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Film provided additional opportunities. Levine appeared in the 2008 Adam Sandler comedy You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. She also accumulated other movie roles as her career progressed. Her willingness to accept unusual comedic characters meant that filmmakers could use her presence to create contrast, surprise or humor in scenes. Instead of resisting parts because they did not fit traditional expectations about older performers, Levine frequently seemed willing to lean into the unexpected.
One of the most recognizable films associated with her later career was Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. Released in 2016 and starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, the musical became an international success and received widespread awards recognition. Levine’s involvement placed her within one of the most prominent Hollywood productions of that decade. By then, she had already been acting professionally for roughly three decades despite not beginning until later adulthood.
Her television résumé continued growing as well. Levine appeared in Shameless, the long-running comedy-drama centered on the Gallagher family. Once again, the project was substantially different from many of her previous television appearances. Moving among network sitcoms, crime dramas, sketch comedy, cable television and feature films demonstrated just how broad her second career had become.
What made Levine’s professional journey particularly notable was not simply that she started acting late. She also continued working at ages when opportunities for performers can become increasingly limited. Rather than treating her first few roles as fulfillment of a personal bucket-list goal, she remained professionally engaged for decades. The acting career she began near age 60 ultimately became long enough to represent an entire substantial chapter of her life.
Her later work included the 2024 film Thelma, starring June Squibb. The film itself received attention for placing an older woman at the center of an action-comedy story, making Levine’s participation particularly fitting given her own history of challenging assumptions about age and performance. By the time the film arrived, Levine was well into her 90s and still adding professional credits.