Actors and musicians are storytellers, efficiently promoting narratives of their performances or lyrics.
Generally, nevertheless, they use these expertise to create false narratives about themselves. Listed here are 19 celebrities who lied about their heights, ages, or origins:
1.
After years of conflicting studies about his peak, in 2020, Nicholas Braun informed Enterprise Insider, “6’7″ is the actual quantity. I used to make it shorter as a result of most individuals hear 6’7″ and even 6’6″ and, I believe, are a little bit spooked by it, like I’ll be too tall. I am simply speaking about in auditions or after I’m going for a component. So I used to kind of make it low, 6’4″, 6’5″. I am actually 6’7″ after I stand. It has been the most important obstacle to getting roles, I believe, my entire life. As a result of at the same time as a child after I was youthful, like 11, 12 years previous, I used to be very tall. I simply stored being very tall. However all people’s obtained one thing that may get in the best way. I am simply gonna embrace it from right here on out.”
2.
Idris Elba pretended to be American for his The Wire audition. In 2019, he informed Sizzling Ones, “[Series creator] David Simon particularly informed Alexa Fogel, who’s the casting director, ‘Hear, that is about Baltimore. I do not wanna see no non-Individuals for any of those roles. I want individuals that may actually relate to the story I am making an attempt to inform right here.’ Which is a very reasonable factor to ask for, contemplating how observant he’s of the tradition. So, Alexa Fogel was a casting director that was actually into seeing new expertise, and he or she met me. And she or he mentioned, ‘I really like you. I can convey you into this audition, however you gotta promise me, you’ll be able to’t inform them you are from East London.'”
3.
From 2000–2019, Laverne Cox lied about her age. In 2022, she informed The Ellen Present, “I used to be 28 years previous, and I used to be courting a man that was 21, and he broke up with me as a result of he mentioned I used to be too previous. And I used to be like, ‘Oh, if I am too previous, I am going to simply be 22.'” After a couple of years, although, she did not need to lie about being 22 anymore. She continued, “‘Over 21’ turned my age. And so I used to be ‘Over 21’ from like 2002 to 2019.” Nonetheless, when IMDB “found out” her actual age, Laverne “was having such anxiousness” and anxious it could make her appear to be she “wasn’t hirable” or “dateable.” So, she spoke along with her therapist about these emotions. When she was talking at an occasion in 2019, she mentioned her actual age out loud for the primary time.
4.
Early in her profession, Nicole Kidman, who’s 5’11”, was informed, “You will not have a profession. You are too tall.” In 2024, she informed the Radio Occasions Podcast, “I say 5’10½”, however I am 5’11”.” Sadly, she realized her peak could also be a hindrance to her performing profession fairly younger. She mentioned, “I keep in mind auditioning for Annie, which was simply a type of massive callouts the place a whole bunch and a whole bunch of individuals [go]. I did not have an agent or something; I simply confirmed up…I needed to discuss my means by way of the door ‘trigger they had been measuring you earlier than you went in. I used to be mortified, and I used to be over the mark. I believe you needed to be, kind of, 5’2″, and I used to be possibly 5’4″…and so they let me in…”
5.
In 2001, Nadine Coyle — who later rose to fame as a member of Ladies Aloud — competed on Irish Popstars. Opponents needed to be not less than 18, however since she was solely 16, she lied about her age. Nonetheless, she by chance spilled her personal secret throughout an interview.
A producer found that she’d put 1983 as her beginning 12 months on her paperwork and confronted her in regards to the contradiction. Nadine tried to backtrack then acted like she did not know the place her passport was.
Off digicam, she got here clear about her actual age. She needed to depart the present, regardless of her bandmates’ protests. You may watch the total clip under:
View this video on YouTube
RTÉ One / Through youtube.com
6.
When Kaya Scodelario was 14, considered one of her lecturers informed the scholars about auditions for Skins. In 2024, she informed the Guardian, “A bunch of us went down simply to look, after which a few the assured women went in. I used to be stood watching when the creator, Bryan Elsley, got here outdoors for a cigarette – I believe they’d had too many youngsters flip up, so he was happening the road and fairly brutally being like, ‘Sure, no, sure, no.’ He noticed me throughout the highway and mentioned, ‘Do you need to audition?'” Then, Kaya auditioned, however she additionally lied and mentioned she was 15. Nonetheless, after she booked it, she discovered they had been really in search of a youthful actor. So, she known as the producers and mentioned, “No, I lied! I lied! I am solely 14!”
7.
In 2020, Jacob Elordi informed GQ, “I was so delicate about my peak, as a result of after I first began performing, actually all people would inform me that I might by no means work as a result of they would not be capable of accomplice me with individuals, and so they would not carry the digicam up. So, I mainly obtained informed that I used to be too tall to be an actor. So to all of these individuals…good. So, yeah, I used to be tremendous nervous about telling individuals my peak. So I used to attempt to go as, like, 6’2″ or 6’3″, however I am really 6’5″. So on-line, there’s all totally different sorts of numbers. I’ve simply offered myself out. Simply because…individuals hear 6’5″, and so they go, like ‘You are a large,’ but when I stand subsequent to somebody who’s 6’3″, the distinction is, like, tiny.”
8.
At age 24, Gillian Anderson landed a number one position on The X-Recordsdata with comparatively little performing expertise by pretending to be older. In 2020, she informed Contemporary Air, “I lied about my age on the primary audition. So I mentioned that I used to be 27. In order that’s the way you get that job. However I used to be despatched in on an audition, like every other audition, after which stored getting known as again and, finally, you recognize, went to community with all the opposite women who had been additionally making an attempt out for the position, going to community and attending to learn with David Duchovny, who they’d by that time chosen as Mulder. However they weren’t satisfied — Chris Carter, who created the sequence, was satisfied that I used to be his Scully, however the community wasn’t. And so, impulsively, they began to fly in all these different actresses from the theater group in New York.”
9.
When Laurence Fishburne auditioned for Apocalypse Now, he claimed he was 16, however he was really 14. The jig was up when producer Fred Roos acknowledged him from a earlier venture. Nonetheless, a secretary’s opinion that he might go for 18 helped him get the position. In 2013, Laurence informed George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, “A younger lady who was working within the workplaces, a secretary, obtained up and walked by way of. And as she was strolling, Francis [Ford Coppola, the director] lastly spoke up, and he simply checked out her and mentioned, ‘Excuse me, you suppose this child might be 18?’ And whoever this younger lady was, she circled, checked out me, and went, ‘Yeah.'”
10.
In 2018, Chloë Grace Moretz informed The Late Present with Stephen Colbert, “I lied to a reasonably heavy hitter. I lied to Martin Scorsese for Hugo. In Hugo, I am presupposed to have a British accent and be British, and so I went in there, you recognize, simply prepared for it…I hadn’t performed a British accent earlier than…However I’ve, like, a strong ear, so I am okay with faking it. And I am going into the audition, and I might performed, like, you recognize, a pair smaller auditions, and the casting director knew I wasn’t British, however she knew that I used to be keen to lie. And she or he favored me. And she or he was like, ‘Deceive Marty. It will work.’ And I used to be like, ‘Okay. If I get the half.’ I might already lied in my self-tape, after which I lied along with her, and he or she knew the reality. So, she was like, ‘Maintain mendacity.'” So, Chloë informed the director she was the daughter of horse breeders from Cambridgeshire.
11.
When Lisanne Falk auditioned for Heathers, she was 23 however claimed to be 19. In 2019, she informed Fox Information, “Wanting again at it, it is type of gotten misinterpreted. On the time there have been so many teen films the place you had individuals who had been trying 30 years previous, who had been well beyond their due date when it comes to being in highschool. I obtained this audition by way of my agent and…I used to be 23 on the time. However I all the time seemed fairly younger…And after I learn the script, I simply knew I had to do that. I did not need to lose my alternative. So I believed, ‘I am simply going to go in and add a ‘teen’ on the finish of my age so it is not even a difficulty. In order that they would not suppose twice about hiring me.’ And mainly it labored. I mentioned I used to be 19, and so they had been fantastic with it. I did not suppose I would not need to take care of that once more.”
12.
To nab the position of 16-year-old Andrea Zuckerman on Beverly Hills 90210, then-29-year-old Gabrielle Carteris lied about being 21. In 2019, she informed Folks, “After I obtained the position, a lawyer informed me I might signal a contract and state a unique age, so long as it was over the age of 21. When [my real age] did come out, the present was simply beginning to take off, and my character was established sufficient that they didn’t fireplace me. However a producer did say to me, ‘You are fortunate we did not know your age once we employed you.'”
13.
In 2013, Jessica Chastain — who was broadly reported to be 35 on the time — informed the Impartial, “I’ll by no means say my age as a result of I am an actress, and I need to play totally different ages.”
14.
In 2016, Chris Hemsworth informed the Radio Occasions, “There are definitely issues I’ve wished to go up for which I have been completely fallacious for, bodily. And I usually lie about my peak [6’3”] and say I am shorter. However it will probably go two methods. The transient for the audition for Thor mentioned, ‘Have to be over 6’1″, which I might by no means seen earlier than!”
15.
In 2023, James Blunt informed the Guardian, “If you happen to have a look at my Wikipedia web page, it’ll say that I am 47 — I am really 49. That is as a result of I modified the entry.” As of February 2025, his age on Wikipedia is listed accurately.
16.
In a 2021 essay for iNews, Paloma Religion wrote, “I used to be 27 after I put my first report out, however I informed my label I used to be 23. I seemed fairly younger, so I might get away with it. I learn quite a lot of articles about musicians on the time, and it appeared like each piece about KT Tunstall would indicate that she was fairly previous, regardless that she was solely 27. That basically affected me, and I keep in mind pondering, ‘I need to be judged for my music, not my age.’ My plan had been to get to a sure degree of success after which have a dialog about my age, however I used to be compelled to do it sooner as a result of somebody stored altering my Wikipedia web page. Each time I set my age to 23, they might change it again to 27. Finally, they supplied my beginning certificates to Wikipedia, so I used to be blocked from modifying my very own web page.”
17.
After being scouted at 18, Agyness Deyn spent 5 years as a jobbing mannequin. Then, when she was 23, she signed with an agent in New York and reached new ranges of success. On the time, she was surrounded by rumors that she’d lied about her age. The rumors reportedly sparked from a Fb group known as “Agyness Deyn You are Not 18,” which her former classmates made in 2007. The web page mentioned, “This group is for all those that notice that supermodel Agyness Deyn, AKA Laura Hollins, just isn’t 18, or 21, or any of the opposite ages she claims to be. We all know individuals who went to highschool along with her and can confirm she is 24.” In 2012, Agyness informed the Guardian she’d been mendacity for for much longer than individuals theorized.
18.
When Whoopi Goldberg was 30, it was broadly reported that she was 35. In 1986, she informed the Washington Submit, “I needed to lie about my age to get some jobs.”
19.
And at last, for 2 years, the hip-hop duo Silibil N’ Brains — aka Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd — masquerade as two California boys who met at a San Francisco rap battle. In actuality, they had been buddies from Dundee, Scotland who’d by no means even been to California. They determined to cover their roots after a 13-hour bus journey to London for a label audition, the place they had been laughed at for being from Scotland. In a joint 2013 Vice interview, Billy mentioned, “We fell into these identities because of how we had been feeling. We determined we both had to surrender or do one thing loopy.” Gavin added, “The hip hop we would been listening to was American, so we had been miming their accents once we had been singing within the bathe. We might rap within the accent naturally, however we started talking that means as effectively.”
In your opinion, what’s essentially the most ridiculous lie a star’s ever been caught in? Tell us within the feedback!
