10.18.2011

asian american actress sues imdb for posting her age

Okay, so get this. An unnamed Asian actress has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com, which owns the Internet Movie Database, for posting her age on her public IMDb profile: Amazon sued in Seattle over revealing actress' age.

Jane Doe alleges that IMDb misused her personal information, posting her legal date of birth without her permission. And as an up-and-coming actress in a blatantly age-conscious industry, this makes roles harder to come by.

At the same time, the plaintiff claims that her apparent youthful looks -- she is Asian, after all -- make it harder to get convincingly cast in roles that call for an actual 40-year-old. She's suing for a million bucks:

The lawsuit accuses IMDb of misusing her personal information after she signed up for the industry insider IMDbPro service in 2008. Shortly thereafter, she noticed her legal date of birth had been added to her public acting profile. She requested that it be removed and IMDb refused, the lawsuit says.

"If one is perceived to be 'over-the-hill,' i.e., approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the plaintiff, to get work as she is thought to have less of an 'upside,' therefore, casting directors, producers, directors, agents-manager, etc. do not give her the same opportunities, regardless of her appearance or talent," the lawsuit states.

While she loses opportunities because of her age, she's also missing work because of her youthful appearance, the lawsuit says.

"Plaintiff has experience rejection in the industry for each "40-year-old" role for which she has interviewed because she does not and cannot physically portray the role of a 40-year-old woman," the lawsuit says.
Sorry for your predicament, Jane Doe. But actors get passed over for roles all the time. Rejection is a way of life. You're going to have a hard time convincing me that your career troubles are IMDB's fault.

Anyone have any idea who this bitter anonymous actress is? According to the lawsuit, she is of Asian descent, lives in Texas and has "an Americanized stage name." It also describes her as "up-and-coming." Honestly, I get the feeling that someone who'd raise a stink about something like this is probably nobody I've ever heard of... but you never know.

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