Nobody Else Will Say This

Has the age difference between Man of Steel costars Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/Superman) and Amy Adams (Lois Lane) struck anyone else as…well, curious? I don’t know if they’re romantically linked in Zack Snyder‘s film or not, but their characters were entwined in the last two Superman films. And honestly? The ginger-headed, pale-skinned Adams looks a bit too old for Cavill. You can call me names but it’s true.

C’mon, she’s got him by a good eight years. Cavill will turn 30 in May and she’ll turn 40 in August 2014. Adams has always been a hot tamale but she’s never looked strikingly younger than her age. If Cavill was in a typical romcom, you know Adams could be cast as his best friend’s older sister.

In a pinch Cavill could pass for 25 or so, which is what Chris Reeve was when he shot Superman (’78). Margot Kidder was 28 or 29 when she played Lois Lane in that film, but she didn’t seem the least bit older than Reeve. When he shot Bryan Singer‘s Superman Returns (’06) Brandon Routh (Superman/Clark Kent) was 26 or so, and costar Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane) was 23 — again, not an issue. I’m just saying that Cavill looks like a healthy and buffed 20something and Adams, attractive as she is, looks her age. She’ll more than make up for this with her performance, I’m presuming, and for all I know a line or two of dialogue will take note of the slight age-discrepancy. I’m just saying it’s there.

Think of how Adams looked in The Master, On The Road and Trouble With The Curve. She’s one of the best actresses around but she’s no spring chicken.

Question: at what point would Man of Steel‘s casting directors (Kristy Carlson, Lora Kennedy, Claire Simon) have said to themselves, “You know something? Adams is just a bit too old. We have to go just a little bit younger”? What if she’d been 40 instead of 38 when they shot Man of Steel? What if she’d been 41 or 42? I’m all for older woman-younger guy hook-ups in movies, but something as square as Man of Steel presumably demands a more traditional if not a vaguely old-fashioned attitude.

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  • PatJim

    Question: at what point will you stop asking asinine questions?

  • gorghast

    Isn’t Lois Lane supposed to be older than Clark Kent? She’s the more experienced newsman & he’s the rookie. And I actually think Adams can easily pass for early-30s.

    • Mary229

      Well it doesn’t help that the author of this post chose a purposefully unflattering candid of Adams and put it next to a YEARS OLD airbrushed picture of Cavill.
      Adams looks radiant at the Academy Awards. She’s a gorgeous woman. And I’m beyond offended that a post like this is even deemed appropriate when it’s clear that it would NEVER be written if the male was older. Which is the case in 90% of our entertainment media.
      So basically a man being older is “normal” and a woman being older is cause for confusion and concern.
      Sexism and misogyny at it’s finest, folks.

  • http://twitter.com/sm0ng SM Ong

    I remember complaints that Bosworth was too young in Returns. Seems like they’re overcompensating

    • DavidF

      That’s totally my memory as well. Especially since, as Wells points out, she was 23….and yet, supposed to be an OLDER version of Kidder’s character who had won a Pulitzer. And Bosworth is a YOUNG looking 23 too. I like Superman Returns more than most but she really does look almost like a teenager.

  • TerryKeefe

    Adams is starting to look her actual age, but she played considerably younger than her age in Catch Me If You Can. She would have been 28 or 29 when shooting and looked to be playing a near teenager. If I remember correctly, she had braces, which helped. Also, Margot Kidder always felt several years older than Christopher Reeve, at least to me. Might have been the smoking. The bigger problem with the age difference is if the franchise progresses a few films.

  • George Prager

    The Men’s Pearl Clutching Society disagrees with you, but the target market (12 year-old boys) agrees.

  • http://twitter.com/rptrane RoscoepColetrane

    You’ve always had it in for her looks. I remember your post about her looking too old for Enchanted. That was really unneeded since she’s gotta be younger than Patrick Dempsey. But I was shocked they went with her for Lois, since I’ve never seen Adams play someone with genuine sharp edges. I think they just wanted to make sure they’d have someone who could act this time.

  • NephewOfAnarchy

    Assuming they have chemistry, then nobody will give a shit. She’s cute. Shrug.

  • MovieSquad

    The only thing missing from this story is a pitch for why this part should’ve been played by Jennifer Lawrence.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=805505 Steph Foster

      Seriously! If Jeff had his way, Jennifer Lawrence would be cast nude in every female role in every film until she becomes too old for his gross fantasies (presumably when she turns 30…or 27 since he’s rounding off to the nearest 10).

      • Raising_Kaned

        Yeah, but he looks at least a good 20 years younger in his masthead photo.

        Hey, waitasecond….

  • embling

    interspecies romance is plausible enough, but an eight year age difference is too much disbelief to suspend? sure, fine, why not?

  • http://www.stlcardinalbaseball.com/ Ray DeRousse

    I think you’re correct about Adams not looking especially young (in fact, she always looks like she’s just finished doing dishes over a sink of scalding hot water), but, in my mind, Cavill isn’t the typical “good looking muscle stud” cupcake we always get in these things. He skews a bit older in my mind.

  • Sonny Hooper

    She played significantly younger than her age (by at least 8 or 9 years) in Catch Me If You Can. She was a teen with braces in that, and she was at least 27 or 28 in real life.

  • Sonny Hooper

    Margot Kidder seemed much older than Christopher Reeve by at least 7-8 years. And you’re nuts for thinking Adams wouldn’t/couldn’t play the romantic lead opposite Cavill (or anybody else) in a rom-com. I’m sure you can find better ways to start taking pot shots at MOS this far from release.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HJ32HAF57JDNQSEPAW6IVJRKPM Rashad

    She’s an awful looking Lois. Terrible casting choice.

    • Raising_Kaned

      As luck would have it, you’re a GREAT-looking Rashad.

  • chien_clean

    My problem with Adams is that she is wrong for the part. She shines at playing these red head naive nice gals type while Lois is more of a dark hair spunky cynical experienced journalist. Adams would have been better as Lana Lang. It’s the Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy screw up all over again.

    • Raising_Kaned

      Mayyyybeeee. But did you see The Master?

      • http://nevermindpopfilm.blogspot.com/ Colin “Fitz” Biggs

        or The Fighter?

        • http://twitter.com/jessecrall Jesse Crall

          Yeah, The Fighter for sure. Adams played a helluva hardass without losing any charm.

          • chien_clean

            She did not convince me in the The Fighter. She did good but missed the mark I thought in playing someone really harden by life. I thought it was gimmick casting by the director.

          • http://twitter.com/jasctt Jason T.

            DOR’s casting is ALWAYS gimmicky.

          • chien_clean

            That is true. Although Wahlberg as a Boxer sort of made sense.

  • Raising_Kaned

    “and she’ll turn 40 in August 2014…”

    You’re a real hit with the ladies, eh?

    In other words, she’s 38. Why is it that you always frame such cut-and-dry things in such a weird-ass fashion?

    When someone asks you how old Svetlana is, I sincerely doubt you say, “well, in five years hence, she’ll be…” Or maybe you do, I don’t know.

    “I don’t know” is a pretty good way to encapsulate this entire post — especially coming from someone to whom the age difference in SLP (which was technically wider) didn’t seem to register at all (just for the record — it didn’t bother me, either, but at least I’m not being hypocritical about it).

    As for Adams always looking older than her age — just how old did she look to you in CMIYC, Jeffrey??

    Strange, strange post — I think she looks great for her age (and not that different at all from Kidder, to be honest). Whether or not she’s “right” for Lane, however, remains to be seen.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jesse.crall.3 Jesse Crall

      Jeff telling some baffled pally “well, in five years hence” is the mental image of the day.

  • Trimmer

    “I’m all for older woman-younger guy hook-ups in movies, but something as square as Man of Steel presumably demands a more traditional if not a vaguely old-fashioned attitude.”

    Because when one thinks of traditional and old-fashioned, they surely think of Zack Snyder.

  • http://twitter.com/jasctt Jason T.

    She’s the American Liv Ullman. And I always had a thing for that broad.

  • http://allsortsofposts.wordpress.com/ AHB

    I’m in Adams’ corner but you’re right, I thought the same thing when she was cast. She does look older than him and unless they write that in the script, I guarantee people in the theater will be distracted by it. By the way, I also though Lawrence was way young for Cooper in SLP.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1329069668 Brian Bouton

    What worries me is that Adams will be 50 in 2024 which makes her way to old for the sequel in two years.

  • joeybot

    She should just use a different picture on her masthead, then people will be fooled into thinking she’s not super old like 38.

  • Alan Burnett

    Let’s look at the casting of some recent/upcoming comic book films and see what they have in common: Christian Bale is 8 years older than Anne Hathaway (TDKR), Andrew Garfield is 8 years older than Shailene Woodley (TASM2 … and there both meant to be the same age), Tom Cruise is 17 years older than Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion), Hugh Jackman is 17 years older than Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) … but it’s a big deal that the leading lady is 8 years older than the superhero. For real? I am not acting like this never happens (the original X-Men and Wanted are examples), but it’s rare in comicbook films. I imagine its to pander to sweaty, creepy comicbook geeks who think that 40 is ancient. Studios often cast pretty non-personalities in tentpole films, and I’m glad they cast a proper actress this time. And it isn’t like they cast Jessica Tandy. Adams is still young and very photogenic. The idea that not-even-40 is considered old is an embarrassing thought.

    • Mary229

      It’s not just embarassing. It’s sexist.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001743743888 Abdul Basit

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  • Kat

    Every time Jeff gets in ‘Lex mode’ about women and age I find it hard to restrain myself from a point-by-point rebuttal. Half the time I think he’s just trolling for hits.

    I’m gonna be 40 this year and based on Jeff’s POV, the lifeclock in my palm will be going red in 3, 2….

    • Raising_Kaned

      You’re being way too kind with “half the time” — I think it’s far, far closer to “all the time” on a sliding scale.

      I’d like to see a point-by-point rebuttal from a woman on his site, though — I think it would be good for him.

      • Mary229

        I just wrote one above. But frankly, this post is so disgusting and drenched in misogyny that I almost wasn’t able to do it.
        I’m only 30 years old but for God’s sake….I may as well just kill myself in a few years, right? Because clearly my life and allure as a woman has no meaning once I’m over the age of 35.
        Meanwhile, 50 year old men can be cast opposite 25 year old women without anyone blinking an eye.
        But a 4 time Academy award nominee who is, by all accounts, a really, really pretty woman is now “too old” to play one of the few fictional female icons we have who is supposed to be an experienced ADULT career woman?
        Is the almost 50 Robert Downey Jr. too old to play Iron Man? Do we sit around talking about how “confusing” it is to see him with his love interest in the film who is almost 10 years HIS junior? The sexism that is raging from this man is disgusting. He’s disgusting.

        • Kat

          Yeah, pretty much. God knows as I approach 40 I feel increasingly weak, feeble-minded, and incapable of sexiness.

  • http://www.facebook.com/SumoPop David E Phillips

    Yeah, she looks like shit. What man within 10 years of age would want to date her? Come on, Jeff. Was it a slow day?

  • Guest

    Nobody else will say it because it’s not worth saying. Whatever Snyder’s faults, you know she’s going to look great in this.

  • Otto Gierke

    set aside any double standard or cougar references. The fact is, that your chronological age is completely irrelevant to how you appear. Amy Adams looks great and could pass for someone in her 20s. I’m in my late 40s and I routinely get carded and no one bats an eye when I’m with my mid-20s girlfriend.

    Chronological age and the obsession with just-post-pubescent women is a very American sentiment. In Europe, they got over this a long time ago.

  • Max Stephens

    In the TV series, Phyllis Coates (born in 1927) was replaced as Lois after the first season by Noel Neill (born 1920), who was closer in age to George Reeves (1914). Why is this relevant? You got me.

    • Mary229

      That’s not why Coates was replaced. Coates only had a one year contract. Neill actually played Lois first in the serials but then she was unavailable for the TV show when it went to shoot.
      The entire tone of the show was also called “too adult” after the first season which was another reason for the change. It had zero to do with age.

  • patches23

    He’s Superman! Never read the comics, so I don’t know, but does even age? Wouldn’t he look like this at 70 unless there were kryptonite in the room?

    Who cares how old they both are as long as there is chemistry? And I’ve been a big fan of Amy’s chemistry since it was wearing only panties in Sunshine Cleaning. Not really. I’ve had a crush on her since Junebug. I’m sure she’s fine in this.

  • Mary229

    This entire post is misygnostic, disgusting piece of trash.

    Tell me, Jeff….did the age difference between Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway bother you in Dark Knight Rises? How about the age difference between Garfield (a 30 year old playing a 17 year old) and Stone in the Spider-Man movie? How about the age difference between Jennifer Lawrence and Cooper in Silver Linings? How about the age difference between Robert Downey Jr. and Paltrow in the Iron Man franchise? Oh wait…I forgot…it’s only a problem when the FEMALE is older.
    What a bunch of sexist, ageist bullshit.
    How dare we treat a woman in her late 30′s as being worthy and beautiful and desirable? How unheard of! Are yuo ready to throw Robert Downey Jr. out from the Iron man franchise? Cause he’s pushing 50.

    Also, it’s clear you picked the most unflattering candid of Adams you could find with an OLD picture of Henry Cavill that is airbrushed.

    I got news for ya: I love Henry Cavill but he doesn’t look like that anymore especially without airbrushing. He has more wrinkles on his face than Adams does.
    This doesn’t even take into account that canonically Lois Lane is supposed to be older and more experienced than Clark Kent. She’s already got a Pulitzer Prize by the time he shows up. Their love story is one of the few out there that subverts that the typical gender dynamics by allowing the woman to be a bit more experienced both professionally and sexually as opposed to the usual dynamic we get where it’s an experienced man with an innocent woman.

    This is an offensive, sexist post and people like you Jeff are the reason that discrimination against women continues to occur in Hollywood and everyelse else in this country.

    • chien_clean

      It must be that time of the month

      • http://nevermindpopfilm.blogspot.com/ Colin “Fitz” Biggs

        Really?

      • Raising_Kaned

        But for whom, chien?

        • chien_clean

          For that person going on a tirade whining that Jeff is sexist and and mysoginistic cause he prefer that the actor be equal of age or older. I think that poster is looking for shit that’s not there.

          • Alan Burnett

            Except, he doesn’t have the same problem when the male lead is older. Craig was in his late 30s when cast as Bond, for example, and you can expect him to play that role more times than Adams will play Lois. Did he bitch about Craig’s age? No, but – apparently – it’s a huge problem when the female lead is in her late 30s. Sheesh …
            Frankly, I don’t think that Well’s post is ‘misogynistic’ because he clearly doesn’t hate women, but there are sexist overtones to his values, for sure: it is a double standard when a younger female lead is not seen as noteworthy, but a younger male is deemed strange. It seems obvious to me why Lois was cast older: Cavill is not a star, and directors sometimes cast older, more famous actresses in superhero films to offset the audience’s unfamiliarity with the male lead e.g. Jolie in ‘Wanted’, Janssen in ‘X-Men’.
            This shouldn’t be a big deal. What’s worrying is that Wells thinks it is.

          • chien_clean

            Maybe he just prefer the male actors to be older than the female counterpart. It’s a matter of taste more than anything else, not sexism. But those that know Superman a bit would know that it’s not a big deal if Lois is older given that she’s less naive than him.

  • AnnaZed

    I couldn’t care less about this – she’ll be fine; but what I do wonder about is her being cast as Janis Joplin … She’s too young, she’s too pretty, she’s too thin!

  • Ray Quick

    Wells is SPOT-ON, and also Grandma Adams is gonna be like 46 by the time they make the inevitable sequel. He’s fucking SUPERMAN, not a tubby divorced accountant. He’d have options.

    Younger options. Think of it this way, how many rock stars and super-A-list DiCaprio level leading men in their mid-30s date 40-year-old redheads? Now multiply that times HE’S THE MAN OF STEEL, and I’d be rolling into the offices of 18 YESTERDAY magazine wheeling out that souffle trick from SUPERMAN II and looking for chicks to remake the Rocco filmography.

  • Bob Hightower

    Actually, Amy Adams should be in every movie.

  • Nihilus13

    I had this very same conversation with a friend a few days ago.