Emma Thompson has called for more films to focus on older women following the findings of a new research, which has revealed that there are more recent films led by men with the same first name than there are led by ladies of a certain age.
The recent research from anti-ageism charity Centre for Ageing Better has revealed that, from across the top 100 films of 2023, 2024, and 2025, six films had a man named Chris as the lead actor, compared to five with a woman over 60 years old in the lead role.
Beyond that, talking animals were said to be four times as likely to be the lead.
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The charity's Age Without Limits campaign is calling for the film industry to better represent older women on screen, with the Good Luck to You, Leo Grande and Years and Years actor lending her support to the cause.
"Women are half the population and we get older. So where are the stories about us?" Thompson said.
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"The older we get, the more interesting we are. I want to see more films centre ageing women, we are compelling, relatable, and overdue for centre stage. Older women don't need permission to exist on screen. They already exist in the world, cinema just needs to catch up."
The female-led films featured in the research are: Allelujah (Jennifer Saunders), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (Nia Vardalos), Book Club: The Next Chapter (Diane Keaton), The Substance (Demi Moore), and Freakier Friday (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Meanwhile, the Chris-led films are: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Chris Pratt), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Pratt), Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (Chris Pine), The Garfield Movie (Pratt), Transformers One (Chris Hemsworth), and The Zone of Interest (Christian Friedel).
The Centre for Ageing Better's chief executive, Dr Carole Easton OBE, said in a statement following the results of their research: "It is absolutely ludicrous to think so few films have been made in recent years that have an older woman at the front and centre."
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She continued: "Up to one in five UK cinema attendees are aged 55 and above, this age group spends hundreds of millions of pounds every year on cinema. 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.
"Sadly, it is not just in cinema where this happens. In many forms of media, in many different employment sectors and parts of public life, the input of older women is minimised, marginalised and ignored.
"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."
A poll commissioned by the charity had one in three participants stating that they would like more films led by women over 60, with one in five people saying they'd also like more films led by men over 60.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
