A new UK study has found that more of the top-grossing films in the UK over the past three years featured actors named Chris than female leads who were over 60. The Age Without Limits study found that people over the age of 60 are four times more likely to work in a movie starring a talking animal than a female actor.
Looking at the 100 highest-grossing movies of 2023, 2024, and 2025, there were six starring men named Chris, and only five starring women over the age of 60.
Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson is backing the Age Without Limits campaign, which is calling on the film industry to better represent older women on screen.
“Half of the population is women, and we’re getting older. So where are the stories about us? The older we get, the more interesting we become. I’d like to see more movies with older women as protagonists. I can’t wait to see them take center stage. Older women don’t need permission to be present on screen. They’re already in the world, they just need to catch up,” Thompson said in a statement to Age Without Limits.
The study lists five films released in the UK in the past five years starring female stars over 60. Jennifer Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous, Allergia, Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Diane Keaton’s Book Club: The Next Chapter, Demi Moore’s The Substance, and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Freaky Friday.
The Age Without Limits campaign asked the British public to give their views on including more older women in films. When asked about women, 39% said there aren’t enough movies starring female actors over the age of 60. Meanwhile, 16% of people said they would be more likely to watch a movie featuring women over 60, twice as many as those who said it would make them less likely to watch it.
The research was carried out by a team from the School of Film, Media and Design at the University of West London, led by Professor Dennis A. Olsen.
