As Maggie Gyllenhaal, 37, is deemed 'too old' to play a 55-year-old's lover, FEMAIL reveals the HUGE age gaps between Hollywood's leading men and women

  • The actress said the casting decision made her 'feel bad' then 'angry' 
  • There was a 16 year gap between Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie 
  • Johnny Depp, 43, shared an on-screen kiss with Keira Knightley, 21  

Maggie Gyllenhaal has spoken out about the ageism she encountered during a Hollywood film casting.

The Honourable Woman starlet is only 37 years old, however movie bosses have deemed her too old to play the lover of a 55-year-old man. 

During an interview with The Wrap, the Emmy-winning actress said the comments from top executives made her 'feel bad' and shocked. 

Scroll down for video 

At 37 years old actress Maggie Gyllenhaal said she is deemed 'too old' to play a 55-year-old's love interest

At 37 years old actress Maggie Gyllenhaal said she is deemed 'too old' to play a 55-year-old's love interest

'There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time,' she said.

'I'm 37 and I was told recently I was too old to play the lover of a man who was 55.' 

Maggie, who is married to actor Peter Sarsgaard, added: 'It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made me feel angry, and then it made me laugh.'

There appears to be an epidemic in Hollywood which sees leading men get older at a steady rate (and remain leading men) while the women they are dating on-screen stay around the same age - late 20s.

In the 2013 hit movie The Wolf Of Wall Street, there was a 16-year age gap between Leonardo DiCaprio and his long-suffering on-screen wife Margot Robbie.

The Golden Globe winner was 38 when he played the corrupt banker while at 22 his former Neighbour's co-star had barely left her teens.  

In Wolf Of Wall Street there was a 16 year age gap between Leonardo DiCaprio and his on-screen wife Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie was just 22 when she starred opposite a 38 year old Leonardo DiCaprio

In Wolf Of Wall Street there was a 16 year age gap between Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and his on-screen wife Margot Robbie (right)

Most of Johnny Depp's notable movie love interests have been 25 or under - including Winona Ryder, Amber Heard and Juliette Lewis.

While starring in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, the 43-year-old shared an on-screen kiss with Keira Knightley who was just 21. 

The American, who played main protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, has spoken out about how awkward filming romantic scenes with a young actress was. 

There was a 22 year age gap between Johnny Depp  and his Pirates of the Caribbean leading lady Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley was just 21 when she starred opposite a 43 year old Johnny Depp

There was a 22 year age gap between Johnny Depp (left) and his Pirates of the Caribbean leading lady Keira Knightley (right)

'It is always awkward when you are kissing someone you are not romantically involved with,' he said. 

'It is acting and it is fake. Kissing scenes are always strange to me, especially since Keira is twentysomething years younger.'

In a twist of fate, Brad Pitt launched his silver screen career by playing the toyboy love interest of Geena Davis in Thelma and Louise - she was eight years old than him.

Brad Pitt was 40 years old when he starred in Troy while Rose Byrne was just 24
There was a 16 year age gap between Rose Byrne and her Troy co-star Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt (left) was 40 years old when he starred in Troy while Rose Byrne (right) was just 24

There was a 15 year age gap between George Clooney  and his The American co-star Violante Placido
Violante Placido was 34 years old when she starred opposite a 49 year old George Clooney

There was a 15 year age gap between George Clooney (left) and his The American co-star Violante Placido (right)

However, as his profile rocketed, the age of the women he was wooing in his films plummeted. 

Most notably, baby-faced 24-year-old Rose Byrne tried to win his heart in the war epic Troy. 

Angelina Jolie's husband and father-of-six Brad was 40 at the time.    

In contrast to Brad Pitt, the sirens that George Clooney screen-dates are marginally more age-appropriate. 

He has twice been romantically-engaged with actresses who were three years older than him: Michelle Pfeiffer in One Fine Day and Holly Hunter in O Brother Where Art Thou?

However, since he hit his 50s the age of his love interests appear to have plateaued. 

There was a 32 year age gap between Liam Neeson and his Third Person leading lady Olivia Wilde
At 29 years old, there was a 32 year age gap between Olivia Wilde and Liam Neeson

There was a 32 year age gap between Liam Neeson (left) and his Third Person leading lady Olivia Wilde (right)

In his 2010 film The American, the 49-year-old starred opposite a 34-year-old Violante Placido - who was 15 years his junior. 

Art seems to imitate life as George Clooney married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin who is 17 years younger than him. 

Comedian Tina Fey joked at the Golden Globes that he would rather 'float off into space' then spend time in a lift with a woman his own age.

Richard Gerewas 63 years old when he starred in Arbitrage while Laetitia Casta was just 34
There was nearly a 30 year age gap between Laetitia Casta and her co-star Richard Gere

Richard Gere (left) was 63 years old when he starred in Arbitrage while Laetitia Casta (right) was just 34

Tom Cruise was 50 years old when he starred in Oblivian while his co-star Olga Kurylenko was just 33
Olga Kurylenko was just 33 when she starred opposite a 50 year old Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise (left) was 50 years old when he starred in Oblivion while his co-star Olga Kurylenko (right) was just 33

Taken heartthrob Liam Neeson partnered with older Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Meryl Streep in the mid-Nineties but since then has been wooing younger on-screen lovers.

In Third Person, the 61-year-old beds 29-year-old former The OC actress Olivia Wilde. 

Meanwhile, Richard Gere doesn't fare much better. 

The 63-year-old hasn't seen his love interests age much in the past three decades. 

He's female co-stars have been 10 to 30 years younger than him - a trend that shows no signs of abating. 

In his 2012 thriller Arbitrage, Richard's on-screen lover Laetitia Casta was 29 years his junior. 

There was a 20 year age gap between Steve Carrell  and his Get Smart love interest Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway was just 25 when she starred opposite a 45 year old Steve Carrell

There was a 20 year age gap between Steve Carrell (left) and Get Smart love interest Anne Hathaway (right)

Some actors' age gaps are more persistently egregious than others. 

Interestingly, at the start of his career almost all of Tom Cruise's love interests were older than him, however in the nineties he became the older man in romantic encounters. 

It has stayed that way ever since.

He was a full 17 years older than his 2013 Oblivion co-star Olga Kurylenko. 

At 27 Olga played a Bond Girl in Quantum of Solace, opposite a 39-year-old Daniel Craig.   

In the 1994 hit film Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks was 37 years old while his co-star Robin Wright was just 28
Robin Wright was nine years younger than her Forrest Gump co-star Tom Hanks

In 1994's Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks (left) was 37 years old while his co-star Robin Wright (right) was just 28

When your breakout film is called The 40-Year-Old Virgin, most fans are aware of your age - even if you were 43 when it came out.

Steve Carrell seems most at home with romantic partners nearer to his age like Tina Fey and Julianne Moore. 

But Hollywood still insist on partnering him with twenty-somethings. 

In American comedy Get Smart his lover Anne Hathaway was 20 years younger than him. 

A blip of hope is offered in the form of Tom Hanks whose leading ladies actually age alongside him. 

They tend to be a bit younger but there isn't any gigantic age gaps. 

In the 1994 cult classic Forrest Gump, Tom was 37 years old while his on-screen girlfriend Robin Wright was 28. 

Hollywood appears to priortise beauty and youth over ability and prestige. 

Let's hope that the expiration date on female leads change so they can get old at the same rate as leading men.


The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now