The 1990s were unquestionably a different era.
A tweet regarding the age difference between Laura Dern and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park became hot search lately.
Today I learned that Laura Dern was only 23 in Jurassic Park…. ummm. Fascinating.
— roxane gay (@rgay) May 22, 2022
And that got me thinking about how big the age disparities between love leads were in some of our other favorite ’90s films. Take a look at what we discovered below!
1. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Source: Tristar Pictures / Via Everett Collection
Michael and Kimmy, the pair who Julianne (portrayed by Julia Roberts) tries to bring together in My Best Friend’s Wedding, were almost 10 years apart in fact.
Dermot Mulroney, who was 34 years old at the time of the movie’s premiere, portrayed Michael, and Cameron Diaz, who was 25 then, was cast as Kimmy.
2. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Source: Warner Bros / Via Everett Collection
Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) was in a relationship with Patricia Eden, portrayed by the unique Parker Posey, before he started dating with Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) in You’ve Got Mail.
In fact, Hanks and Posey had a significant age difference, as he was 42 and she was 29 then.
3. Casino (1995)
Source: Universal / Via Everett Collection
The gorgeous Ginger (Sharon Stone) was the wife of mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), while at the same time maintaining a relationship with his accomplice, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), in the gritty Vegas-set crime flick Casino.
In fact, both men were considerable older in real life than Sharon Stone, who was 37 years old then. De Niro was 51 and Pesci was 52.
4. As Good As It Gets (1997)
Source: Sony Pictures / Via Everett Collection
The romantic comedy from 1997 Melvin Udall, a cynical and nasty romance writer, falls for the beautiful waitress at the diner where he has breakfast every day in As Good As It Gets.
Jack Nicholson, who was 60 years old then, portrayed Melvin. Helen Hunt, who was cast as the sweet waitress Carol Connelly, was 34 years old at the time of filming.
5. Pretty Woman (1990)
Source: Buena Vista Pictures / Via Everett Collection
Julia Roberts portrays Vivian, a sex worker who is picked up by Edward, a handsome businessman portrayed by Richard Gere, and the two create an unexpected but irresistible bond in the popular rom-com Pretty Woman.
Roberts was only 22 years old when the picture was released, and her starring man, Richard Gere, was 40 years old.
6. Runaway Bride (1999)
Source: Paramount / Via Everett Collection
A couple of years later, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere acted opposite each other in another romance, Runaway Bride. Maggie Carpenter is portrayed by Roberts, who is famous for leaving three grooms at the altar, and Ike Graham is portrayed by Gere, who is a reporter who writes about her shady history and gradually falls for her.
Their 18-year age gap was still significant in 1999, although it was somewhat less so because Julia Roberts was no longer in her twenties. Richard Gere was 49 years old at the time, and she was 31.
7. While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Source: Buena Vista Pictures / Via Everett Collection
Many rom-com fans adore Sandra Bullock‘s portrayal of Lucy, a lonely, hopeless romantic who falls for her crush’s brother Jack (Bill Pullman) in the middle of a complicated case of erratic identification.
Bullock was only in her early thirties then, while her lover, portrayed by Bill Pullman, was 41.
8. Poison Ivy (1992)
Source: Ronald Grant Archive / Mary Evans / Via Everett Collection
Poison Ivy is a frightening narrative about Ivy (Drew Barrymore), a disillusioned adolescent who, desiring the stability of a family, tries to infiltrate her best friend’s family by seducing her father, Darryl (Tom Skerritt).
While the age difference was intended, it’s unclear whether it should have been 41 years. Skerritt was 58 years old in 1992, while Barrymore was only 17 years old.
9. He Got Game (1998)
Source: Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection
Denzel Washington was cast as Jake Shuttlesworth, the father of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the most sought after high school basketball prodigy, in the 1998 sports thriller He Got Game. He’s also recently gotten out of jail after killing his wife by accident, and his relationship with his son is strained, so he resides at a run-down hotel, where he meets and romances Dakota Barns, a troubled lady portrayed by Milla Jovovich.
Denzel Washington was 43 years old when the picture was released, while Milla Jovovich was only 22.
10. Six Days, Seven Nights (1998)
Source: Bruce McBroom / © Buena Vista / Via Everett Collection
In Six Days, Seven Nights, Anne Heche portrays the business-minded magazine editor Robin Monroe, who is pitted against Harrison Ford‘s volatile cargo pilot Quinn Harris. Despite their differences, the two discover that they have a spark that can’t be denied.
Something more that can’t be overlooked? The age gap between the actors. Harrison Ford was 55 years old, while Anne Heche was only 29 years old.
11. In the Line of Fire (1993)
Source: Bruce McBroom / ©Columbia Picture / Via Everett Collection
In the Line of Fire, a 1993 political thriller, portrayed a relationship between two Secret Service agents Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) and Lilly Raines (Rene Russo).
Clint Eastwood was 63 years old at the time, and Rene Russo was 39, resulting in a 24-year age gap.
12. Entrapment (1999)
Source: 20th Century Fox / Via Everett Collection
Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Virginia “Gin” Baker, an insurance investigator who goes undercover to apprehend suspected art thief Robert “Mac” Macdougal, portrayed by Sean Connery, in the 1999 heist film Entrapment. The pair’s friendship strengthens as her network of falsehoods grows.
The real-life age gap, on the other hand, was completely improper. At the time of filming, Catherine Zeta-Jones was a young 28 years old, while Sean Connery, who has already made a name for himself, was 67, resulting in a 39-year age difference.
13. Indecent Proposal (1993)
Source: Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection / Via Everett Collection
The 1993 film Indecent Proposal is about an indecent proposal made by mystery billionaire John Gage, who promises Diana Murphy, a real estate agent whose finances have recently taken a hit, a million dollars to sleep with her. Despite the fact that she is happily married, Gage is able to charm her.
Robert Redford, aged 56 then, played John Gage, and Demi Moore, who was 30 years old at the time, played Diana.
14. A Perfect Murder (1998)
Source: Warner Bros / Via Everett Collection
It’s no surprise that the love leads in A Perfect Murder have different ages. Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a youthful wife of Steven, an older Wall Street businessman, portrayed by Michael Douglas.
Michael Douglas was 54 years old in 1998, more than twice as old as Gwyneth Paltrow, who was 26.
15. Bulworth (1998)
Source: 20th Century Fox / Via Everett Collection
Bulworth, a political comedy starring Warren Beatty, features Jay Bulworth, a disillusioned politician, who was ready to end it all — but with someone else’s assistance, so that his family can have his insurance policy. But when he falls for the young and attractive Nina, played by Halle Berry, he starts to second-guess his ambitions.
Warren Beatty, who was 61 years old at the time of the film’s release, was 30 years older than Halle Berry, who was 31.
16. Little Women (1994)
Source: Joseph Lederer / ©Columbia Pictures / Via Everett Collection
Jo March had a relationship with Friedrich Bhaer, an elderly professor played by Gabriel Byrne, in the 1994 rendition of Little Women, which stars Winona Ryder as Jo March.
Winona Ryder was 22 years old in real life, while Gabriel Byrne was 44 years old..
17. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Source: 20th Century Fox / Via Everett Collection
The age gap isn’t shocking because How Stella Got Her Groove Back is about an older woman falling in love with a younger man. In actuality, the performers’ age difference is less than the 20-year age difference between the characters they play: Stella is 40, and Winston is 20.
Angela Bassett was 39 when the picture was released, and Taye Diggs, her leading man, was 27.
