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Actors often portray characters whose ages don't match their own. This trend, particularly of older male actors paired with much younger female co-stars, has been prevalent since Hollywood's Golden Age and continues today. While some films justify age gaps for plot reasons, many lack a logical explanation, leaving viewers uneasy as if they're expected to overlook the disparity.
Regardless of necessity, here are 10 of the most notable real-life age differences between on-screen romantic partners.
10. Gerard Butler & Emmy Rossum: Phantom of the Opera
In the 2004 adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, 17-year-old Emmy Rossum starred alongside 33-year-old Gerard Butler, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. While a 16-year age gap isn't extreme, Rossum's age being under 18 adds an uncomfortable layer to the film.
The age gap between the lead actors might have been even wider if Hugh Jackman (35 at the time), the initial choice for the male lead, hadn't been tied to Van Helsing. Katie Holmes and Anne Hathaway were considered for the role of Christine. While both would have maintained a noticeable age difference (Holmes was 25, and Hathaway was 21), it wouldn't have been as stark as the final casting.
9. Gene Kelly & Debbie Reynolds: Singin’ in the Rain
Debbie Reynolds landed her first leading role at just 19 in Singin’ in the Rain, which became her most iconic film. Starring alongside veterans Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, the movie is frequently hailed as the greatest musical of all time.
At 40, Gene Kelly not only starred in but also directed and choreographed the film, acting opposite the teenage Reynolds. Despite the challenges, Reynolds later remarked, “Singin’ in the Rain and childbirth were the toughest experiences of my life.” She credited Kelly, her co-star and director, for shaping her career, saying he “made me a star…[and] taught me discipline, hard work, and dedication.”
8. Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney: White Christmas
White Christmas became the top-grossing film of 1954 and held the record as the highest-earning musical of its era. The iconic cast featured Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye alongside on-screen sisters Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.
The popularity of the song “White Christmas,” first introduced in Holiday Inn in 1942, inspired the creation of White Christmas, with Crosby reprising his role as the lead. Clooney, aged 26 during filming, was just a year older than Marjorie Reynolds, Crosby’s co-star in Holiday Inn 12 years prior. Crosby, then 51, created a 25-year age gap with Clooney. Notably, while Clooney portrayed the older sister, she was seven years younger than Vera-Ellen.
7. Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall: To Have and Have Not
Before her role in To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall was a model discovered by the director’s wife on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. After a successful screen test, the 19-year-old newcomer’s role was expanded to the female lead, starring opposite the seasoned 45-year-old Humphrey Bogart.
Though often compared unfavorably to Casablanca, the film catapulted Bacall’s career, earning her nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony. Bogart and Bacall collaborated on three more films, including Key Largo in 1948. Despite their 26-year age difference, the couple married in May 1945, seven months after the film’s release. This was Bogart’s third marriage, and they had two children together, remaining married until his death in 1957.
6. Michael Douglas & Gwyneth Paltrow: A Perfect Murder
The 1998 remake of Hitchcock’s 1958 classic Dial M for Murder paired 53-year-old Michael Douglas with 25-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow. The 28-year age gap was intentional, serving as a plot device to explain Paltrow’s character Emily’s affair with a younger artist. Critics noted the stark contrast, with one remarking, “Douglas appears every bit of his 54 years, while Paltrow, at 25, could easily pass for someone much younger.”
Hitchcock’s original film also featured an age difference, though less pronounced. Ray Milland, 22 years older than Grace Kelly, played her husband. A Perfect Murder failed to match its predecessor’s acclaim, with critics panning it as a lackluster ’90s thriller that stripped away the essence of Dial M for Murder. One critic even suggested Douglas should retire from romantic roles opposite much younger actresses.
5. Fred Astaire & Audrey Hepburn: Funny Face
A Golden Age classic, Funny Face brought together icons Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. Though not a box office hit initially, the film is now celebrated as a cinematic gem. Despite the 30-year age difference, 27-year-old Hepburn insisted on Astaire as her co-star, cementing their on-screen partnership.
Astaire initially retired in 1946 but made a comeback in 1948 with Easter Parade. His final film, Ghost Story, came 24 years after Funny Face, in 1981.
4. Sean Penn & Emma Stone: Gangster Squad
Stone’s career often pairs her with older male co-stars, such as Colin Firth (53) in Magic in the Moonlight, Joaquin Phoenix (40) in Irrational Man, and Edward Norton (45) in Birdman. However, her role in Gangster Squad features her most significant age gap with a co-star.
In the 2013 action thriller, Penn portrayed gangster Mickey Cohen at 54, nearly 30 years older than Stone, who was 25 during filming. Penn’s aged appearance made the pairing even more striking, especially since Stone was only three years older than Penn’s daughter, Dylan.
3. James Mason & Sue Lyon: Lolita
Adapted from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel, Lolita features a 39-year age gap between James Mason, 53, and Sue Lyon, who was just 14 when filming began. This unsettling age difference is central to the film’s controversial plot.
The film, which explores the disturbing relationship between Mason’s character Humbert and his stepdaughter, aged Lyon’s character up from 12 in the novel. Despite its controversial themes, Lolita was a box office hit, grossing $9.25 million on a $2 million budget, and earned Lyon a Golden Globe. The visual portrayal of the story amplifies its discomfort compared to the novel, with an adult body double used for explicit scenes involving Lyon.
2. Sean Connery & Catherine Zeta-Jones: Entrapment
As a former James Bond, Sean Connery was accustomed to sharing the screen with younger actresses. At 68, he starred alongside 30-year-old Catherine Zeta-Jones in the 1999 heist film Entrapment.
The nearly 40-year age gap between Connery and Zeta-Jones is never addressed in the film. Connery retired from acting in 2006, while Zeta-Jones took breaks from Hollywood in the late 2000s. Interestingly, Zeta-Jones later married Michael Douglas, who is 25 years her senior, showing that age gaps didn’t seem to concern her.
1. Liam Neeson & Olivia Wilde: Third Person
Unlike many entries on this list, Third Person is a lesser-known film with a limited release in 2014. Despite its low profile, it boasts a star-studded cast, including Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, Kim Basinger, Olivia Wilde, and Liam Neeson.
The film features Neeson, 61, and Wilde, 29, in an on-again, off-again romance. Neeson plays Michael, a man separated from his wife and entangled with Wilde’s character. While the 32-year age gap serves the plot, a smaller difference could have achieved the same effect. Despite their performances, the film received poor reviews, earning a 25% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
