Pamela Anderson & Demi Moore Are Proving That Women Over 50 Are at the Peak of Their Hollywood Game

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

At the Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 19, Pamela Anderson and Demi Moore turned heads when they stepped on the red carpet. The women weren’t there to just showcase their fashions, they were starting their Oscar campaigns for their movies — Anderson in The Last Showgirl and Moore in The Substance. The talented stars are proving that women over 50 are shining a bright light in Hollywood.

Anderson’s comeback came on the heels of her 2023 memoir release, Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth, a Netflix docuseries and her desire to embrace aging most gracefully. The 57-year-old star kept to her no-makeup mantra and paired it with an elegant and soft, low ponytail, along with her chic, off-the-shoulder black gown. It’s one of the first steps in her big return to Hollywood.

Anderson spoke about her comeback at the 20th Zurich Film Festival where she received the Golden Eye Award for her successful career. “It’s never too late, even though it’s a challenge, to change people’s hearts and minds,” Anderson said in her speech about going from Baywatch babe to award show contender, via People. “And I’m humbled that the red bathing suit is etched into pop culture. So please join me in celebrating this new chapter. Let me try to change your mind. My life is an open book. I have no secrets.”

At 61, Moore is also experiencing a similar renaissance with her body-horror film. At the gala on Saturday, she sparkled from every angle in a column-cut, silver gown. She pulled her hair back into a sleek bun with statement earrings complementing her look. At the Cannes Film Festival in May, she addressed the aging issue in Hollywood after a reporter asked if she was “canceled” for her being in her 60s prior to getting cast in The Substance.

“I don’t think I share that perspective of being canceled,” she explained at a press conference, via Deadline. “My particular perception is that regardless of what is going on outside of you, the real issue is how you are relating to the issue. I look for things that push me out of my comfort zone; the opportunity to make a better person and actor. This touched on so many themes that we all face, we seek validation and belonging. By doing (the movie) it takes us to extremes and allows us to step into it in a unique way.”

For Moore this opportunity to dig into her talent allowed her to come “out with greater acceptance of myself.” Both Anderson and Moore are finding that the old Hollywood trope that women are put out to pasture at the age of 40 doesn’t hold true anymore. Women in all seasons of life have a story to tell and both women are contenders in the Oscars race this year.

Before you go, click here to see actresses over 50 who are more successful now than ever.