Annette Bening is taking on another commanding role, portraying criminal kingpin Priscilla Matheson in the upcoming Apple TV+ miniseries "Lucky." This follows her recent performance as a drug-trafficking rancher in "Dutton Ranch," continuing a trend of playing characters involved in illicit activities.

"It’s a joy to explore playing a woman who says, ‘OK – if you don’t like me, I don’t have a problem with that,’" Bening, 68, told The Post. The Oscar-nominated actress, whose career spans nearly four decades, noted a significant shift in the types of roles available to women.

"There’s a lot more range in the writing in women’s parts," she said. "The whole box that we used to be put in, and the stereotypes that we used to be trapped in are definitely changing. I feel really lucky to find stories with complex women who do things that are unexpected, that don’t fit into stereotypes."

"Lucky," which premieres Wednesday, July 15, is based on a novel of the same name. The series centers on a con woman, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who is on the run from Bening's mob boss character after a heist goes awry. Drew Starkey plays Taylor-Joy's husband. Jonathan Tropper, known for "Your Friends and Neighbors," created the Apple TV miniseries, with Reese Witherspoon serving as a producer. Timothy Olyphant also stars as Taylor-Joy's father.

Bening described her connection to Priscilla as "emotional," explaining her acting approach for such characters involves minimizing analytical thought. "I do the opposite of thinking, if I can," she stated. "Sometimes that’s the best thing — to just stay out of that [analytical] part of your brain."

She cautioned that Priscilla is not a model for behavior, characterizing the mob boss as emotionally volatile and living "in the world in a unhealthy way." However, Bening finds these complexities compelling.

The actress also highlighted the "thrilling" action sequences in "Lucky," which include shootouts and car chases. "We did some of that, where we were racing around … That was fun," she said, calling the experience "really liberating."

Bening has been married to actor Warren Beatty since 1992, and they have four children. The couple has collaborated on films such as "Bugsy" and "Rules Don't Apply." When asked about the possibility of working together on a television series, Bening expressed openness to the idea, calling it "an intriguing idea."

"Lucky" will be available on Apple TV with new episodes releasing on Wednesdays, starting July 15.