The Public Theater just announced John Lithgow’s co-stars for their Shakespeare in the Park production of “King Lear” — and the role of one of Lear’s greedy daughters went to Annette Bening. A wonderful actress, certainly, and that will help, since she turns 56 next week, and Lithgow — who plays her faltering father — is 68.
Of course, it’s hardly the first time casting directors have turned a blind eye to age. More often than not, though, it’s the woman who plays far older than she is. Look no further than the 1967 hit flick “The Graduate,” when Anne Bancroft played uber-cougar Mrs. Robinson to Dustin Hoffman’s naive Ben: Bancroft was, in fact, just six years older than Hoffman.
Here are some other cases of age-blind casting, both onstage and on-screen:
‘Tammy’ (out in July)
This upcoming Melissa McCarthy vehicle is hitting the triple whammy of teen-mom conceptions. McCarthy, 43, plays the daughter of Allison Janney, 54. Janney’s own mother is played by Susan Sarandon, who’s just 13 years older than her screen offspring.
‘A Raisin in the Sun,’ now on Broadway
Much has been made of the 59-year-old Denzel Washington playing a young chauffeur named Walter Younger (Walter Older?). Yet the woman playing his formidable mother is LaTanya Richardson, age 64. And she’s doing well, too: She’s up for a Tony.
‘The Fighter’ (2010)
In this well-received boxing flick, Melissa Leo, then 50, raised badass half-brothers played by Mark Wahlberg (then 39) and Christian Bale (then 36). Even better, Wahlberg was meant to be the younger sibling. Even even better, they were named Micky and Dicky.
‘Alexander’ (2004)
A year shy of 30, Angelina Jolie played Queen Olympias, who sired the title’s conqueror — youthful 28-year-old Colin Farrell. Director Oliver Stone may have stayed in the hot-tub time machine too long. Yet the gamble paid off handsomely when Jolie and Farrell scored Golden Raspberry nominations for worst actress and worst actor.
‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)
In this beloved hit — hey, they named a seafood restaurant after it! — Sally Field convincingly played the mom of the title character, despite being just 10 years older. The two were only 10 years apart at the time of filming, he 37 and her 47. Mind you, they had played potential love interests in the 1988 flick “Punchline” — and she rejected him.
‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962)
A pre-“Murder She Wrote” Angela Lansbury played the malignantly manipulative mother of Laurence Harvey in this political thriller, never mind that she was 37 years old to Harvey’s 35. Then again, Lansbury played another prematurely aged film mom the year before, in 1961’s “Blue Hawaii” — her sonny boy was a 26-year-old Elvis Presley.