Talking animals are cast as protagonists more often than elderly women

A study carried out in the United Kingdom revealed that, among the highest-grossing films in the last three years in the country, the probability that the protagonist is a talking animal is greater than that of an actress over 60 years old. The research, carried out by Age Without Limits, also found that the film is also more likely to star an actor named Chris than an older actress.

When analyzing the top 100 grossing films in 2023, 2024 and 2025, six had men named Chris as the protagonists, while only five starred a woman over 60. The research was carried out by a team from the School of Film, Media and Design at the University of West London. The initiative is part of the Age Without Limits campaign, a British project created to combat ageism.

The country's public was interviewed about the inclusion of elderly women in films, and 39% of women said that not enough films are produced with actresses over 60 as protagonists. At the same time, 16% of people said they would be more likely to watch a film featuring a woman over 60 - double the proportion of those who said it would make them less likely to watch the film.

Actress Emma Thompson, 67, known for her roles in "Nanny McPhee" and "Harry Potter," spoke publicly about the research in support of the Age Without Limits campaign.

"Women represent half the population and we are getting older. So where are the stories about us?", he declared. "I want to see more films centered on older women; we are captivating, we identify with them and it's past time for us to take center stage. Older women don't need permission to exist on screen."

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Source: CNN