The Actress emerged on the English stage in 1660, much to the delight of Restoration audiences. Elizabeth Barry, Anne Bracegirdle and Nell Gwynn achieved great fame, and each specialized, for the most part, in playing a particular kind of role, either tragic or comedic. Dramatists began writing larger roles for women, because for the first time they were not played by boys, rather by seasoned actresses who could handle the complexity and difficulty of dramatic roles, poetic language and vast emotional range. In this sense, the actress shaped the drama of the period.

Restoration audiences were thrilled by seeing women on stage, and actresses were greatly admired for their beauty, charms and many talents. For the audience, she was the object of desire, both powerful and vulnerable – but ultimately irresistible. The audience paid to see them perform, so in a sense they became a public commodity. Even their seemingly private sexual lives were often public, such as the king's long-term affair with Nell Gwynn, as well as Elizabeth Barry's liaison with the second Earl of Rochester. Breeches roles dressed the women in tight trousers, which allowed (presumably) male audience members to admire (and desire) the lovely shape of the women's legs, which were normally otherwise concealed underneath skirts. But breeches roles also allowed a voyeuristic experience for the women in the audience: for a few hours on the stage, women watched actresses play men, which entailed gaining all his freedom, prowess and powers.