Dame Emma Thompson, an award-winning actress, recently criticized the “ageism” and “sexism” which she believes still dominates modern cinema, as a study revealed that films starring male actors named Chris are more common than films starring women over the age of 60.
Research conducted by the Center for Aging Better examined the 100 highest-grossing UK films released between 2023 and 2025 and found that six films had a lead male character named Chris, while only five had actresses over the age of 60 in the lead roles.
Reacting to the findings, the 67-year-old curiously questioned why older women get so little representation on screen despite being a large and important part of society.
“Women are half the population, and we get older. So where are the stories about us?” He said.
The actress also said that older women often become “more interesting” with time and deserve to be placed at the center of more narratives.
Actresses over 60 who have led major films include Jennifer Saunders, Diane Keaton, Demi Moore and scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis.
Meanwhile, the “Chris” category included Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, and Chris Hemsworth, all of whom appeared in several major box office hits during the study period.
However, perhaps the most surprising detail in the report was that films led by talking animals were reportedly four times more common than films focused on older women, which was described by critics as a major representation gap in mainstream cinema.
