Age apparently real to the Guardian - unlike sex

[margegunderson]

Snorted my tea reading this. Mostly because the Guardian wouldn’t bat an eyelid over someone who’s clearly playing cross-sex in a film but when it’s women playing younger it’s a pearl-clutching offence. Some disbelief must be suspended apparently, but not all.

What is the current retirement age, because I would love to start cos-playing that.

My husband said exactly the same thing yesterday! If he gets “trans age healthcare” ie an eye lift and some Botox can he start claiming state pension early?

Er no, I think he’d have to defer it.

Presumably the blokes claiming to be ‘girls’ won’t be wanting their pensions and bus passes for 3 or 4 decades?

Can I be a variable age depending on my mood? Sometimes I'd like to be early 20s, but I'd also quite like to be able to get my state pension now too.

Age fluid @ScarlettSunset ! Me too, 67 Mon - Fri and 22 at the weekends please

Playing older or younger than you are, or other aspects is the basic principle of acting isn't it?

He is quite preoccupied with the age of the older females in this article

www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/17/hollywood-love-of-oddball-age-gaps-kate-winslet-goodbye-june-timothy-spall

There was actually an actor who was trying take a case to remain in his 30s. Tried searching but can't find it. Definitely age fluid

Actress Junie Hoang sued IMDb when they revealed her true age but lost the case. However now IMDB have to remove age details if they receive a formal request

https://m.imdb.com/news/ni60297692/

I'm 63 coming up to 64 but I definitely ID as 67, can I please be validated immediately and given what I'm entitled to, it's Agephobia not to support me unconditionally. 🤪

Thanks for including the link - I was clearly having a senior moment when I posted

It’s distracting, but it’s no bad thing in itself. In fact, you could even see it as a corrective to years and years of Hollywood casting women to play the mothers of actors who aren’t all that much older than them.

well quite. Would the reviewer have even noticed if in the piece be mentions the ‘mother’ had been 68 and the ‘father’ 80, I wonder?

Oh yes - oops - that way he’d get to enter some junior sports tournament. He should be getting an eye sag and grey tints? Doh!

I don’t see why not. I’d gender can be fluid, why can’t age? Both are social constructs.

There is something slightly sexist or dare I say even misogynistic about that article. There have been so many older men playing much younger characters.

I found the article hilarious and baffling. Expecting actors to play people of the exact age they are - not the age they look as? I mean, I get it - I have seen films where 30 year olds were playing teenagers - but films are not real, its acting! Would the author be shocked if he found out that someone playing a surgeon has no medical degree? Or that hobbits were actually played by normal humans?

Everyone gets the State Pension at the same age now.

This is such a weird article. Why is he so obsessed with women's ages? Does he understand what acting is? He must be insufferable to sit and watch TV or a film with.

Has anyone pointed out to him that Ian McKellen played Hamlet on stage in 2021 and in a film in 2024?

Bot received glowing reviews in the Grauniad.

er, yes. That’s the point. You can’t identify as being older than you really are.

I found the details of the man who legally tried to knock 20 years off his age. He wasn't an actor but a lifestyle coach.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46425774

'Both', obviously.

"When I'm on Tinder and it says I'm 69, I don't get an answer. When I'm 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position."

😂delusional fool. In the video on there he looks somewhat older than his actual age at the time to me (I’m nearly 65 with a husband the same age so this is the age group I’m most likely to assess correctly).

Sean Connery played Harrison Ford's Dad despite only 12 years difference, somebody tell Stuart.

Nobody minded, it was acting.