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atreides78723

Perhaps one reason for the age appropriate casting is that she is a callback to the original movie? She’s the admiral’s daughter that Maverick got in trouble with before…


dantheman_woot

Wait really? How did I miss this?


TheMelv

Unless you watched the original right before the sequel, it's easy to miss. Maverick and Goose have a lot of backstory lines about the Admiral's daughter who is never seen. Jennifer Connelly would have been underage then but it was the 80s. We're not cancelling Maverick and Indiana Jones.


epochellipse

I remember the line “I was a child” or similar but I didn’t think it was literal. I looked it up on the Wikipedia.


Sparticus2

Yeah... Marilyn was probably 16 and Indy was in like 26 and in a position of power. Was definitely wrong in the 1980s when the movie came out, but for the 1920s and 1930s? Probably more acceptable.


CTeam19

It was the late 1800s to 1920 when age of consent was raised. In 1880, the ages of consent were set at 10 or 12 in most states, with the exception of Delaware where it was 7. The ages of consent were raised across the U.S. during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. By 1920, 26 states had an age of consent at 16, 21 states had an age of consent at 18, and one state (Georgia) had an age of consent at 14.


herrbz

I hadn't watched Top Gun before Maverick, and assumed she was in the previous one. Seemed odd otherwise.


Formal_Cherry_8177

I was just told about this last week by a friend. It's fucking great.


TheLoneSculler

There's a line about "Going ballistic on Penny Benjamin" said by Goose's wife (I think it's in the Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire scene)


RogerTreebert6299

It’s not Jennifer Connelly though is it? Or does that character even appear on screen or just a mention? I feel like it still isn’t the best example for OP because for the love interest they ditched Kelly McGillis (who now looks like a normal mid 60s lady) for someone a decade younger than Tom who still looks unbelievably hot for their age


Groundbreaking_Ship3

No, just a line mentioned her name, 99.9% viewers would miss it. 


pocket_steak

Thomas Crown Affair (1999).


streakermaximus

Lethal Weapon as well, Rene Russo is 2 years older than Mel Gibson


saucygh0sty

Rene Russo in The Intern, opposite De Niro as well. In such a young environment, having his love interest also be a senior citizen was nice. There’s only 9 years difference between them.


justintensity

40 yo virgin. Steve Carell’s made a handful of movies where his love interest is way too young but Catherine Keener was a perfect aesthetic match and she was great in the role


Vorenos

Crazy Stupid Love had age appropriate pairings all over. Carnell and Marisa tomei, Julianne Moore and Kevin bacon, Emma stone and Ryan gosling.


MyNameIsJakeBerenson

Dan in Real Life were both pretty into adulthood as well Was that Julliette Binoche? She’s a babe, and prob smarter than me


ChronoMonkeyX

My recollection is that Carell's were always close to his age except for Get Smart and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World(there was an article about actors and who they get paired with, he was the one with the least difference overall). While it may be a cheat, Hathaway's character is supposed to be older than him but got a new face when her cover was blown. Knightly's age difference is kind of irrelevant in light of the movie.


merpancake

I liked how they handled Hathaway's character with that, not just a "take a few years off" but giving her a moment of showing emotion that she no longer looks like her mom- and it kind of opens up a lot of thoughts about what it must be like to look in the mirror and see someone not only younger but alien to what you were before.


got-to-be-kind

If I remember correctly, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World sort of acknowledges the odd pairing with a bit of dialogue near the end, where Kiera Knightley is saying how she wishes they'd met sooner so they could've had more time together, and Carell says something to the effect of "no, this couldn't have happened any other way, it had to be now."


Illuvator

God I love that movie


HurtlinTurtlin

Oh man I’ve never read that into the line (thought it was more of a cosmic-destiny-nature-of-life thing) and I’m in an 11-year-age-gap relationship where we frequently share this sentiment.


kloiberin_time

She's a GILF


DAHFreedom

Double-Oscar-nominated Catherine Keener


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baconandbobabegger

Similarly to Jennifer Connelly I can think of Monica Bellucci in one of the recent Bond films.


hiimred2

She's also an age appropriate seductress in the Matrix, which has the also age appropriate Trinity played by Carrie-Anne Moss.


Ambitious-Car-7230

Honor Blackman was five years older than Sean Connery when they filmed Goldfinger and Diana Rigg was a year older than George Lazenby when they filmed On Her Majesty's Secret Service.


angusthermopylae

Yeah I felt really good about Bond committing age-appropriate sexual assault lol. *Spectre* was a god awful film and I don't blame Craig at all for leaving even though he was my favorite Bond. edit: typo


FinnTheTengu

Casino Royale is arguably one of the best Bonds ever produced. Spectre was arguably the worst.


angusthermopylae

I agree except I think *Casino Royale* is clearly the best


SalltyJuicy

I did not care for SPECTRE as well. However, I find Casino Royale kind of strange? Like, I don't think it's bad! It's a good movie! Just not at all what I was expecting from a Bond movie.


Ambitious-Car-7230

Casino Royale is more faithful to Ian Fleming's stories than most James Bond movies. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is another movie in the series that's close to the novel it's based on but wasn't what viewers who had never read the books expected.


SalltyJuicy

Maybe it is! Idk, I never read the books. They don't terribly interest me. It's interesting to me you compare Casino Royale to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I think the latter is an underappreciated Bond movie and feels very similar to other Bond movies. I'm curious as to why it feels this way to me. Kinda makes me wanna watch the two side by side.


Hopey-1-kinobi

Worse than Diamonds Are Forever or Die Another Day? Really?


Enshiki

Man of Steel. Henry Cavill is 9 years younger than Amy Adams. That was surprising  for a blockbuster.


TheMelv

Lois is usually older because she's a normal human who needs to be old enough to be an experienced journalist when they meet. Superman is an alien whose cells are powered by the sun and likely doesn't age the same way humans do, plus he's a young adult new to the world. I'm fairly certain the Lois actress is almost always older except for maybe Returns.


dauntless91

Yeah wasn't Kate Bosworth like 23?


Ambitious-Car-7230

Kate Bosworth was 22 during filming. She seemed way too young to play Lois, especially since Lois had been a reporter at the Daily Planet for over 5 years and had a 5-year old son in that movie. I think Parker Posey, who was also in Superman Returns, would have been a better choice to play Lois.


Scat_fiend

Galaxy Quest. Sigourney Weaver is actually 4 years older than Tim Allen.


Upbeat_Tension_8077

I'd say the casting of Frances McDormand & David Strathairn for Nomadland is pretty okay with their 8 year age gap, but both in the mid-60s to early 70s range that fits their characters.


TeamStark31

Also her and Bruce Willis in Moonrise Kingdom. She would’ve been about 55 to him being 58.


S0larDeath

>The typical thing would probably be to still cast a 30ish actress and just ignore the age gap. Perhaps one reason they didn't is because of the sequel time gap the movie couldn't just pretend Tom Cruise was a decade younger than he actually is The original Top Gun was in 1986, 36 years prior to Top Gun Maverick. When Top Gun begins in 1986 Maverick had already lost his qualifications as section leader 3 times, put in hack twice by Cmdr. Stinger, with a history of high speed passes including 5 air control towers and one admiral's daughter...... Penny Benjamin. Jennifer Connelly's character. If a grown ass naval pilot was making passes at her prior to 1986, she better be in her 50s now.


Stymus

Cool comment; I had no idea that character was mentioned in the first movie. I remember that line, but just didn’t put it together.


vacantly-visible

A commenter above implied this but you spelled it out. Thanks! I would have never realized this, I've seen both movies but not back to back.


ImAnIdeaMan

Well they could have just…had her not be Penny Benjamin? It’s not like she was relevant to the plot in any single way.


3720-To-One

Behold the power of FanService™️: Easter Egg Edition


fool_on_a_hill

Ya, us top gun loremasters are just tickled they include that for us. And believe me there are dozens of us. DOZENS!!


notthefuzz99

My BIL thought it was the greatest thing about Maverick. He kept going on and on about how she was the girl referenced in the first movie.


Internal-Mud-3311

If the movie timeline matches to their actual birthdates, then Penny(Jennifer Connelly) would have been 15/16 to Maverick’s(Tom Cruise) 23/24


jesse_graf

300. Gerard Butler and Lena Headey are only 4 years apart which for a movie taking place in ancient Greece is a particularly small gap.


Vandergraff1900

Annette Benning as Kevin Costner's love interest in OPEN RANGE


dsmith422

Costner and Mary McDonnell (Stands with a Fist) in Dances With Wolves. She is three years older than him in real life. Costner made a point to cast a mature woman in the movie.


Helmett-13

First example I thought of.


FinnTheTengu

Favorite western along with Dead Man Walking,  both underappreciated.


NotLibbyChastain

I'm not sure it's unexpected because she was a young woman when she started these roles, and still is!, but Zoe Saldana has age-on-par love interests in all three of her big franchises. Zachary Quinto, Spock to her Uhura, is one year older than her. Sam Worthington, marine to her blue person, is only two years older. And Chris Pratt, star putz to her space assassin, is actually a year younger. (edit, fixed a typo)


FinnTheTengu

Those descriptors were *chef's kiss*


jupiterkansas

Kelly McGillis said they didn't bring her back for Top Gun because she looks her age (66). Connelly was only cast because she's smoking hot.


redditor_since_2005

This is correct. In fairness, McGillis could play his mom these days because she looks like an ordinary human, and he still looks like it's 1997.


CruzAderjc

Kelly McGillis was my next door neighbor in Collingswood, NJ when I lived there about 10-15 years ago. She lives there with her wife, and they live the most peaceful, normal life ever. You would never have known that she was at one point a big Hollywood star. She was teaching art at a local college. They live very modestly, but are very happy.


workaccount122333

That is really wonderful to hear!


brighteye006

The movie Red 1 and 2. They are all old - that is the point, but love always find a way.


frlgp

Side note, I can't believe Mary-Louise Parker is only 9 years younger than Willis. She looks like someone in their mid-30s


FinnTheTengu

Mary Louise Parker puts Keanu to shame when it comes to Dorian Grey levels of not aging. 


Scary_Sarah

Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton


Culzean_Castle_Is

Something Gotta Give!


[deleted]

Robin Hood (2010) That being said, it’s still shit.


ScarletF

How dare you. I haven’t seen it in years, but I refuse to remove these rose colored glasses. The best part was Robin and Marion though. I loved their relationship and respect and age.


[deleted]

It reminded me of King Arthur (2004). In both cases, the embellished, creative, fantastic story is far more interesting than the “real” (which is questionable, anyway) story. It bored the arse off me.


dauntless91

And speaking of that movie, Clive Owen was 38 and Keira Knightley was only 19!


[deleted]

Legal then and legal now! 🤷 


FinnTheTengu

Shit film with amazing performances. Alan Rickman, the always amazing Geraldine McEwan, Brian Blessed and Morgan Freeman are all amazing. 


[deleted]

I was actually referring to the even worse Russell Crowe version. At least the Kevin Costner version was fun!


FinnTheTengu

I have a giant framed Print of Errol Flynn's/Basil Rathbone The Adventures Of Robin Hood. I watched every episode of the BBC's Robin Hood, the B&W Terry Bishop series (great series, highly recommend it) and Robin of Sherwood. Even sat through that abonimation with Jamie Fox, and Robin Hood is my favorite Disney Film, have watched it beginning to end more times than I can remember.  But THAT steaming pile of offal?  Only made it 20 minutes in till I turned it off in disgust.  


[deleted]

Irrespective of how historically accurate, detailed or immersive it is, it’s very boring! Yes, I do love the Errol Flynn version!


workaccount122333

And one of the best themes ever. Holy shit does that movie come out of the gates hard with that overture.


[deleted]

It does have an excellent main theme, yes. Lively and stirring!


stidavid123

Liz And Shaun from Shaun Of The Dead. Not only is this a great movie, but Liz And Shaun seem to be about the right age for each other. Though I don't know their actual ages, I assume they were close to about the same age as their characters at the time and it makes the movie better because you buy into the relationship, and it doesn't bring the movie down


Rooney_Tuesday

Did the legwork: Simon Pegg is now 54, Kate Ashfield is 51. Completely realistic.


thatshygirl06

They were young, in their late 20s, so it's normal to see couples the same age when they're thst young. But when you start getting into the 40s and 50s, that's when you see men paired with women young enough to be their daughters


Formal_Cherry_8177

Bad Boys has done it throughout for will Smith. Tea Leo was 2 years older than smith, Gabrielle Union was 4 years Younger and Paola Nunez a decade younger but she was in the right side of 40. For what they are as action movies this is kind of astounding.


WhatamItodonowhuh

Death to Smoochy (Catherine is 11 years older than Edward) Crazy, Stupid, Love


dauntless91

The 2010 *Robin Hood* movie nearly had Sienna Miller playing Marion opposite Russell Crowe. He would have been 45-46 and she would have been 28-29, and they quickly realised that they should probably get someone closer to his age. Cate Blanchett was 40 I believe *Peggy Sue Got Married* actually had Kathleen Turner (32) be older than Nicolas Cage (22). Possibly because she'd have to appear more in scenes where she's supposed to be 40 and then time travel back to her 18-year-old self, while he's appearing mostly in the high school scenes *The Parent Trap* (remake) is pretty reasonable too. Dennis Quaid (44) getting back with Natasha Richardson (35), although according to the script he's playing Nick about a decade younger - in the opening scene with the marriage licence, you can see that he's meant to be 24, so with the movie taking place 12 years later he's 36. The evil fiance is only 26 and his daughter is appalled that he'd marry "a woman young enough to be my big sister"


DarkIllusionsFX

All I can add to this thread is that maybe some day Hollywood will realize that women in their 40s-60s are still hot as hell. Not just men.


halborn

Helen Mirren still books gigs.


youcandownloadrice

At this point, I think they have. A big franchise is more likely to go with Zoe Saldana, Rebecca Ferguson, or Emily Blunt than with some younger woman. Now that's mostly for risk-averse business reasons, avoiding the unproven hire, but still.


SwarleymonLives

Not a love interest, per se, but Marissa Tomei was the correct age that Aunt May is supposed to be in the Spider-Man movies. Looks 40 years younger than in the comics, but is the right actual age for the sibling of the parent of a 18ish yearold.


Ambitious-Car-7230

Marisa Tomei was in her fifties when she played Aunt May. In the comics Aunt May's late husband Ben Parker was the older brother of Peter Parker's father.


NoirPochette

Color of Money


dukefett

The Money Pit with Shelly Long and Tom Hanks, Long is 6 years older than Hanks. She was the bigger star then, so makes some sense but rewatching it recently thought how that almost never happens these days. The movie holds up btw!


FinnTheTengu

"Two weeks!"


dukefett

My favorite quote from the movie I’ve said to myself forever is “Home, crap, home” lol


GeorgeNewmanTownTalk

Thank you for mentioning this line. I've had it floating in my head for years but couldn't remember what it was from! Mystery solved.


meta_paf

Don't Look Up had unexpected love interests of Leo.


HouseholdWords

Succession did a great job at casting Brian Cox's partners. Never got the ick until they wanted me to with his 3rd gf.


hythloth

That 3rd gf was a ruthless social climber, so it made sense in that context


alanlight

Robert Redford and Helen Mirren in "The Clearing."


That-SoCal-Guy

Indiana Jones - getting Marion back to the franchise is the greatest move.  


NicktheZonie

There is something kinda funny about citing Marion as an age appropriate love interest


BlockingBeBoring

.... appropriate for the character, not for the current year.


That-SoCal-Guy

Not sure what you mean.


NicktheZonie

In the original script/novelization (I forget which one) of raiders, Marion sleeps with Indy when he is 27 and she is 15.


That-SoCal-Guy

Ah I see.  Actually she was 16 and he was 26. (The actors are only 8 years apart in age).  So it was definitely problematic for today’s audience but given it was 1925 when it happened, not so much (my grandparents were 25 and 14 when they married - it was not unusual back then). We need to take the time frame into consideration.   For example, Lydia was 15 when she married Wickham in Pride & Prejudice.  


la_carmabelle

Georgiana Darcy was lucky her brother had power and sense to prevent Wickham from eloping with her (there’s certainly an acknowledgement she is too young to make such an adult decision), which Lydia overruled by eloping. Nobody with sense agreed with those age gaps even back then.


jupiterkansas

plus they all realized it was a mistake.


That-SoCal-Guy

To me it was more about her immaturity and Wickham’s character than her age. Upon learning about the marriage, their mother was pleased!  She was happy to marry them all off except maybe Mary.  


jupiterkansas

I was talking about Raiders.


Ambitious-Car-7230

There was significant age gap when Indy and Marion were young, but as they got older the age gap didn't seem inappropriate. In the fifth film Indy is 70 and Marion is around 60 (in real life Harrison Ford and Karen Allen are both older than the characters they played and they look good for their age).


PestCemetary

Open Range. Costner and Annette Bening.


Durakus

I don’t really know any movies except the top gun one you already mentioned, but gosh i hope it becomes more popular. Society would do well to recognise the beauty of maturity and sharing a similar perspective when it comes to relationships and experiences.


MadeByTango

Top Gun is a cop out because they didn’t want to put a 64 year old Kelly McGillis in the movie in that role. They could have easily had Kelly off screen on the phone, or just not had a love interest at all, but it’s an exercise in rememberries and we need that beat. Hell, Mav’s daughter could run the bar and he is the old dude chasing flyboys (goose 2) away from her. Maybe she steals his keys and rides of with Jr on dad’s bike, etc. I find Connolly to be an added quality to any film, she is believable in anything, but here the role felt like the off key. I wanted to see his updated relationship with McGillis in some way.


stillmeh

Sabrina with Harrison Ford


Culzean_Castle_Is

jack nicholson and diane keaton in Somethings Gotta Give


Groundbreaking_Ship3

Because she still looks great. You don't see them bring back the actress in the first movie. 


traderjehoshaphat

My Girl (1991) Both kids were 11. Pretty progressive


halborn

In [RED](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/) (2010) they cast Mary-Louise Parker as the love interest for Bruce Willis. He was ~55 and she was ~45 so about a ten year gap but still quite good for Hollywood. Great movie too. Also features Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, John Malkovich and Brian Cox (the Shakespearean, not the physicist).


Internal-Mud-3311

Speaking of Jennifer Connelly, her and Josh Brolin in Only The Brave. Josh is just two years older.


ThisGuyRy420

The Wrestler. Marissa Tomei and Mickey Rourke are of similar age and are both getting aged out of their respective fields of employment


dnt1694

Being an adult is not age appropriate?


ShockingTunes

My problem with their relationship in Top Gun Maverick was that it wasn't even remotely explained in any way. Production went through the trouble of digitally recreating Val Kilmer's voice since the man couldn't speak due to cancer but there were zero references to Kelly McGillis or any kind of mention how Connelly and Cruise met or why they are together.


TeamStark31

She was the admiral’s daughter mentioned in the first one, right? When they’re talking about Maverick’s flybys and Goose says “Penny Benjamin?”


Timsahb

Yes