Last year, then-37 year old Maggie Gyllenhaal revealed something absolutely awful about the casting process. You see, she was told that at her age, she was “too old” to play the lover of a 55-year-old leading man: “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.” While May-December romance seems to only go one way in Hollywood, I really didn’t think it applied to those actresses who are sort of known for being young and beautiful. Olivia Wilde is currently 32. Back in 2012, director Martin Scorsese was looking for an actress to play Jordan Belfort’s wife in The Wolf of Wall Street, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a good part for an actress, and a lot of women read for the role. Olivia would have been 27 or 28 at the time, and she read for the part. And she was turned down because she was TOO OLD. The role eventually went to Margot Robbie, who was 22-23 at the time.
Sophisticated, yes. But old?! Olivia Wilde revealed to Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show on Tuesday, March 15, that she was considered too old to play the role of Leonardo DiCaprio’s wife in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
“The funniest thing I heard recently was, I had heard for a part that I was too sophisticated,” Wilde, 32, revealed to Stern. “I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn’t get the part but I’m a very sophisticated person.'”
“Sophisticated,” apparently, has an underlying meaning in Hollywood. “Then I found out later they actually said ‘old,'” the Vinyl actress recalled with a laugh. “I had auditioned unsuccessfully for Wolf of Wall Street. That was the one I was too old for.”
The part of Jordan Belfort’s second wife, Naomi Lapaglia, ultimately went to Australian bombshell Margot Robbie, who was praised for her portrayal of the Brooklyn native.
“I thought she kicked so much ass in that movie,” Wilde said of the 25-year-old actress.
Wilde also said that everything worked out in the end because Scorsese did like her and he kept her in mind for a show he executive produces: Vinyl, the show about a music company in the ‘70s. But still… 27/28 was “too old”? O RLY? At that time, Leo would have been 38, but as we know, Leo is allowed to be his age while all of his girlfriends/lovers (on screen and off) have a strict age cutoff: they cannot be older than 25. I wonder if it was Leo or Scorsese who thought Olivia was “too old.”
Olivia also told Howard Stern about how Jason Sudeikis ghosted her after they first met – he apparently got her number and then he didn’t call her for a month. That’s a stupid power move, and such a stupid “game” to play. You can read more about that here.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He had two wives in the movie. The cute normal pre-fame/money wife and then the young, blond sex cat trophy wife
To me Olivia somehow doesn’t fit in either role.
She read for Margot Robbie’s role, Olivia specified.
I disagree. Many women in their late 20s are unmarried and inexperienced in life. In fact, it’s more realistic that the trophy wife would be a little older. Also Margot looks the same age as olivia to me. Same old ageist hollywood. I mean the wife is in her late 30s in the film right? Late 20s is still ridiculously young.
I feel like sometimes Margot looks even older than Olivia. I’m not buying her age. I’m 25 and she looks easily 5 years older.
I agree!! I’m 24 and I have the strong feeling shes lying her ass off. girlfriend looks like 28/29 AT LEAST
also: she graduated college in 2007…. apparently when she was 16/17. I don’t know about Australia but where I’m from you hardly graduate from high school at that age….
“Graduated college at 16/17” seemed like a dumb thing to lie about – too easily checked. So I just googled …
She graduated from Somerset College in 2007. College doesn’t just mean University in Oceania, it’s a far more general word … more like “School”. Somerset is definitely a high school. And we (Aussies) used to graduate high school the year we turn 17, so it all makes sense.
Robbie is 100% not lying about her age my friend went to school with her.
I’m Aussie and I was 17 when I finished high school. High school is generally for 6 years (grades 7 to 12). I turned 12 halfway through my first year of high school (7th grade) and turned 17 halfway through my last year (12th grade). I started uni when I was 17 😮
Hollywood is disgusting. There really isn’t THAT much difference (looks wise) to a woman that is 23 and 27. Robbie and Olivia look close in age anyway. Margot doesn’t look anywhere near 30, I’m sick of people saying that she does. I have a very similar face structure. It’s the way she dresses and how she presents herself that ages her – with class and not wearing some forever 21 teeny bopper crap. The way her hair and makeup is styled. If you look at old photos of margot, she has looked the same for years. If she dressed like selena gomez or arianna grande she would look her age.
Doesn’t help that chupmunk faces are what you need to look young these days. eg selena gomez, miranda kerr, miley cyrus, arianna grande gigi hadid etc. It’s not enough to be beautiful without wrinkles anymore to people apparently.
I’m sick of hollywood and it’s ageist double standards.
Margot could easily pass as a young looking woman in her early 30s. Bitter sounding, get a grip.
Margot Robbie is pulling a Rebel Wilson. Apparently, this article from 2008 has been found, where Margot’s age was reported as 23. That would make her born in 1985 and 31 now, meaning that Wilde is just a year older. Oh Hollywood!
Here’s the excerpt from the 2008 article:
“Margot Robbie, had her first appearance on air on Monday, playing a groupie with stalker tendencies. The 23-year-old actress from the Gold Coast opted to attend a Sex And The City: The Movie screening instead of staying home to watch the episode.”
And the link to the article:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/stay-in-touch/ramsay-st-gets-a-new-generation/2008/06/05/1212259007132.html
And the original IMDb thread:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3053338/board/thread/251396613
Yeah, I would say the age thing is bogus and lazy if that is the truth of how the process went down. Margot Robbie was the best CASTING choice, simple as that. That is how it should have been explained if honesty is being applied here.
Well they said she looked too sophisticated and that may be the usual code for too old, but I think in this case it was probably used appropriately. Wilde is a beautiful woman, but Robbie has the perfect look for the role and did a great job.
Am I the only one that thinks Robbie looks so much like Jaimie Pressly??
I think Olivia’s jowls make her look older than she is.
Hollywood sexism/ageism never ceases to disgust me.
Yep, and let’s not forget that DiCaprio was in reality 9 year OLDER then Jordan Belfur, the character he played. It was not a problem for him it seems.
The ageism of Hollywood is disgusting to me as well. But my theory is that Hollywood films are the realm of archetypes, historically speaking. The advantage of archetypes is that they will appeal to the broadest (and biggest) audiences, and that translates into selling as many tickets as possible (which is also what Hollywood has always been about).
I am at all not saying that this is right, or that it should continue that way, but it explains a lot. The male archetype is about being strong, dynamic, active in the world (can be either a hero of a villain, but age is not a crucial matter). The female archetype is first and foremost about being young and desirable. Luckily there is also TV these days, and for a long time now there have been independent movies as well, where there is room for much more nuanced characters. Sorry by the way if my English is lacking, it’s my second language.
And that the wife Margot Robbie played would have been the same age as Belfort. So it isn’t even accurate to have someone that much younger.
The role was that of a trophy wife to an utter douchebag. Being a hot, young number was essential to that particular role. Going with someone in her early 20s was the correct way to go.
And Margot Robbie is a better actor than Olivia Wilde anyway.
Except the actual character and his second trophy wife were the same age.
Olivia is vastly more beautiful. The other one just looks like the actress from My Name is Earl. And don’t get me started on her lying about her age. Was not shocked to read she was 23 in 2008.
“Olivia is vastly more beautiful.”
No, she’s not.
That makes her and Olivia the same age. Wow.
I disagree, I think Margot Robbie is gorgeous and has much charisma, Olivia Wilde is boring and not a good actress.
I was going to ask if there was a specific age difference between his wife and him in real life. If they are the same age then well that’s bull she is hardly old.
Olivia is more beautiful than Margot IMO by a long shot, but you realize beauty differs for everyone right?
Liv, I have to say, I was SO impressed with Olivia Wilde when I saw her acting on the show House. Have you ever seen that show? She’s actually a really good actress and doesn’t fall victim to overacting like so many seem to do. When the show House first introduced her character, and I saw her face, I rolled my eyes thinking she was just “eye candy.” But, I was wrong, she was excellent.
(Margo is gorgeous, too. I have heard she is talented as well. Both actresses seem to be blessed with beauty and talent.)
No, I didn’t. I just didn’t like her in films I saw her in. 😉
I was just going to add the very same thing. Margot Robbie is not the age she’s being reported to be. She does not look like someone in her young to mid 20’s. 30 is about right.
I think Olivia is more beautiful and talented, to be honest. Olivia is doing fantastic work on Vinyl right now.
While I agree that Margot looks much older than her age – I’d say a good 10 years older – how easy is it to lie about your age these days? All it would take would be for someone who went to school with her to call a journalist and say ”I know for a fact that she’s much older than she claims to be, because I was in her class and I’m 32. Look – here’s the old school photos to prove it!”
So I tend to believe Margot is the age she says she is – it’s just that, like CZJ, Kate Winslet or Michael Fassbender, she’s got a ‘mature’ look. Some people just naturally look older than their age, others younger. Margot sems to be one of the former.
And that’s the part I don’t get- Robbie didn’t look 23, really. She looks to be about the same age as Olivia, so the reasoning behind their casting doesn’t really hold up the same.
The reasoning is that Margot was a great choice to play a trashy platinum blonde golddigger,and Olivia was not. That’s life, Olivia, sometimes somebody else is better than you for a particular job. Happpens to all of us, but we don’t go complaining to the press about it.
@Kiki link to this article?
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/99634584.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/stay-in-touch/ramsay-st-gets-a-new-generation/2008/06/05/1212259007132.html
@Ethelreda
Again Olivia was not bitching or complaining about it, in opposite. She was very positive, because this same audition basically got her role on Vinyl. And she HIGHLY PRAISED Robbie’s performance TWICE(in the interview and later on twitter too).
She just told the fact that some of the makers of that film found her too old. That’s not complaining.
Casting agents dont usually specify WHY you didnt get a job. The fact that they did in this case tells me that Olivia would have been considered if she was younger.
I’m also side eyeing Margots purported age! Its pretty clear why any actress would lie about their age from this article so I dant blame her.
In this age of the internet, jealous people who went to high school with her would absolutely have revealed her true age if she had lied by now. Absolutely they would have!
Also – she and Annabelle Stephenson (from Revenge) went to the same high school – Annabelle is just two years older than Margot.
I wouldn’t hold up an online SMH article as the pinnacle of journalistic integrity! They’re so often wrong it’s painful.
I remember when she started on Neighbours – she’s 6 months younger than me!
I actually thought she was terrible in House and was exactly that-eye candy. Actually was any female doctor besides Cuddy over 30 on that show. Jennifer morrison got the boot right at 30. eyeroll
Robbie always looks 35 to me anyway…
Well if she was 23 in 2008 as it was reported back then, she’ll be 30 or 31 this year.
This would make much more sense than the outlandish (imho) 23 claim. Again, cant blame her for lying.
No offense but Margot Robbie looked older than her in that movie. There’s rumors that she’s actually 30.
Yeah, Margot is super hot and a pretty good actress but she looks older than her age! So if Olivia didn’t get the role, I’m sure it was because of other reasons.
Yeah, I think Leo had a final call on that one
I think ds in on to something, since Scorsese casted Olivia without any audition for Vinyl, bacause he was impressed by her Wolf audition. That means to me he was okay with her.
It has Leo DiCaprio written all over it, unless his other costar is Kate Winslet he needs to be all to be 25 & under.
Hey now, Michelle Williams was probably as old as 29 when they shot Shutter Island! It’s more important they be blonde.
I don’t think Leo specifically has a problem with older actresses. He’s worked with older (or, age-appropriate) co-stars before and had love scenes with them too (i.e Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, Tilda Swinton, Jennifer Connelly, Vera Farmiga, etc.) A lot of his co-stars have either been older or the same age (i.e Amy Adams?) as him. Tilda Swinton is 14 years older than him, and I could have sworn they had some kind of love scene with each other in The Beach. Even if his girlfriends are young, I don’t think he allows that preference to intrude into his professional life. Of course, now that he actually is older, who knows if his co-stars will still be people like Cate Blanchett and Vera Farmiga, but I see that being because of how Hollywood works and the people who do the castings function, not his personal preference for acting partners.
Leo was a producer for Wolf of Wall Street but not for the other movies (except Aviator where Cate Blanchett was playing Kate Hepburn and was not really a love interest) so he had a role in this decision.
Instead of saying there was no chemistry they went with too sophisticated, a euphemism for too old. Do we really think a guy who exchanges models like candy is suddenly a super feminist in the work environment? Highly unlikely.
I have no idea if he’s a feminist (I doubt he’s ever actually pondered the question and I’ll concede I don’t think he spends time discussing women’s rights with his model girlfriends). I just think his previous working experiences indicate that he’s not necessarily biased against older actresses, if we look at his track record. I’m going based on what I’ve seen on his IMDB, and so far, as yet, there’s nothing to suggest there that he’s grossed out by the idea of working with someone his own age. That’s all I was trying to say. Beyond that, I was not speculating as to whether he’s a super feminist in the working environment.
In Aviator, I remember he had a love scene with Cate Blanchett on a couch, so I don’t think he abhors kissing them for his job. Maybe in real life the idea repulses him, but his real life activities don’t seem to affect how he works on set, which is all I was suggesting. And I don’t see anything wrong in pointing that out, no matter how distasteful his penchant for Victoria Secret models might be or how disliked he might be for his personal activities.
If he had a hand in picking Margot Robbie for the role, then, to be honest, I don’t think he made the wrong call. She was right for that particular part. It was wrong for Person X to tell Olivia Wilde that she was “too old” but in terms of the kind of performance they got from Robbie, I don’t think an incorrect decision was made. If Scorsese and DiCaprio had picked an absolutely atrocious actress to play Robbie’s character, I would probably be more likely to believe that no one was looking for quality/talent and simply for youth, but since a good performance came out of this particular actress, I’m probably more hesitant to believe that DiCaprio insists that everyone he works with be under 25. And I also think it’s easier for someone like me to feel torn in this case if I am of the opinion that Robbie fit the role pretty well.
That is not true.
Robbie is such a bland and boring actress.
Interchangeable with all the other blondes out there.
I think she’s pretty but idk where “she’s a great actress thing” coming from. I’ve only seen her in the Wolf Pack of Leo DiCaprio & that awful movie with Will Smith. There’s not really one performance of her to say she’s better than Olivia Wilde. It definitely come down to age when casting her.
I think it’s ridiculous that they said she was too old, but I can see why they chose Margot for the role over her.
I think it’s really weird and douchy that olivia’s husband ghosted her when they first met – I wouldn’t have dated a guy who did that to me unless he had an excellent explanation.
Oh my god I know! He apparently walked up to her on the dance floor at SNL, said “Whatever you’re looking for, you don’t need it”, then walked away.
Like total pick-up artist grossness that she fell hook, line and sinker for. I think even less of him (always got a frat-boy creep vibe from him), and less of her for not resisting the douche. Ugh.
She could do so much better than Jason Sudekis…I’m not talking looks…but personality.
she could do better, he seems like an arse. although i have mixed feelings about her; sometimes she overshares and i find it annoying.
it certainly comes across as very planned and obvious.
Ha, I literally said the same down-thread (creepy fraty boy vibe)!
One clearification, they are still not married yet.
Agree with Carol & others…his playing games by not calling/texting for a month. Ugh! What an enema-hose. I feel like Sudeikis has a big mean streak…just a hunch I have. And he always wears tennis shoes aka trainers with his tuxes on the red carpet! That drives me nuts!
Dont get me wrong – ageism in Hollywood is rampant, but it sounds like they meant she was too old for what they had in mind, not too old to be married to a man Leo’s age.
For starters, she’s assuming that ‘sophisticated’ meant ‘too old’ based on someone not involved in the casting suggesting that to her. It’s possible that in this case ‘too sophisticated’ meant just that and her audition had the wrong vibe to it. The point of that character was the trashy glamour. If she played it more likely like high society wife then ‘sophisticated’ as criticism makes sense.
Secondly, sometimes having characters who are with much younger or much older people is important to the plot or the character development. In real life Jordan’s second wife was a similar age to him, but in the film, younger wife is easy shorthand for trophy wife.
No, she said at first she assumed that “too sophisticated” was nice and meant just that. It was later that she found out they actually meant “too old”.
No, if I understand correctly, it was her agent re-wording “too old” for her benefit.
It’s sad that there are more comments attacking Robbie than the people in charge of casting for their screwed up reasoning.
Um ‘attacking’? Don’t over react. Actually what’s sad is you trying to make like people saying she looks older into a big deal and hasn’t been already a million times.
No one is attacking her, there is just evidence leading people to believe she lies about her age. Obviously for good reason, they probably wouldn’t have given her a second thought if she were honest. Same goes for Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect.
Yeah of course, since one Aussie actress lied about her age now they’re all doing it.
Another day, another story of sexism in Hollywood… what a shocking revelation.
It is good though that more actresses are coming forward and denouncing it. Not that I believe it will change anything…
Her “too old” comment made me think of Amy Schumer’s brilliant “last effable day” sketch (co-starring Julia Louise-Dreyfuss, Tina Fey and Patricia Arquette).
I really just see it as Olivia not being a very good actress. Margot Robbie was fantastic in that role.
+1
And Robbie had a similar look to the real life Jordan Belfort’s wife.
Yeah, that too! Nadine (Naomi in the movie) Bellfleur looks A LOT like Margot Robbie and nothing like Olivia.
Yup! Margot looks much more like the real Nadine Caridi than Olivia Wilde.
Leo looks nothing like the real Jordan… so I am not buying that excuse.
Except that Scorcese was impressed enough by her WoWs audition to cast her in his next project without one. So much for ‘not being a really good actress’
And she was specifically told she was rejected for the role because of her age, which is ridiculous because Olivia and Margot don’t actually look that far apart in age terms. Both could easily pass for late 20s, the ageism is out of control.
They were absolutely right not to give this role to Olivia. Margot was perfect as the trashy, golddigging tropy wife who still somehow managed to make you care about her. Olivia would have been all wrong. And even if she is a few years older than Margot, they look about the same age. In fact, though I roll my eyes at age gap couples in Hollywood films, I didn’t perceive a huge age difference between Margot and Leo – he looks babyfaced and she looks mature. So for once, Hollywood got it absolutely right here. Sorry Olivia.
Margot and Will Smith in ‘Focus’ however….. that’s a different story.
I agree, Margot was spectacular — her accent, too, was amazing.
@ethelrelda -THIS! Leo has aged, but he still looks baby faced. He doesn’t look his age. I think that’s a big part of casting.
Everything she said about how Jason behaved toward her makes him look like such a douche — I guess she’s a bit insecure to put up with that.
Yeah, I don’t think I’d share that story if I were her. It makes both of them look bad.
That story is ridiculous! She thinks it’s cute that he gave her a douchey/cheesy pickup line and then didn’t call her?? It’s embarrassing!
Well, wherever most men are in charge, this is the kind of shit that happens, ladies.
In this case, they made absolutely the right choice. Margot was perfect for the role. For any role in a big Hollywood film like this, there will be a huge number of actresses auditioning, and only one will be chosen. Margot got the role, Olivia and any number of other actresses did not. C’est la vie. In this case, they happened to get it right.
I’d be ok with Wilde not being “right” for the part, but too old? Come on!
Easy there, Ms. Dworkin.
Never, darling!
I think they were wrong to call her “old.” They could have just said that they would have preferred another person for the part. Nonetheless, I did think Margot Robbie did play her role well, which surprised me. (I’m not sure how old the actual character was supposed to be since Robbie too has a bit of a sophisticated vibe. But I think Robbie played her part well. So did the other lady who played Leo’s ex, who I had no idea was supposed to be the wife Ted marries in How I Met My Mother.)
All of this controversy could have been avoided if the casting people had just voiced their criticism differently since Robbie wasn’t actually bad in her part. Robbie could actually act in that movie.
I do not see her in that role. Robbie fits the part. Wilde just does not look young enough to play a naive girl. She is smart looking. Also, she should have known this ageist practice since she replaced another ‘aging’ actress for the role of Dr. House love interest.
Except 13 was never the love interest of House. The only guy she dated on the show was Foreman for like a half season…
Her character was never House’s love interest. Her character had a romance with Omar Epps character (and she played a bisexual on the show). Once Olivia starting getting more movie roles, she left the show.
House’s love interest was mainly Dr. Cuddy until Lisa Edelstein left the show. But the real romance on House was the Bro-OTP of Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard, who really should be in more things.
Exactly. And point on about the bromance with Wilson.
Robert Sean Leonard was so great on that show. That was a great bromance too.
Robbie’s character was never naive. Where did you get this from ?
Naomi Lapaglia(Robbie’s chgaracter) was around Wilde’s age in reality. Meanwhile DiCaprio was in reality 9 year OLDER then Jordan Belfur, the character he played.
Only in Hollywood, where the old male can play a younger guy, while the woman part must be played by somebody way younger then the character actually was.
And Olivia said in the interview and yesterday on twitter too that she tought Margot Robbie was spectecular in that role. She laughed about the thing. not searced for any excuse.
BTW nobody speaks about the part of the interview, where she spoke about some pretty terrible things while working as an assistant for casting director Mali Finn.
Direct quote
“We had one director who said, ‘I just wanna meet every hot girl in Hollywood.’…he was terrible. We’d have someone come in like Julliard trained, and she would be brilliant, and she would leave the room and he’d go, ‘did one of her boobs look smaller?'”
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Why nobody talking about that part? Because that to me is even more disgusting.
This is a response for CornyBlue
Olivia was fantastic in Drinking Buddies and even better in last’s year Meadowland. The latter was a true tour de force by her. She is a very underrated actress when we speak about acting alone.
Oh ok. I have never seen her in anything. But she was Oscar nominated this year for Body Team 12 which was an excellent documentary
It was amazing isn’t it? Garmai (the main character in Body Team 12) is a true hero.
@CornyBlue – She wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. Executive producers don’t get nominations.
The fact that people are commenting on Margot Robbie’s age and saying how band she is, is literally why sexism will always persist. It is nor Robbie’s fault that Olivia did not get the role. It is the producers and Scorcese’s.
While I thought that was a starmaking performance for Margot Robbie and she was excellent in it, maybe Olivia could have been better who knows. If they genuinely did not cat her as they thought Robbie was more talented that is OK but to not cast her as she was 28 yrs old is gross.
agreed.
This. People seem to be missing the point………
Exactly. There are comments from “Margot lied about her age” to “Olivia is a terrible actress” but it seems almost nobody wants to speak about big elephant in the room… Sad. And that’s partly the reason why these things never seems to change…
I agree. It’s about the ridiculous sexism not the merits of their looks or talent.
There’s new evidence that suggests Margot is turning 32 this year. She looks 30 not 25. In wows, Leo’s character starts out 28 and then by the end he’s supposed to be closer to 40. Neither of them aged in the movie though. They both looked a consistent 35 throughout the whole thing. Plus Margot may have gotten the role cause she would have been cheaper to hire.
Where is this new evidence? (Genuinely curious). I remember Margot from her teen years in Neighbours and I never thought she looked older than the part she was playing, so I didn’t question it. I do agree that she can pass for older than mid-twenties not necessarily in how she looks, but in how she carries herself. That said I can see her looking this way for the next ten/fifteen years.
I think Margot Robbie got that particular role because she was perfect for the part! For Olivia to lose out on this particular part because of her age doesn’t make sense – as many have commented Robbie looks older than she is.
FYI, for those commenting on Robbie’s age, she may look older than her years, but I am pretty sure she doesn’t lie about her age. I remember her as a teen actress and I don’t think she adjusted her age for her move to Hollywood. Olivia, on the other hand, has shaved a couple years off her actual age.
Nope, you can find on the net some online schoolpapers and pictures from her at her high school in Andover, Massachusetts(as Olivia/Liv Cockburn). She graduated in 2002 from that school. That’s a fact. And she went right there to LA to become a casting assistant and around 1 year later she moved to acting.
I knew the family years back and I place Olivia at 34/35 now with her older sister at 36/37 but I probably got my facts all mixed up!
I always think that everyone in Hollywood shaves a few years off their actual age.
If she lies about her age then how could she been in the Andover high school papers in 2001? Her older sister, Chloe (a civil rights lawyer and artist) will be 37 early next month.
She’s great in Vinyl, but not used enough, based on the couple of episodes I saw.
They are both beautiful, in different ways, but I just don’t see the age difference.
Actually, Margot Robbie seems way past her mid-twenties to me.
I didn’t know that she allegedly lied about her age when first coming to Hollywood, I’ve just read it on here, but it seems just about right, I’ve always thought she looked older than her age.
I hope that actresses start talking more and more about this issue. Hollywood does not represent the real world. In the “real world” we have all kinds of couples, looking bad and good, she older or he older, it doesn’t matter, but the assumption in movies is often that a man past his thirties would want nothing to do with a woman his own age or older. This is plain ridiculous.
“They are both beautiful, in different ways,”
Agreed.
Not surprised, Hollywood is ageist as f*ck. I remember Anne Hathaway talking about once she hit 30, 32 the roles she used to get started going to the 22 year olds. Also, I don’t think Margot lied about her age —in this day and age it is easy to track the answers down & there is no solid proof that she lied about her age. There is “one” article from apparently some source that often gets minor details wrong that had her as a few years older, but there are other articles before the one that had her as being “older” that have her age listed with the correct birth date. I feel like we’re just used to very young looking stars and aren’t used to ones with strong features a la Margot.
Age and beauty are everything in this town. She is gorgeous…maybe they were afraid she’d outshine him. Better get that rocking chair out Olivia.
Every time I see a picture of Sudekis, I think wow no denying who the father of January’s baby is. Then I think what a douche and wonder how he doesn’t come off worse for what it seems as no involvement.
I think it’s much more likely that the father of JJ’s son is a certain married British director who closely resembles the little boy.
I really don’t think he is the father and it is instead the married director as stated above. Why it has been SUCH a mystery.
Everything points to the ‘married British director’ as the father. If it were Sudeikis, why the big hush up? And JJ’s little boy is the living image of the director who shall go unnamed.
I really don’t think Leo shut down the casting (well, at least not because of age), if you look at who he’s worked with in the past. Of course, Olivia Wilde isn’t Cate Blanchett and probably never will be, though. But he has also worked with Gwen Stefani, who is older than him, and she’s no Cate Blanchett either, so I don’t see him shutting down Olivia Wilde because of age OR her being of lesser ability than someone like Cate Blanchett.
I think one of the casting people must have simply said something stupid. I can’t picture Martin Scorsese saying it either, if it’s true that he considered her for another role in one of his productions. I also can’t picture her, if she’s wanting to rise in Hollywood, saying something that would hurt her networking with Scorsese. So I think this must come down to some casting person who has a limited vocabulary.
It just kills me how hypocritical hollywood is. They love to think of themselves as some kind of artists colony, when really what it’s all about is money. And they also love thinking they are some bastion of forward progress and equality for everyone, when it really isn’t the case. If it was, people wouldn’t still feel the need to be closeted, women would not be shunted off to pasture after 30, and people of different races/ethnicities would not even have to worry about boycotting awards shows in an attempt to get their point across. A point that shouldn’t even be having to be made in 2016. Ugh, the people running that town make me want to hiss.
It just kills me how hypocritical hollywood is. They love to think of themselves as some kind of artists colony, when really what it’s all about is money. And they also love thinking they are some bastion of forward progress and equality for everyone, when it really isn’t the case. If it was, people wouldn’t still feel the need to be closeted, women would not be shunted off to pasture after 30, and people of different races/ethnicities would not even have to worry about boycotting awards shows in an attempt to get their point across. A point that shouldn’t even be having to be made in 2016. Ugh, the people running that town make me want to hiss.
More like: not blonde or hot enough with long legs and a great rack.
That’s funny, since they had to digitally photoshop Margot’s legs to look longer and skinnier.
Margot Robbie has mature styling for red carpet photos, and I assume she’s tall. But if you changed her style or stuck less make-up on her (like the red lipstick), I assume, in person, she’d look 25 or however old she is in real life.
I thought they were looking for someone blonde, buxom and you know what that type of look. Olivia is gorgeous but she doesn’t have that type of look. She would not work well for it. If it was because someone called her old that just bad wording in my opinion because it’s not accurate. She not blonde or curvy enough seems more of the problem. With this said this article made me feel really bad.
“I thought they were looking for someone blonde, buxom and you know what that type of look”
That’s how I interpreted the casting too.
I also thought maybe they were looking for someone who could trick you into believing she was fairly tall, because of that scene where she sticks her legs with the high heels on on Leo’s forehead. Olivia Wilde is probably tall too, but I can’t imagine her pulling off that scene in the same, er, “trashy” way. She does seem, well, more sophisticated.
They might have also wanted someone completely different from the lady who was playing the first wife (who was also pretty, but they seemed to have to “ugly” up in order to make the distinction clear). I think Olivia Wilde might have been better for the part of the first wife (if, uh, you know, you made her less attractive or whatever to make it clear that the Jordan character was looking for someone who was the complete opposite of the first wife).
I think Robbie did a good enough job that the casting of someone else in the role, whether younger or older, seems somewhat unfathomable to me now.
The real shocker of this article was that Olivia Wilde was on the HOWARD STERN SHOW. Howard always struck me as someone who actually wanted to rub elbows with the kind of people he made fun of for years. The proof of the pudding being he’s gotten rid of most of his old cohorts save Robin and he’s hanging out with Hollywood elite now– alot of the ones he once scorned on his show.But I wouldn’t have guessed Olivia would want to go on his show–too sophisticated.
The sad part is this story will definitely make an impression for a many young actresses to lie about their real age, like If an Olivia Wilde was considered old at 28. Say what you want about her, but the concensus is she belongs to the better looking actresses these days, and even her looks was just not good enough for some (because trust me it was about looks in the first place).
We all should be mad at this process, instead the majority of the commenters is taking sides or bashing either Margot or Olivia instead of this outrageous system. And partly that’s why it will not change in the near future in Hollywood.
I think Olivia Wilde is pretty, but not necessarily a better actress than most of her contemporaries. I can see how she lost out on this particular part.
I personally don’t think Olivia Wilde attractive at all. To me, she looks like one of those vintage barbie dolls from the 1950’s, those with the ‘pushed-in’ faces. For that same reason though, she does have a very characteristic, recognizable face, and that can be an advantage.
Margot Robbie I find stunningly beautiful.
Congratulations to both of you for completely missing my point.
I always thought Olivia Wilde was older than her stated age. She’s gorgeous, but she does have that mature, sophisticated look about her – kinda like Faye Dunaway, Angelina Jolie – where she looks older than she is. There’s something to the arch of Olivia’s brow & her facial structure…she can pull off looking more mature.
Margot Robbie is gorgeous too, but she does look younger.
All that said, Hollywood is still ridiculously sexist and dumb. One thing that really gets me is when they constantly pair some drop-dead beautiful woman with a schlubby man (think Rose Bryne as Seth Rogan’s wife in Neighbors, Salma Hayek as Adam Sandler’s wife in Grown-Ups, etc., etc., etc…)
She’s lovely – but she is hard looking and looks older than her years to me. no offense to her or anyone. But leo has a damn baby face and I’ve been watching Vinyl – Olivia looks gorgeous rough. it can just go w/ the territory of having such a severely sculpted face.
I think the part went to the right person. Margot bares a stronger resemblance to Nadine. I think both are beautiful and talented, but Margot’s casting makes a lot more sense than Olivia’s.
http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/7746/20140108/jordan-belforts-wife-nadine-belfort-drop-dead-gorgeous-model-photos.htm
I like Olivia and I do think ageism is not only a very real thing in Hollywood, but in general. Women seem to be deemed less desirable if they’re over 30, even if they look much younger, while men seem to become a hotter commodity when they age.
I’m really enjoying her on Vinyl.
Doesn’t surprise me at all about Jason. Always gotten a creepy fratty vibe from that guy. This just confirms it.
Unpopular opinion: I’m a 28 year old female. For Jordan’s character in that movie IMO, yes, of course they wanted an early twenties hot wife. As they should! I think we should stop clutching our pearls when an older man prefers a younger 20-something over an older 20-something. Consider Jordan Belfort – would he want a 22yo, or a 28yo? The former, for sure.
The world isn’t fair. It isn’t social cruelty – it’s literal biology. We women did get the short straw, for sure. But if a guy has options, he will choose the hottest, youngest option. It doesn’t shock me. This protagonist would have done it, and frankly, all men would do it if no one got hurt (though that doesn’t stop many).
Before I met my BF I (casually) dated a 25 year old, a 27 year old, and then a 28 year old. I was 34-35.
I guess those dudes didn’t get your memo.
Sweeping gender stereotypes aside, there are things beyond mere youth and hotness that keep guys coming back for more. I could let you in on my secrets, but then I’d have to kill you 😉
They got the memo, they just couldn’t get anyone younger. 😛
What a nasty comment, Riley J. I am positive that these men genuinely wanted to be with Kitten.
It is not “literal biology”.
My mother had me at 38. Most women are fine having children in their mid-late 30s. Do you know what it is? Social conditioning. There is hardly any difference between a 22 yr old and a 28 year old. What a bunch of sexist “biological” trash you’re spewing out.
Also have you read about how women in their 30s conceive faster with men that are younger? Because men’s sperm quality goes down over time. My dad was pretty much infertile at 40. We needed ivf because of HIM not my mother. Many men have the same issues. So biologically it makes sense that women date younger men if they want babies.
Look it up before you start your biotruth arguments.
And men in their 30s impregnate younger women faster than older ones. It works both ways.
I don’t think every man would automatically pick the younger woman, but I do think Margot Robbie embodied what Jordan Belfort was probably looking for in a wife. He was sleazy and, well, more sleazy to the ick degree, and Robbie’s interpretation of what he was looking for in a woman looks-wise and whatever else fit, so that’s where I think the director made the right call in casting even if the criticism of Olivia Wilde for being “old” was stupid.
Jordan Belfort’s second wife was 29 when they met so…
I think you must not know a wide circle of men. I’m younger than my ex husband and the youngest woman he ever dated in relation to his age but his ex wife is a year older than he is and the woman he’s dating now is older than me by a decade. He is also very good looking and on paper is a catch. He doesn’t like younger “hot” types and even though he makes a terrible husband he’s not sexist nor shallow. In fact when younger women hit on him he always thinks they were after something or had Daddy issues and would wonder what the h.ll he could have in common with them. I have brothers and friends who don’t fit that stereotype either. I have an aunt who is a sexy woman in her 50s and has no problem finding a bf her age or younger.
Some men actually look for a true companion and are mature, serious and thoughtful people.
Even men in power positions often look for a partner of substance around their same age.
Any man who uses age and looks as their only requirements and give age limits are emotionally stunted and have serious problems.
Physical attraction is important but it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with age.
“Consider Jordan Belfort – would he want a 22yo, or a 28yo? The former, for sure.”
You do know that the real Nadine was the same age as him, right?
I think she was in the movie Butter right? Correct me if I’m wrong. Other than that, I don’t think I’ve seen any of her movies.
This is a complete nonissue. It didn’t say he was too old to play his wife. The character specifically plays the role of HOT trophy wife to rich ego-maniacal douche bag. Sorry, but Olivia never would have worked in that role. Leo’s character was a waking talking cliche.
Sexism aside, Margot Robbie OWNED that role. She was amazing. I just don’t believe that Olivia could have brought the sex appeal that was needed for the role.
Remember Jessica Biel claiming she was turned away for roles for being too beautiful? They lie with a pretend complement instead of telling them they’re not good enough/can’t act.
Margot was perfect in her role, she has a face that looks great same at 23 as it does at 43, it’s an ageless look, she is womanly, not girly and she played the brash, sexy role brilliantly. She owned her role, has terrific presence and could hold her own against Dicaprio. Olivia couldn’t do that, she’s not a great actress, no presence, no glamour, no brash sexiness….
Agree completely with your view on Margot Robbie’s beauty, she has an ageless beauty!
Has anyone been on Margot Robbie’s Wikipedia page lately? It claims she was born in 1985, making her 30 years old. Either someone is messing with it because of what’s been in the news about Olivia or someone is revealing the truth about her age.
Olivia is great on Vinyl and is a good actress and an interesting person who does a lot of other things besides acting. She is funny in interviews and is intelligent. I like that she is positioning herself to have a life beyond acting which is a smart move.
Part of the appeal of Margot Robbie’s interpretation of the character was that accent she put on — she kind of sounded like The Nanny, but, uh, less annoying. That Robbie is actually Australian and was able to sound like that probably made the accent seem more impressive to the casting people. I wonder if Olivia Wilde could have pulled off that accent in the same way.
Ugh you all do know that Margot Robbie has classmates from Australia who confirmed she is born in 1990? They went to school and graduated the same year in 2007 with her. How can you lie about that? Rebel Wilson Jessica Chastain on the other hand has former classmates who showed proof they were lying.
That’s ridiculous that she was considered too old, but that’s classic Scorcese. Not all of Leo’s “wife” co-stars have been very young. Marion Cotillard is a year older than he is and played his wife in Inception. They were well-suited and probably means the age issue lies with the old fart movie producers and directors, where it always lies.
With regard to Maggie Gyllenhaal, she is one who really looks much older than she is. I think much of it is her hairstyle and clothing. Now, Olivia definitely looks younger than Maggie.
Olivia has an exotic look to her… maybe that’s why.