Catherine Zeta Jones says that she was told, "I was a bit old" I wasn't 20 yet"

Ageism in Hollywood is not a secret. After a certain age it is increasingly difficult for actors to find a job, especially women.

While many men in the entertainment business are allowed to age without much of a disruption to their career, women often find themselves losing roles to other women half their age. Some actresses claim that they have been told that they are "too young" to be hired for certain roles, even though they are younger than the male co-star. All of this happens too often and these women are speaking up.

Discover which actresses were told they were not accepted because they are too old.

1. Patti LuPone

Broadway legend Patti LuPone was such a fan of Apple TV+'s "Schmigadoon," a parody and homage to Broadway Musicals, that Patti LuPone asked to be part of the ensemble cast. She claims that producers told her that she was "too older" to appear in the show.

"I wanted to appear in 'Schmigadoon', but I was too young...We reached out and told them I want to appear in 'Schmigadoon'. They said 'Sorry. She told Mashable, "You're too old." "It is so sad. It's sad. Their loss! I don't have anything else to say. "I so wanted to be there!"

2. Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde auditioned once for "The Wolf of Wall Street", but didn't end up getting the role. Olivia Wilde claims that she was told at the time she was "too complex" for the part, but later discovered it was just her agent telling her she was too old.

"The most hilarious thing I heard was that I was being called too sophisticated. "Oh, that sounds good." I thought. This feedback is great. I didn't land the role, but I am a very intelligent person. She said, "I found out later they said 'old'," on the Howard Stern Show.

3. Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks was told that she was too older to play Mary-Jane Watson, despite being only a year older than Tobey Maguire. Kirsten Dunst was chosen to play the role, despite being a teenager and 10 years younger.

I screen-tested to play Mary-Jane Watson opposite Tobey McGuire in the first "Spider-Man" movie. Tobey Maguire and I are almost the same age, and I was told that I was too old for her. Elizabeth told Glamour U.K., "I'm like 'Oh, OK, that's exactly what I signed up for.'

4. Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is a vocal critic against ageism, and she has also experienced it. She claims that she was told by a Hollywood executive she was too older to play alongside Hugh Grant in Sense and Sensibility, despite their age being so close. Emma was not only praised for her performance, but she also won an Oscar for screenplay.

"The age thing" is a nonsense. It has always been so. It's always been that way. Emma told Vulture that it has gotten worse. "I remember someone telling me I was too young for Hugh Grant in Sense and Sensibility, who is about a year older than me. I asked, "Do you want me to take a flying jump?"

5. Catherine Zeta Jones

Catherine Zeta Jones was rejected for a role because she was too old. She was just 19 years old! She claims that the audition was to be a Trevor Nunn and Andrew Lloyd Webber production of "Aspects Of Love," for which Trevor did not think she was right for.

"Trevor always charms me and tells me that I am just a bit too young and too pretty. Catherine said, "I was not even 20 years old and I told him he could make me look as ugly or as young as he liked but it wouldn't help."

6. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal says she was told that she was too older for a part where she played the love interest to a male actor over a decade younger than her. She didn't say what film the audition was for but says that it was a surprise.

She told The Wrap that "there are many things about being an actor in Hollywood that I find disappointing. They surprise me every time." "I am 37 years old and was recently told that I'm too old to be the love interest of a 55-year-old man. This was astonishment to me. "It made me feel bad and then angry and then made me laugh."

7. Geena Davis

Geena says that Hollywood's ageism is "very bizarre and so prevalent", and she has had to deal with it many times. She was once rejected for a role, claiming that she was "too older" to be a male actor’s love interest despite being 20 years younger.

Geena said to Deadline that "a certain male actor who was working on a film told me that I was too young to be his romantic partner, even though I was 20 years older than him." Women peak as actors in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Men peak around their 50s. The male actors of movies either want to look younger or appeal to younger audiences, so they choose a young co-star. This is the reason why this happens, and why women are rarely cast after age 40 or 50. They are deemed too old for a romantic partner."

Nia Long

Nia Long was rejected from a role in "Charlie's Angels", when she auditioned back in the early 2000s. She said that she was told by her critics she appeared "too sophisticated" and "too old", despite being 5 years younger than Drew Barrymore, who is the co-star of the show.

Nia tells Yahoo! "'Charlie's Angels' didn't want me because they thought I looked too sophisticated next to Drew Barrymore," Nia says. Entertainment. You can't be everywhere and you won't get every chance. "Big Momma's House" was more fun than playing that character.

9. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman says she has faced ageism, just like Lucille, the character she played in "Being The Ricardos." She said that there is a scene in the movie that touches on this subject, and she found it very relatable.

There's a part where they say 'You are 39 and that's all.' Nicole said, "It's over for you." She was speaking on the Today show. "I understand that feeling. I had a similar feeling. It was just like, "OK." The same way that television opened up a new world for her, so did it for me. Around the same time, I thought, "Gosh, this is kind of...I really know that feeling."

10. Jamie Denbo

Jamie Denbo, the actress of "Orange Is The New Black", revealed in 2017 that she was told she was a bit too old to portray the wife of an actor aged 57 years old. This is despite her being more than a decade younger. She didn't reveal the name of the actor, but she did say that his real-life wife was older than she was.

"I just heard that I'm TOO OLD at 43 to play the wife of someone who is 57 years old. Oh, and the characters have a daughter who is 18 years old. She tweeted that she was "TOO OLD" to be a mother of a 18-year-old. Later, she added, "The wife of the actor, who is 57 years old, is easily at least 50." This f---- wants to be married on TV to a 38-year-old woman - TOPS."

-----------------------------------

Title: These Actresses Were All Told They Lost Roles For Being 'Too Old'
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/05/26/these-actresses-were-all-told-they-lost-roles-for-being-too-old/
Published Date: Fri, 26 May 2023 15:25:45 +0000

Read More