Maggie Gyllenhaal Told 37 Is Too Old To Play the Lover of a 55-Year-Old Man

Maggie Gyllenhaal recently revealed that she was turned down for a role in a movie because she, 37, was too old to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man.

“There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time,” she told The Wrap. “I’m 37 and I was told recently I was too old to play the lover of a man who was 55. It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made feel angry, and then it made me laugh.”

Gyllenhaal wouldn’t say what the movie was, but she did acknowledge that despite the setback and sexism in the industry, she’s still optimistic about female roles in Hollywood. “A lot of actresses are doing incredible work right now, playing real women, complicated women. I don’t feel despairing at all. And I’m more looking with hope for something fascinating.”

Gyllenhaal won a Golden Globe in January for her part in The Honourable Woman.

[The Wrap]