Let's think about it. How many movies can we think about off the top of our head that didn't have an actor who was a bit older? Unless they're playing the grandparents or are some wise old mentor role, older actors are visible unseen. If they were famous in their golden days, then the stars might make a cameo.
But let's not pretend that the issue is gender non-specific. In several Hollywood movies, the leading man is often paired with a much younger woman as their romantic lead. I still remember when Skyfall came out and headlines were made that the Bond Girl was an older woman, and the uproar it caused. People saying it was odd and weird. You know what is weird, Daniel Craig is 51 and the Bond Girl would've been played by an actress that's 25.
It's not just a single occurrence either. Autumn in New York is a popular 2000's movie which portrays a terminally ill 28-year old Winona Ryder (Playing 22) falling in love for notorious playboy and 50 year-old Richard Gere (who plays 48). It also plays into the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl but the best part about the movie is that Vera Farmiga, who is the same age as Ryder, plays Gere's older daughter.
Some actresses have come out and called out casting directors because of the prevalent ageism found in Hollywood. Maggie Gyllenhaal was told by a producer that, at 37, she was too old to play the love-interest of a 55-year old man. In an interview with the The Wrap, Gyllenhaal stated "There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress that surprise me all the time… I'm 37 and I was told recently I was too old to play the lover of a man who was 55. It was astonishing to men. It made me feel bad, and then it made me feel angry"
This nuance of the woman being much younger to the man just translates in real life. Let's look at Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, he's handsome and successful but he's also nearing 45. Yet, if you take a look at his dating history, his girlfriends seem to never go past the age of 25. I understand that both the woman and DiCaprio are consenting adults but the level of maturity behind a 45 year old and a person just entering adulthood is vastly different. My point here is that, in both media and the real-world, men are allowed to age but women aren't.
