Sam Elliott, who has been working in Hollywood for more than four decades, knows well how the business has changed over the years. And that includes a shrinking tolerance for older actors, especially women, Elliott told HuffPost Live on Tuesday.

The actor spoke with host Josh Zepps about his new film, "Grandma ," which also stars comedy legend Lily Tomlin. Elliott, 71, said that in his own experiences and those of his wife, 75-year-old actress Katherine Ross, and Tomlin , also 75, getting older poses quite a challenge for actors.

"Hollywood is hard on women. It's hard on all of us actors, I think, in this day and age, because it's all about youth. [Maybe] not 'all about' -- I mean, nothing is 'all about,' obviously -- but there is certainly a focus on it, for lack of a better word, at the moment," Elliot said.

But Elliott points to films like "Grandma" and this year's "I'll See You in My Dreams ," which features Elliott alongside the likes of Blythe Danner and June Squibb, as a sign that getting older might be getting a little easier in showbiz.

"I think it's getting better," Elliott said. "I hope that it is."

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation with Sam Elliott here.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!

Also on HuffPost:

For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber .