Pascal’s HBO series The Last of Us has just wrapped up its second season. He stole the show at Cannes in a bicep-baring muscle shirt on the red carpet, and then stole it again at the next day’s premiere of the biker movie Pillion, where he congratulated the film’s star Alexander Skarsgard (who turns 50 next summer). Skarsgard gave him what Vanity Fair called “the viral kiss that conquered Cannes.” But Pascal was not the only 50+ star that shone brightly at Cannes.
Actress June Squibb proved stars can shine in their 90s
Actress June Squibb, 95, is starring in Scarlett Johannson’s directing debut, Eleanor the Great, as a widow who moves from Florida back to New York after losing her best friend. The film tackles some relatable themes to the 50+ crowd-not just aging but grief, loss of a friendship. Squibb received a five minute standing ovation. It was Squibb’s second standing ovation at Cannes: in 2014, she co-starred in Nebraska, and earned nominations for an Oscar and an AARP Movies for Grownups Award.
Nicole Kidman gives voice to representation of mature women in film
Nicole Kidman, 57, currently starring in Babygirl, won the Kering Women in Motion award, joining an impressive parade of previous recipients including Geena Davis, 69, Susan Sarandon, 78, Salma Hayek Pinault, 58, Viola Davis, 59, Michelle Yeoh, 62, and Jane Fonda, 87. Kidman spoke about the importance of championing roles for older actresses.“We need to give women better roles, particularly as they get older,” said Kidman. “We are here, and we can prove to you that we will make money for you. Invest in us and believe in us, because our voices are so important. We will help change the world, but we will also give you a glimpse of our hearts and our souls and what it means to be a woman. If you just give us the chance, we are so ready.”
Jodie Foster enjoys a renaissance at 60
Foster, 62, who got an eight-minute ovation for her new movie Vie Privée, first turned heads at Cannes when she was only 13, starring alongside Robert De Niro with Taxi Driver. Her career was consistent-til she hit her fifties. “My 50s were hard for me,” she told Variety. “It’s hard to embrace the transition. You feel like you’re a worse version of who you were.” But, she added, “Something happens at 60. I woke up one day and was like, ‘I don’t care about any of the things that I cared about before. I’m gonna go down a different path.’ Your kids grow up, your parents pass away, maybe you get divorced. Those life changes are shattering. But there’s a freedom that comes with that. As painful as it is to lose this other identity of being a dutiful mother or daughter or wife, you can also be like, it’s just me now.”
Her career saw a rebirth and confidence with turns in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. She also won a best actress award for portraying Diana Nyad’s former lover and swim coach in Nyad (which also garnered her an Oscar nod) .
Robert De Niro reunites with DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, presented Robert De Niro, 81, the Cannes Lifetime Achievement award at the film festival’s opening ceremony, to which De Niro replied, “Thanks, kiddo.” The pair have starred together in 1993’s This Boy’s Life, 1996’s Marvin’s Room and recently in Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
For more information, visit aarp.org