Going to the Movies? You’re More Likely to See An Actor Named Chris Than a Woman Over 60 in the Starring Role
Top-grossing films released in the U.K. were also four times more likely to feature a talking animal as the lead character than a woman 60-plus.
Are you an actor named Chris? Or are you a talking animal? Congratulations! You are more likely to star in a movie released in the U.K. than a woman over the age of 60.
It may sound like a joke, but a new analysis shows that among the 100 highest-grossing films released in the U.K. between 2023 and 2025, six featured a lead actor named Chris, while only five featured a woman over 60 in the lead role.
The analysis, conducted by the advocacy campaign Age Without Limits — launched by the nonprofit Centre for Ageing Better in 2024 — also found that the films examined were four times more likely to feature a talking animal as the lead character than a woman in that age group.
“Women are half the population and we get older. So where are the stories about us?” Dame Emma Thompson, the 67-year-old Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor, commented on the findings. “The older we get, the more interesting we are. I want to see more films center aging women, we are compelling, relatable, and overdue for center stage. Older women don’t need permission to exist on screen. They already exist in the world, cinema just needs to catch up.”
Carole Easton, chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, described the findings as “ludicrous,” particularly given the demographics of cinema audiences.
“The representation of older actors in major film roles is so disproportionate to the proportion of older women in the cinema-going audience.”
“Up to one in five U.K. cinema attendees are aged 55 and above, this age group spends hundreds of millions of pounds every year on cinema,” she noted. “The representation of older actors in major film roles is so disproportionate to the proportion of older women in the cinema-going audience, the lack of representation is insulting frankly.”
Easton added that what appears on screen often reflects broader trends in society.
“In many forms of media, in many different employment sectors and parts of public life, the input of older women is minimized, marginalized and ignored,” she said. “We must all push back against ageism, and its intersection with sexism, by telling the cultural gatekeepers that we want all aspects and stages of life represented in the things we watch, listen to and read.”
The Chris List
According to research from the Centre for Ageing Better, the films featuring a Chris as a lead actor in the past three years are:
Chris Pratt, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" (2023)
Chris Pratt, "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3" (2023)
Chris Pine, "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" (2023)
Chris Pratt, "The Garfield Movie" (2024)
Chris Hemsworth, "Transformers One" (2024)
Christian Friedel, "The Zone of Interest" (2024)
The films featuring a female lead actor over the age of 60 in the past three years are:
Jennifer Saunders, "Allelujah" (2023)
Nia Vardalos, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3" (2023)
Diane Keaton, "Book Club: The Next Chapter" (2023)
Demi Moore, "The Substance" (2024)
Jamie Lee Curtis, "Freakier Friday" (2025)
Ruchika T. Malhotra
Caroline Fairchild
Kathleen Davis
