Fabulous and Over 40

Now that I’m in my 40s, I tend to find myself drawn to actresses over 40. They have a maturity, yet a young and playful side to them, that I find appealing and down-to-earth. Wendi McClendon-Covey. Melissa McCarthy. Octavia Spencer. Amy Poehler. Debra Messing.  These beautiful women are some of the most incredibly talented and funny women in movies and television today… and they are all fabulous and over 40!

They have starred (separately, and sometimes together) in some of my favorite movies and TV shows.

Wendi and Melissa co-starred in the all-female hit Bridesmaids, but I love Wendi as the sexpot in Reno 911! And Melissa was the lovable Sookie in Gilmore Girls. Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for her role in The Help, and she has had many supporting roles in both TV and film. Amy Poehler jumped from SNL to Parks and Recreation, and had two children along the way. And Debra Messing will always be Grace (from Will & Grace) to me, but she was awesome as the Broadway lyricist Julie in Smash and is even better as Laura Diamond in The Mysteries of Laura.

You may know Wendi McClendon-Covey best as Deputy Clementine Johnson on Reno 911!, or as Rita, the groom’s sister in Bridesmaids, but she is more than just a sexpot. She has made many movies and TV appearances, showcasing her range of talent. She currently stars as Beverly Goldberg in The Goldbergs, and she is the TV mother we all wish we could claim as our own! She is an actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She was presented with the Comedic Actress award by the La Femme Film Festival, and in 2011 she won the Commie Award from the LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival.

“As a performer, you can’t just sit around waiting for the phone to ring. You have to write and develop projects for yourself, because casting people aren’t always going to see you the way you want to be seen. Write a one-person show, shoot a short film, do plays, whatever – activity breeds activity. No one’s interested in a stay-at-home actress.” – Wendi McClendon-Covey (Source: IMDb)

Octavia Spencer has had many supporting roles over the years, from the DMV employee in The Big Bang Theory to Madame Nora (the pet psychic) in Dinner for Schmucks, but she really made an impression as the speak-your-mind character Minny Jackson in The Help. And let us not forget that “shit pie” she made for Hilly Holbrook, played by Dallas Bryce Howard. Priceless!

“I was always a closet lover of acting. My mom was very practical. She never, ever restricted our dreams, always told us we could do or be anything. Then I said, ‘Maybe I want to be an actor’. And she said, ‘Maybe not that’.” – Octavia Spencer (Source: IMDb)

It has been said that Debra Messing is the Lucille Ball of our time. Her comedic timing is awesome! I loved her in the short-lived TV series Ned & Stacey, which also starred Thomas Hayden Church. I also loved her in The Wedding Date, where she hired a suave escort, played by the handsome Dermot Mulroney, to pose as her boyfriend to make her ex-fiance jealous when they all attended her younger sister’s wedding in London.

“I can’t imagine it being more sweet. You just hope that you will get the opportunity to do what you love and pay your bills, and that is being a success as an actor. The accolades – this is otherworldly. I have never allowed myself the ability to dream this far.” – Debra Messing, on winning her first Emmy (Source: IMDb)

Melissa McCarthy stole many a scene as Megan in Bridesmaids. Did you know that the guy on the airplane that she kept accosting and asking if he was an air marshall is actually her husband? It makes all their scenes in that movie just that much funnier! I first fell in love with Melissa when she starred as Sookie, the enthusiastic chef, in Gilmore Girls. She was also great as the lovable Molly Flynn in Mike & Molly. And I loved her in the spy-spoof comedy, Spy! She also has a clothing line called Seven7 by Melissa McCarthy, and she has some really great, wearable pieces! 

“I want separates, for the love of God, because everything’s like a bad prom dress. You can find a million bad sleeveless dresses in satin. I’m like, “Where’s a good blouse and a great trouser?” Melissa McCarthy, on wardrobe problems (Source: IMDb)

Amy Poehler was great on Saturday Night Live and she was really great as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation. When she was on SNL, I absolutely loved her character, Kaitlin, with her cute little speech impediment! I also laughed my arse off at her one-legged character, Amber, who would say, “Yeah, I farted. So what?” I also loved her in Baby Mama, Mean Girls, and Sisters, all of which she starred with another fabulously funny actress, Tina Fey.

“No one looks stupid when they’re having fun!” – Amy Poehler (Source: IMDb)

Who’s your favorite “over 40s” actress? Did your favorite make my list? If not, then tell me who is your favorite actress!

Yours Truly,
Vanessa

{Images borrowed from 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 }