Study Finds Older Women Rarely Lead Top UK Films

A new study has found that among the most commercially successful films in the UK, a lead actor named Chris appears more frequently than a female lead over the age of 60. The research, conducted for the Age Without Limits campaign by the Centre for Ageing Better charity, analyzed the 100 highest-grossing films released in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

It identified six films with a male lead named Chris, including performances by Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, and Christian Friedel. In contrast, only five films featured a woman over 60 in a leading role. Those films were "Allelujah" starring Jennifer Saunders, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3" with Nia Vardalos, "Book Club: The Next Chapter" featuring Diane Keaton, "The Substance" with Demi Moore, and "Freakier Friday" starring Jamie Lee Curtis. The study also noted that films were four times more likely to have a talking animal as the lead character than an older woman.

In response to the findings, Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson, 67, called for the film industry to better represent older women. "Women are half the population and we get older," Thompson said. "So where are the stories about us? The older we get, the more...