12 Celebrities Who Were Hiding Their Real Age for Years

While some people are perfectly fine with discussing their age, for others, it’s a dreaded topic. In most cultures, asking one’s age is inappropriate once we become adults, so it comes as no surprise that fibbing about our age is one of the most common lies. People usually distort or embellish the truth in a way to make them younger, but in some cases, they’ll do the opposite. In the entertainment industry, age can be an especially sensitive topic.

Bright Side brings you the stories about 12 celebrities who were famously elusive about their age.

1. Mila Kunis

When Mila Kunis first auditioned for the role of Jackie Burkhart in That ’70s Show, she was only 14 — not really old enough to land the role that would mark her career: “I told them I was a little bit older...I told them I was going to be 18, which is not technically a lie, cause at one point...I was going to be 18,” she confessed in a 2012 interview.

2. Sandra Bullock

Back in a 1992 interview, Bullock admitted that she was not completely honest about her age when auditioning for the role in the film, Love Potion No. 9. The studio was seeking to hire a 29-year-old actress to play the biologist, a somewhat mature character, like Diane Farrow. Since Bullock was around 27 or 28 at that time, she had to convince these filmmakers that she was the right choice for the role.

3. Eminem

’’Slim Shady’’ was a bit shady about his age in a 1999 interview. Eminem said he was 24 years old when he was, in fact, 27, proving that it’s not just women in the public eye who want to cling to their youth.

4. Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain hasn’t been forthcoming about her age. For some time, it was a mystery to the public. In one interview, she said that she deliberately doesn’t talk about her age, so it won’t affect the roles she gets: ’’I will never say my age because I’m an actress, and I want to play different ages,’’ the actress admits.

5. Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne was just 14 years old when he landed the role of 17-year-old Tyrone “Clean” Miller in Apocalypse Now. The actor stretched his age and the truth a little bit, claiming he was 16. But who wouldn’t fib a little in order to work with the great Francis Ford Coppola? Oddly enough, this epic movie took so long to make that by the time it wrapped, Fishburne turned 17.

6. Nicki Minaj

Though Nicki Minaj (who is now 39) used to claim that she was born in 1984, her true age was uncovered when she was involved in an incident in 2011. According to a report that surfaced later, she was actually born in 1982.

7. Gabrielle Carteris

The actress who we all remember from Beverly Hills 90210 as Andrea Zuckerman was not entirely honest about her age. To ensure she would get the youthful role, Carteris even consulted a lawyer about it: “I actually talked to a lawyer about how could I sign these contracts and lie about my age and still be able to do the show. ‘Is it okay?’ And [he said], ‘Yes it is, as long as you just say you’re over 21.’” She was, in fact, 29 at the time.

8. Whoopi Goldberg

Instead of faking that she was younger, the famous actress had to pretend that she was older: ’’I had to lie about my age to get some jobs," Goldberg admitted. Back in the ’80s, when the actress was 30, most people thought she was actually 35.

9. Nicolas Cage

The 1982 comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, was the first movie appearance for the young Nicolas Cage, who had to conceal his age to get the part. 17-year-old Cage claimed that he was 18 when he auditioned for the lead role of Brad, which ultimately went to Judge Reinhold.

10. Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox, who is about to turn 50, has been vague about her age since she was 28. She recently admitted that it all started when she was dating a younger guy who broke up with her for being “too old.” For the next couple of years, she continued pretending to be 22. Cox then became even vaguer, saying she was ’’over 21.’’ Finally, she recently decided to be honest and celebrate her real age.

11. Rebel Wilson

In 2017, the Australian comedian and actress sued an Australian magazine for causing damage to her career by alleging that she was a ’’serial liar.’’ According to the magazine, the then-36-year-old actress claimed she was 29. They also suggested that she was vague about her real name and upbringing. Wilson has asserted throughout the trial that she never lied about her age but simply avoided questions by saying, “A lady never tells.”

12. Hilary Duff

The American actress, singer, and producer confessed that she used to conceal her age to get into nightclubs. With the help of her older sister, she faked her age using a fake ID, but admitted that their stunt rarely worked because she would get recognized: ’’I was pretty well-known by the time I was trying to get into clubs, and they would just let me in anyway,’’ she said.

Have you ever tried concealing your age? What was the outcome? Share your stories with us in the comments.