A new study has quantified something that anyone who's watched movies already knew in their bones: Hollywood would rather cast an actor named Chris, or literally a talking animal, than a woman over 60.
Let me repeat that, because it's worth savoring in all its absurd specificity: you are statistically more likely to see a cartoon bear with a mortgage than a woman of retirement age in a major film.
According to research reported by The Guardian, the study examined representation in major releases and found that actors named Chris (Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine - take your pick from the Chris Industrial Complex) appear more frequently in leading roles than all women over 60 combined.
The talking animal comparison is even more devastating. Anthropomorphized creatures - your Paddingtons, your Stuart Littles, your various animated penguins - have better representation than an entire demographic of human women.
Now, I'm not saying the Chrises don't deserve work. They're all perfectly competent actors. Chris Evans was great as Captain America. Chris Pine is genuinely charming. But the fact that a single first name has more industry clout than half the population over a certain age tells you everything about Hollywood's priorities.
The study's findings align with what we see onscreen: men age into "distinguished" character actor roles or continue leading action franchises into their 60s and 70s (Tom Cruise is 63 and still doing his own stunts). Women, meanwhile, tend to disappear around 45 unless they're Meryl Streep or Judi Dench - and even they have to fight for roles.
