Emma Thompson Calls Out Hollywood After Study Shows Men Named Chris and Talking Animals Get More Leads Than Older Women
Emma Thompson’s response to a UK study saying films are more likely to give top billing to a Chris or a talking animal than to a woman over 60 has reignited the fight over who gets seen on screen.
Here we go again: another study reminding the industry that it keeps sidelining older women. This time, the stat that turns heads is bizarrely specific and weirdly telling — apparently you have a better shot at seeing a man named Chris or a talking animal lead a movie than a woman over 60.
What the new UK study found
A survey from Age Without Limits looked at the top 100 highest-grossing films at the UK box office across 2023 through 2025. Out of that whole pile, only five movies had a female lead over the age of 60. Meanwhile, six of those films starred men whose first name is Chris. The group also says you are more likely to find a talking animal leading a film than a woman over 60 — yes, really.
- Scope: Top 100 highest-grossing films in the UK from 2023–2025
- Female leads over 60: 5 films
- Male leads named Chris: 6 films
- Talking-animal leads: flagged as more common than women 60+, without a specific count
Emma Thompson had thoughts
Emma Thompson weighed in after the survey landed, backing the call for more stories led by older women and pointing out the obvious: we exist; so should our characters. She sent this statement to Age Without Limits:
"Women are half the population and we get older. So where are the stories about us? The older we get, the more interesting we are. I want to see more films center aging women, we are compelling, relatable, and overdue for center stage. Older women don’t need permission to exist on screen. They already exist in the world, cinema just needs to catch up."
Why it matters (again)
Hollywood has always loved youth, but the pushback has been building: award-winning actresses speaking up, audiences asking for more layered, grown-up stories, and critics tracking the numbers. This latest UK snapshot hit a nerve online and kicked the conversation back into gear. The comparison is part funny, part bleak — Chris and CGI critters are doing better than women who have had six decades of life experience.
Bottom line: the data is simple, the message is not subtle, and the fix is pretty obvious. Put older women at the center of more films. The audience is there. The stories are there. Studios just need to greenlight them.