The WGA Wonders: Should IMDb Post Birthdates?
If you're the type of Internet user who can spend a few hours clicking through the IMDb pages of actors, directors and writers, forever wondering how the particular person has accomplished so much at such a young age -- what, it can't just be me who does this -- some bad news: The Writer's Guild of America West is pressuring the massive film resource to pull all the ages from its site because they create the potential for age discrimination. Where's the fun in that?
Apparently -- as has happened in the real world too -- older, below-the-line workers are facing more and more obstacles when it comes to finding work. Says Paul Levine, a writer for JAG:
Not that anything ever overt was said, but not one time was I interviewed by someone my own age. I was always interviewed by people 20 to 30 years younger. It could be a problem if a show runner or his or her first lieutenant has scripts piling up, and they were trying to figure out who to interview. Looking at a credit list, if one writer is 35 and the other is 52, they're going for the 35 year old.
To its credit, IMDb only posts ages that they can verify as accurate and they are holding steadfast on their policy of not removing ages at the request of the individual. Besides, if that happened, how would anyone know Russell Crowe is 46? Oh, that's right: Wikipedia.
· EXCLUSIVE: Battle Raging Over Age Listings on IMDb [The Wrap]
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Comments
For established actors it isn't as much of a big deal because we know how long they have been around etc.
But for younger actors it can be. SAG has a rule that you can't ask an actor/actress their age. Only if they are 'over 18' or 'over 25' (for liquor and tobacco ads). Even if you look 15, once they know you are 20 that's the age they see.
for IMDB, I think their policy blows. If I don't want folks to know my age, my hometown etc, that's my private info. I should have the right to have it removed. Or even better, be able to say whether it can be posted at all. Sure, require it to come in a certified letter if you must, but contrary to some jerks, I don't give up my right to privacy by being an actor.
I have a friend that had an erroneous birth date and place listed and they refused to remove it, they said once it was posted it could only be corrected. That's bull.
Frankly I hope the industry sues them over it and makes mad press. It won't ever have to go to court, the bad PR will be enough to change the rules
Sue them? For sharing information that is a matter of public record? Good luck. As for the bad PR, who is going to look bad, the popular source of information that millions of people turn to daily, or the one's trying to censor information?
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