Keeley Hawes, known for her roles in Ashes to Ashes and Line of Duty, has said she believes there has never been a better time to be an older actress. The 38-year-old told Stella magazine that a shift is visible on television, pointing to Olivia Colman in Broadchurch, Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Honourable Woman, and Gillian Anderson in The Fall as examples of women with life experience taking lead roles.
While many actresses have complained about a lack of roles for older women, Hawes said she has not personally experienced this. 'I am a feminist, but I can't bitch about something that I haven't directly experienced,' she said, acknowledging that there are 'window-dressing roles' but that actors often take them out of necessity to support their families.
Hawes also expressed frustration at the surprise some people show when she takes on complex roles, such as Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty. 'It does make you slightly want to scream when you do a role like that and people say, "Oh, that's amazing. Oh, women can do that?" Like it's some great surprise. Because why couldn't we? It is frustrating.'
