Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ageism dig at.. The Dig
Fury as 35-yr-old plays character 21 years her senior in Netflix movie
RALPH, AS BASIL, Fiennes plays excavator who finds Anglo-saxon ship and treasure
Mulligan in the role of landowner baffled by mounds in her fields
NEW hit Netflix film The Dig has been accused of ageist casting after one of the lead roles was given to an actor 21 years younger than the character.
Carey Mulligan, 35, plays 56-year-old Edith Pretty in the show about archaeology enthusiast Basil Brown finding a buried Anglo-saxon ship and treasure on her land.
While producers said the part was originally intended for Nicole Kidman, 53, Mulligan admitted she was “aged up” for the role.
Behind the Woman health group – a Yorkshire-based collective which champions women in mid-life – said: “It’s a crying shame to think of the wonderful actresses over 50 that could’ve played Mrs Pretty.
“As long as women in their 30s play women in their 50s it perpetuates our invisibility.”
TV fan Kate Bevan pointed out Pretty was several years older in real life than Brown, 51, played by 58-year-old Ralph Fiennes.
She added: “This is a nice film, but it’s so disappointing that there’s this sexism and ageism baked into it.”
INFURIATING
Another post read: “Carey is incredible but the real-life woman gave birth to her son at 47, she overcame sexism/ageism in that era, so it might have been nice to have cast her age appropriately in 2021.”
Another said youthful casting was an “infuriating... double standard” not seen with men.
Pretty invited local excavator Brown to examine the mounds on her Suffolk property in 1939.
It led to the excavation of the Anglo-saxon burial ship and one of the most famous discoveries of ancient treasures on British soil.
Mulligan has tried to shrug off the ageist criticisms. She said: “There is an age disparity between me and the character, but the sense of her I think was the most important thing.
“But it was more important to honour Edith’s character and the humble, generous, extraordinary woman she was.”
The film was based upon a book written by John Preston, who was the nephew of archaeologist Peggy Preston, played by Lily James.
Director Simon Stone said: “The book departs from the truth in a lot of aspects and doesn’t purport to be absolutely accurate, so the scope for departing from accuracy was there.” There was previous criticism of Peggy’s character as she was portrayed as a “bumbling sidekick”.
But John defended the portrayal of Peggy saying she was not “a grizzled professional” at the time.