Perfect,” “How to Be Single,” and her leading roles in “Isn’t It Romantic” and “Senior Year.” She made her directorial debut in 2024 with “The Deb.”
Constance Wu (1982) The star of “Crazy Rich Asians” and ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers.” In 2022, she costarred in Prime Video’s “The Terminal List” and, in 2023, began voicing Daphne Blake on the animated series “Velma.”
Tiffany Haddish (1979) The comedic star of “Girls Trip,” “Tuca & Bertie” and “The Afterparty” has also proven herself adept at drama in films like Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter.” In 2024, she played Tabitha in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
Christina Ricci (1980) The former child star who made her mark in the ’90s with “The Addams Family” and “Now and Then” went on to costar in “Monster,” “The Matrix Resurrections” and earned an Emmy nomination for her 2006 guest turn on “Grey’s Anatomy.” And she terrifies us, in the best way possible, as Misty on “Yellowjackets.”
Melanie Lynskey (1977) Between “Yellowjackets” and “Candy,” this New Zealand actress is killing it. It’s about time the “Heavenly Creatures” star got the acclaim she deserves. She has received three Emmy nominations: Two for her role as Shauna on “Yellowjackets” and one for her guest star role on “The Last of Us.”
Rebecca Hall (1982) This British actress, who we loved in “The Town” and “The Night House” and topped critics’ lists with her harrowing performance in 2016’s “Christine,” made her directorial debut in 2021 with the acclaimed period drama “Passing.” She’ll be seen next in the BBC series “The Listeners.”
Ruth Negga (1982) The Ethiopian-born Irish actress was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and won an Independent Spirit Award for her role in “Loving,” and received universal praise — and a BAFTA nomination — for her performance opposite Tessa Thompson in 2021’s “Passing.” In 2024, she costarred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Apple’s mystery series “Presumed Innocent.”
Keri Russell (1976) The former “Felicity” star made a very convincing spy on “The Americans,” which earned her three Emmy nominations. She also costarred in the films “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. She plays the title character in the Netflix series “The Diplomat,” which returns for its second season later this year.
Jenny Slate (1982) The actress co-created, wrote and produced the children’s short film and book series “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” which became an A24 feature film. She also charmed us in “Gifted” with Chris Evans and “I Want You Back,” and won numerous critics awards for her lead role in 2014’s “Obvious Child.” The busy star’s recent films include “It Ends With Us” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Natasha Lyonne (1979) The “American Pie” star scored a hit with the Netflix series “Russian Doll,” which she co-created with Amy Poehler and is Emmy nominated for her lead role in the Peacock detective series “Poker Face.”
Maggie Gyllenhaal (1977) After receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the 2009 film “Crazy Heart, in 2021 she made her directorial film debut with “The Lost Daughter,” which earned Oscar nominations for her screenplay, as well as acting nods for stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley. Her next film is “The Bride,” based on Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel “Frankenstein.” Buckley, Christian Bale and Gyllenhaal’s real-life husband, Peter Sarsgaard, lead the cast.
Rosario Dawson (1979) The actress who made her acting debut in the 1995 indie drama “Kids” has gone on to star in “Sin City” and five Marvel/Netflix series including “Daredevil.” She also stars as Ahsoka Tano in the live-action Disney+ series, “Ahsoka.”
Natsha Rothwell (1980) The actress, who plays Kelli on HBO’s “Insecure” was also a supervising producer on the series. Her other TV shows include “The White Lotus” and “Archer.”
America Ferrera (1984) The “Ugly Betty” star received her first Oscar nomination for her impassioned monologue about the pressures of being a woman in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” She is also known for voicing Astrid in the “How to Train Your Dragon” films and appears in the upcoming Disney movie “Elio” and Paul Greengrass’ drama “The Lost Bus,” which is based on the true story of a teacher and her students who survived the deadly 2018 Camp Fire in California.
