Sexy stars are doing great work — and turning heads — at close to 60

In two weeks, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Sunset Boulevard” will begin previews on Broadway.

Based on Billy Wilder’s 1950 cinema masterpiece, the show is about a reclusive actress named Norma Desmond who, at just 50 years old, has been completely abandoned by Hollywood and left to stew in a lonely mansion — all but forgotten by millions of fans.

That tragic story is the quintessential expression of a long-held truth: that the entertainment industry cannot abide women getting older.

But, at the Toronto International Film Festival last week, you could feel the ground shifting — and hardly at the expense of enjoyment or heat.

The sexiest and most provocative movies coming to a theater near you star popular actresses hovering around age 60.

Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson — three names I never thought I’d lump together — are doing some of the boldest and most dangerous work of their careers.

More than once I wondered how these alluring performers were convinced to take on independent projects that don’t exactly exude class and could expose them to potential ridicule if things went south.

Maybe they needed a job, maybe they were enticed by charismatic directors, maybe they craved a sharp turn. Whatever the reason, their instincts were bang on.

A week ago, Kidman’s risk was rewarded when she won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her turn in the movie “Babygirl.”

In the addicting psychological drama, the 57-year-old “Moulin Rouge” stunner plays Romy, a buttoned-up boss at a Manhattan robotics company who has a kinky affair with a twenty-something intern.

The movie is more than just a series of raunchy flings, though. It poses stimulating questions about the pros and cons of power — in the boardroom and in the bedroom. As for Kidman, it’s her finest work in a while, after duds such as “A Family Affair,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and “The Northman.”

As her character flirts with total self-destruction and sexual self-discovery, we’re reminded of how much the star of “The Hours” is capable of.

Pamela Anderson, meanwhile, told the crowd at the premiere of “The Last Showgirl” that “it’s the first time I’ve ever read a good script.” I’ve no doubt that she’s telling the truth.

The 57-year-old actress, who became famous in the 1990s from Playboy, “Baywatch” and a stolen sex tape, surely hasn’t spent years batting away Oscar bait. Finally, she’s been handed something meaty.

This actually readable role is Shelley, a Las Vegas showgirl who’s about to be out of a job for the first time in more than 30 years. Anderson digs deep as Shelley’s life crumbles, and Toronto audiences were impressed.

She was mobbed at the film’s luxe party at Estiatorio Milos, which was also celebrating Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.” Pam and Francis — can you believe it?

But the most Norma Desmond-esque part belongs to 61-year-old Moore in the demented body-horror film “The Substance.”

The “Ghost” star plays a fading actress named Elisabeth Sparkle who, after being canned from her fitness TV show, learns of an underground drug that can create a younger, better version of herself — through grotesque and terrifying means.

That’s a harsh mirror most celebs wouldn’t dare look into, but Moore — nude for a big chunk of the movie — gamely confronts a rough reality she’s undoubtedly faced in her own life. She’s funny, frightening and gorgeous as ever.

Norma’s clock might have run out, but, Mr. DeMille, Nicole, Pam and Demi are ready for their closeup.