Celebrities Who Lied About Their Age to Get Cast in Movie Roles

Hollywood is a very competitive business.  Celebrities who choose to have careers on the big screen know that a lot of their success if based on their image, and a crucial part of that image is age.  In general, the film industry is dominated by young; fresh faces, but there are also plenty of instances when older; more mature stars are sought after. Unfortunately; however, everyone’s age isn’t in line with the visions and goals they have for their career.  Well what do celebrities do when their age doesn’t match up with what they want?  They lie.  But the thing with lying about your age is that it’s a lie that you can’t tell just once.  The following celebrities have admitted to lying about their age, in the hopes that it would help advance their careers – and in most cases, it worked.  Here are 10 celebrities who have lied about their age to get cast in movie roles.

Carla Gugino

Recently, Carla Gugino opened up about a lie that she told very early on in her career. Gugino, who began her career in the late 80s, got her big break in the film, Troop Beverly Hills.  However, she almost didn’t get the role at all.  Although she was just 16 at the time, the director was looking for someone slightly younger, so Gugino said she was 14 to get the part.  According to Gugino, “Before IMDb, you could lie about your age, and I was fully rewarded for it because I was 16 and I said I was 14 to get the job…[It] will never, ever happen again in my life, because basically this is the only time I ever lied about my age to get a job. I probably should’ve saved it for now when it would be really helpful to me.”  Gugino said when she finally came clean about her age during the shooting of the film, the director explained he wouldn’t have hired her had he known she was 16.

(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson is best known for his portrayal of Edward Cullen in the Twilight film series.   Although he no longer lies about his age, he has shared that before Twilight, he lied about his age frequently in order to get roles. According to Pattinson, “Oh, I was at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) – if you’ve got an English accent you can get away with it. I’d say I went to Oxford (University), too. I did it for years.”  Apparently Pattinson also used to lie about being American.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Rachel McAdams

Although Rachel McAdams has never actually admitted to lying about her age, some in the industry say that it’s no secret that McAdams “shaves” a few years off of her age.  Over the last several years, reports have suggested that McAdams is actually two years older than she claims to be – meaning that right now she is 38 years old instead of 36. Although two years may not seem like much to the average person, in Hollywood it could make a world of difference.

 (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

Whoopi Goldberg

Although Whoopi Goldberg was already in her late 20s when she started acting, she claims that many directors felt that she was too young.  According to Goldberg, “nobody would hire me to act. Everyone said I was too young.” As a result, she added a few years to her age in order to make herself more marketable. However, unlike other stars, Goldberg didn’t just age a couple of years to her age – she added six.

(Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis began her acting career in the early 90s as a young child.  However, when she auditioned for That 70s Show in the late 90s, she lied about her age.  Because she was only 14 at the time, she claimed to be 18 – the age requirement to audition for the show.  As a result, she was seen as much older for quite some time. During her time on That 70s Show, she also appeared in two films – which raises the question of whether or not her presumed age helped her get those roles as well.

 (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for MTV)

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock is one of the most well-known actresses in the industry, but she wasn’t always the big star she is today. Bullock confessed that in 1992, she lied about her age in order to land a role in the film Love Potion No. 9.  Instead of coming clean after securing the role as other stars have done, Bullock continued to lie until years later when her real birth date was made public. According to Bullock, “After a while, you have no idea how old you are because you’ve lied so many times. I always said I would never lie, but one time, when I didn’t it worked against me. So I figure you just keep them guessing.”

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Lead (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)