They’ve portrayed a myriad of interesting roles, from a single mother turned prostitute in the gritty TV drama The Deuce to a sapient android in Westworld.
And Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sarah Silverman and Evan Rachel Wood have shed light on what they really think about the problems women face on the big screen.
The Hollywood actresses joined a host of stars in a refreshingly honest interview for The EDIT, addressing antisemitism, sexism and rape on and off the cameras.
Screen queens: Evan Rachel Wood (far left), Yvonne Orji, Maggie Gyllenhaal (centre), Nicole Richie and Sarah Silverman have shed light on what they really think about the problems women face on the big screen
Gyllenhaal looked sensational in a silky black full length gown as she joined the four actresses for the stunning photo shoot.
The 40-year-old seemed in good spirits as she posed alongside Nicole Richie and Yvonne Orji in another shot in a figure-hugging white dress.
Talking about her role in The Deuce, she said: ‘I was being asked to play a sex worker, which is a very delicate thing to consider.
‘So I said, “I’m really intrigued by this, but I don’t feel I can agree without a guarantee that I’ll be part of the conversation about what we’re ultimately saying, so I want to be a producer.”
Power actresses: Maggie Gyllenhaal (left), Nicole Richie (centre) and Yvonne Orji (right) stunned in white dresses in The EDIT photo shoot
‘To ask to be a producer on a big-time HBO show was a really big ask, but it was one of the first times in my life that I could hear this voice saying, “You need this.”
‘Major things [happen to] Candy that were influenced by my ideas and I’m very proud of that.’
Meanwhile, Evans described the lack of opportunity for actresses to portray a sex symbol after the age of 23.
The 30-year-old, who showed off her model physique in a black blouse and high-waisted trousers, said: ‘I feel like [in film] after 23-ish, you go into this dead zone where you can’t play the little ingénue sexpot anymore, but you’re not quite playing mothers or doctors or lawyers yet.
‘On TV, I see well-rounded female characters, their flaws [and] triumphs.’
Evan, whose critically acclaimed role in Westworld this year put her at the centre of a discussion about sexual violence on TV, said playing Dolores ‘changed her life’ and allowed her to ‘face her demons’.
Having fun: Evan Rachel Wood and Sarah Silverman opted for monochrome looks in another shot as they embraced each other
Hollywood icon: The stunning 30-year-old described the lack of opportunity for actresses to portray a sex symbol after the age of 23. Pictured her at the Primetime Emmy Awards
She said: ‘Her journey actually helped me [deal] with my own rape and sexual abuse.
‘Not only had I a [personal] appreciation for her, I knew what she was going to do for other people, because she had done it for me.
‘She’s literally beaten and on the ground, but she gets up stronger than before. It got me to face my own experience,’ she added.
‘I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it, if playing her had not made it real and validated it. The show gave me permission to face my demons.’
Former reality star Nicole Richie added TV has the power to challenge stereotypes.
‘I grew up in [a time where] women were one thing: the housewife, the dumb girl. Portia [on Great News] loves pink, but she’s also a news anchor,’ she said.
‘She has prolific moments where you think, this is an educated, 31-year-old woman. The message is that you don’t need to be put into a category.’
Lifting the lid: The Hollywood actresses joined a host of stars in the refreshingly honest interview for The EDIT, addressing antisemitism, sexism and rape on and off the cameras
On the subject of whether female roles are more interesting now, Sarah Silverman revealed she learned early her role options were either ‘the sassy friend or the c**** girlfriend’.
She said: ‘I even had a director tell me, “You’re never going to be the character that deserves love.”
‘It’s antisemitism, and it’s half the time by Jews – they don’t want to see themselves, especially the women, reflected in the things they make.’
Yvonne Orji, best known for her role as Molly in the award-winning HBO series Insecure, added there needs to be more diversity behind the camera, not just in front of it.
She told The EDIT: ‘A lot of times it’s like, “OK, we have to cast a person of colour.
‘Then you read the role and it’s not written for a person of colour, they just took a character [at random].
‘So then [you have to ask], do you have a person of colour in the writer’s room? […] The important conversation to have around diversity is [that it’s] not just the face that you see.’
Read the full interview in The EDIT, available to buy now.
Opening up: Sarah Silverman revealed she learned early her role options were either ‘the sassy friend or the c**** girlfriend’, here she is pictured at the Toronto International Film Festival