IMDb Pro Benefits Violate California Law Over Age Discrimination As Of January, But Site Refuses To Comply

IMDb Pro benefits might seem absurd to some who regularly use the site for “fact-checking,” but for some, one of those benefits is now a violation of state law. California law, as of January 1, 2017, now makes it mandatory that entertainment websites allow for the removal of the date of birth for thespians whose biographical summaries exist on them.

For moviegoers, it might seem trivial to not know how old some actors and actresses are. One might delight in knowing they share a birthday in common with Matt Damon or Brad Pitt, or that Jason Statham pulls off some impressive stunts at his age. Of course, actors like Sean Connery have embraced their age with grace, sporting their gray beards like a badge of honor.

Others, especially actresses, often have a problem with the public knowing their age. Many such as Olivia Wilde and Maggie Gyllenhaal have been told they were too old for certain roles, and it’s very limiting in an industry where men have been the majority of those in charge. It’s a problem which, according to many who have joined HeForShe, borders on overt sexism.

In the past few years, especially following Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence’s open letter revealing the Hollywood gender gap, more women have come to the front. Mad Max: Fury Road and 2016’s Ghostbusters are both examples of this, despite both being directed by men. Katie Holmes’ All We Had and the upcoming horror anthology XX are examples of women finally getting the chance to direct more often.

Men and women are very opposite in the age factor, with older men often landing romantic leads with women possibly half their age. Women don’t often get away with that, with the exception of American Pie’s Mrs. Stiffler (Jennifer Coolidge) who was intentionally too old because the script called for it, and because Eddie Kaye Thomas was underage.

It could be blamed on Hollywood’s writer pool, but California took a different route to help curb the problem. AB-1687 was enacted in order to allow actors of any gender to remove their date of birth or age from any public entertainment website and help eliminate age discrimination, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Age discrimination is already a violation of U.S. law, but actors often suffer the worst for it. There are perfectly capable actresses who constantly get turned down for major roles because of it. The new California law was enacted after a Texas actress, who has requested that her real name not be revealed, sued IMDb Pro for its benefits, which don’t include the freedom to remove the date of birth from actors’ pages by request.

The site is often used by entertainment industry employers who don’t directly ask actors or actresses for their age, and the Texas actress is demanding $75,000 compensation, $1 million in punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, says Entertainment Weekly. Actors guilds have come forward with a statement against IMDb for its enabling practices.

“IMDb publishes the actual dates of birth of thousands of actors without their consent, most of them not celebrities but rank-and-file actors whose names are unknown to the general public. When their actual ages then become known to casting personnel, the 10 [plus] year age range that many of them can portray suddenly shrinks, and so do their opportunities to work.”

It’s unknown whether IMDb will persist in defying California law, since Forbes reports IMDb claims the law is a violation of the First Amendment. Of course, the First Amendment is a popular excuse for a lot of things these days.

[Featured Image by Maxx Satori/Shutterstock]