Emma Thompson slams 'ageism' and 'sexism' in movies

Dame Emma Thompson has slammed the "ageism" and "sexism" driving contemporary movies.

A new study shows movies are more likely to star a man called Chris than a woman over 60 - and Emma Thompson is not happy about it.

Researchers at the Centre for Aging Better analysed the UK's top 100 highest-grossing movies from 2023-2025 and found six of them featured a male actor called Chris as the lead, while just five gave an actress over 60 top billing.

BAFTA, Oscar and Golden Globe winner Emma, 67, did not hold back her disappointment at the new statistics.

"Women are half the population, and we get older. So where are the stories about us?" the multiple award winner said in response to the findings.

"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."

Women over 60 who made the list were Jennifer Saunders in Allelujah, Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Diane Keaton in Book Club: The Next Chapter, Demi Moore in The Substance, and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freakier Friday.

While the actors named Chris who had hits were Chris Pratt, in The Super Mario Bros Movie and again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Garfield Movie, Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Chris Hemsworth in Transformers One, and German actor Christian Friedel in The Zone of Interest.

Meanwhile, both categories were outranked by movies that featured talking animals as their lead characters, which were four times as prevalent on the list as older-female led films.