Top 10 Movie Couples with Shocking Age Gaps

In this Wolfgang Petersen action thriller, Clint Eastwood portrays Frank Horrigan, a member of the Presidential Protective Detail who is tasked with finding a potential assassin. Rene Russo stars opposite Eastwood as fellow agent Lilly Raines. Frank’s increasing age is made an explicit part of the movie’s story, as many find him unfit for duty. Eastwood was 63 years old when the movie was released in July of 1993. Born in February 1954, Russo was only 39, making her a far more realistic age for an agent. That also means that Eastwood and Russo have a 24 year age gap between them.

Directed by Ivan Reitman of “Ghostbusters” fame, “Six Days, Seven Nights” stars Harrison Ford and Anne Heche as survivors of a plane crash. Despite their differences, the two bond over the course of the adventure, and the movie ends with Ford’s Quinn revealing his feelings for Heche’s Robin. By 1998, Harrison Ford was getting up in years. Born in July of 1942, Ford was nearly 56 years old when the movie was released in June 1998. Heche, who was fresh off hit movies like “Donnie Brasco” and “Volcano,” was born in May of 1969, making her just 29 years old. Ford is very nearly twice Heche’s age, coming in at 27 years older.

Released to great acclaim in 2014, “Birdman” centers around a midlife crisis of sorts for Michael Keaton’s Riggan Thomson. Riggan is an actor who found some success in the ‘90s but who is now washed up and struggling to produce a Broadway play. He does, however, have a girlfriend named Laura, whom he hopes to cast in the lead role. As “Birdman” explores themes of aging, relevancy, and passing time, it makes sense that Riggan would have a much younger love interest. Keaton was 63 years old when the movie received its wide release, and Riseborough was one month away from turning 33, resulting in a 30 year age gap.

This is another film concerned with the passing of time and issues of diminishing relevance. Jeff Bridges stars as Otis Blake, a once-popular country music star who is now a lonely alcoholic performing in dive bars and bowling alleys across the southern United States. He eventually meets a journalist named Jean, and the two quickly enter into a personal relationship. It’s established in the film that Otis is 57 years old, but Bridges was actually a little bit older at 60. And while it may seem like Gyllenhaal is older than she is thanks to her early start in movies and long career, she was only 32 when “Crazy Heart” was released. They certainly make for a touching couple in the movie, despite the 27 year age gap.

Serving as Woody Allen’s 44th film (yes, 44th!), “Magic in the Moonlight” is a romantic comedy centered around magic. Colin Firth plays an illusionist named Stanley Crawford, who devotes his life to debunking frauds and so-called acts of “magic.” He is sent to the French Riviera to investigate a supposed clairvoyant named Sophie. Despite the problem at hand, the two eventually fall in love. The movie was released in July of 2014, when Firth was 53 years old and Stone was 25. The 28 year age gap makes Firth double Stone’s age. Funnily enough, Emma Stone is no stranger to 28 year gaps. In January 2013, she starred opposite Sean Penn in “Gangster Squad.” Stone had just turned 24 and Penn was 52 - another 28 year age gap.

Paul Haggis’s “Third Person” contains three interconnected love stories taking place in different cities around the world. One of them occurs in Paris and stars Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde. Neeson plays Michael Leary, a Pulitzer winning author who recently left his older wife and is sleeping with Wilde’s much younger Anna Barr. Kim Basinger who plays Michael’s ex-wife Elaine, is just one year younger than Neeson in real life. Wilde, on the other hand, is over thirty years younger. Neeson was 61 years old when the movie was released and Wilde just 29, resulting in a 32 year age gap between the actors.

This Sofia Coppola movie is about lost and lonely people. On one side, there’s Bill Murray’s Bob Harris. Bob is a once-popular actor who has resorted to filming whisky commercials. He’s suffering a midlife crisis and is growing increasingly unhappy with his marriage. On the other side is Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte, a young and directionless woman who is also questioning her marriage. Bob and Charlotte share a more intimate relationship than a lustful one, but their true feelings remain ambiguous throughout the movie. The movie was released in September 2003, making Murray 53 years old and Johansson a mere 18. The 35 year age gap is quite stark - especially due to the fact that Johansson was still a teenager!

Released in 2003, “Something’s Gotta Give” served as Jack Nicholson’s fourth-last movie before he retired from acting in 2010. He plays a rich music mogul named Harry Sanborn. Sanborn is a 63 year old philanderer who refuses to date or sleep with any woman over the age of 30. He eventually falls for Diane Keaton’s Erica Barry, who is only seven years his junior. He meets Erica through her daughter Marin, as the 29 year old is serving as his latest sexual partner. Nicholson was quite close to sharing an age with his fictional counterpart, as he was 66 when the movie was released in December 2003. Amanda Peet was one month away from turning 32, resulting in a nearly 34 year age gap.

This caper film stars the incredible but very, shall we say, “differently aged” Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones as a romantic criminal couple. They play career thieves Mac MacDougal and Gin Baker, whose targets include valuable Rembrandt paintings and the International Clearance Bank - which they successfully clear of $8 billion. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, and the movie is filled with different loyalties, betrayals, and entrapments- hence the title! The movie was released in April of 1999, making Connery 68 years old and Zeta-Jones just 29. With almost 40 years difference between them, this age gap is quite a big one. Gin Baker clearly has a thing for older gentlemen.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Michael Caine & Michelle Johnson, “Blame It on Rio” (1984)
Caine Was Nearly 51 and Johnson Just 18, Making a 32 Year Age Difference

Dudley Moore & Nastassja Kinski, “Unfaithfully Yours” (1984)
Moore Was 48 and Kinski 23, Resulting in a 25 Year Age Gap

Gene Wilder & Kelly LeBrock, “The Woman In Red” (1984)
Wilder Was 51 and LeBrock 24, 27 Year Difference

While not one of Drew Barrymore’s more popular films, “Poison Ivy” has attained a cult following and was fondly received upon its release in 1992. Barrymore plays the titular Ivy, a street smart private school student who seduces her friend’s adoptive father, Darryl Cooper. The film was released during a turbulent time in Barrymore’s life and career, as she had gained a reputation for being quite rebellious. When the movie premiered in May of 1992, Barrymore was just 17 years old. Meanwhile, Skerritt, at the age of 58, was a long-established actor with decades of experience. That’s a 41 year age gap, and it certainly helped sell the movie’s troubling and disturbing storyline.