“The Serpent Queen” stars Minnie Driver and Samantha Morton on how Hollywood has evolved for women: 'We're allowed to be over 40 now'

Morton and Driver face off as Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I in season 2 of the Starz drama.

Minnie Driver and Samantha Morton have both earned the title of Queen.

The two actresses, who rose to fame in the 1990s, are now facing off as Elizabeth I of England (Driver) and Catherine de Medici of France (Morton) in the second season of the Starz historical drama, The Serpent Queen. And the fact that they get to dive into these juicy roles is, in their opinion, a sign of positive change in the entertainment industry.

"We're allowed to be over 40 now," Driver quipped following a special screening of season 2's first episode. "It is different. [People] are waking up to the idea that women are really just hitting their stride when they've run the gauntlet of only being seen sexually. And [sex] being their apparent power, rather than the extraordinary expansiveness that comes with getting older."

Both Morton and Driver chatted about their experiences making The Serpent Queen and their long careers during a panel discussion hosted by PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly , and Starz at the London West Hollywood on Tuesday night.

Morton echoed Driver's sense that there has been a shift in attitudes toward older actresses, but also noted that she was able to avoid the trap of feeling her value decrease as she aged because she was always seen as more of a character actress.

"I was never seen as beautiful," she reflected. "And I was never invited to be on the cover of Vanity Fair. I was just a character actress, and so I continue to work. What's hard for American actresses or Hollywood is you're always judged by beauty. I think we're out of those times now. And thank goodness. We're very blessed that we get to make The Serpent Queen and play these very powerful historical women that were the trailblazers. We have come full circle. We are still working; we are still here."

Related: How Tony Soprano and Fleabag inspired Catherine de Medici on The Serpent Queen

Part of those changes come via the opportunities to play women like these two fierce historical figures. Both Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I defied the norms of their times to seize and hold power, drastically transforming France and England.

"Nobody wants the person in power to be in power," Driver said of the challenges both Queens face. "You have to fight for that. And particularly 'Hey, let's double down when you are a woman.' There's a level of danger in this instant pivoting. You never know when you're gonna have to kill someone or who you will have to trade. I like that threat."

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Driver added, "[Creator] Justin [Haythe] wrote something incredibly playful, but extremely dangerous. Because you can get taken in by the pageantry, but these are very dangerous women, because they have to be, and there was something fascinating about that. He writes proper women. Growing up in films and television, I was always improving on a vastly underwritten character. You're always expanding; you're always filling in the spaces. What I felt when I read his script was that he was just serving the most amazing women. You feel that service and that interest that he has. It was brilliant. It's phenomenal. I knew it was gonna be a great battle."

Season 2 of The Serpent Queen premieres July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.