United Kingdom, May 26 -- Dame Emma Thompson says "cinema just needs to catch up" after damning statistics on older women in film.

New research from the Centre For Aging Better as part of the UK's first anti-ageism campaign has found that, across 2023, 2024 and 2025, a woman over the age of 60 is less likely to appear in a movie than an actor named Chris, or a talking animal in a lead role.

In a statement supporting the campaign, Dame Emma, 67, said: "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 centre aging women; we are compelling, relatable, and overdue for centere stage.

"Older women don't need permission to exist on scre...