What is the age gap in The Idea of You?

It might not be the only film showing different generations in love this year, but what is the age gap in The Idea of You?

Rom-coms are back and bigger than ever in 2024, with Prime Video’s The Idea of You reinventing the genre in one simple way — the couple in love has a distinct age gap.

In our four-star review, we described the movie as “It was never going to be groundbreaking, but arguably The Idea of You has changed the landscape of rom-coms for good. It’s a movie that makes you think, love, laugh, cry — but most of all, it’s a damn good time.”

However, it’s not all about Coachella and fake boybands, with some serious debate going down around how old the lead characters are. But what exactly is the age gap in The Idea of You?

What is the age gap in The Idea of You?

There is an age gap of 16 years in The Idea of You. Solène (Anne Hathaway) is 40 years old, while Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine) is 24 years old.

Prime Video

The couple meet while Hayes’ boyband August Moon performs a headline slot at Coachella, with Solène left to take her daughter to the pre-show meet and greet after her ex-husband drops out. Not really wanting to go, the daughter takes off with her friends at the festival, leaving Solène alone. Trying to find the bathrooms, she enters Hayes’ trailer, and the magic starts there.

With the movie based on the Robinne Lee novel of the same name, the age gap has actually been changed slightly, with Solène originally 39 and Hayes 20. There has currently been no reason given for why this change was made.

What is the age difference between Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine?

In real life, there’s an age gap of 12 years, with Anne Hathaway currently 41 years old and Nicholas Galitzine 29 years old.

Prime Video

Hathaway has a roster of classic movies and rom-coms already behind her, including The Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries, The Intern, One Day, and Love & Other Drugs.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Galitzine has already appeared in Mary & George this year, alongside Bottoms, Red, White & Royal Blue, Purple Hearts, and the 2021 live-action remake of Cinderella.

Why has there been controversy?

The age gap in The Idea of You has already sparked debate on social media due to being outside the social norm — but the cast has already weighed in.

Speaking on the Today Show, Anne Hathaway commented: “It’s kind of fun to be in a film where we talk about it, where we don’t dance around it, but we actually embrace her point of view on it. It’s funny, it’s OK if 40 is old, it’s OK if 40 isn’t old, it’s OK whatever it is, because it’s personal.

“For Solène, her point of view is, you know, she became a mom really young and she really wanted to have a career and so she doesn’t totally identify with her age. She feels like maybe she’s done things a little bit out of order and for her, 40 means it’s a time … of self-discovery for her,” she continued. “And that’s what the movie says … how wonderful that she finds someone that she feels so supported by, seen by, embraced by, valued by.”

Galitzine weighed in (via First Post): “We’re used to seeing, when there’s an age gap, it’s usually the man who’s older. I think it’s refreshing to see it this way and very much a commentary on where we are and where we’re moving as a society; how we perceive love and the nuclear relationship, and that chemistry transcends age. People who are in two different places in their lives can actually have an incredible amount of commonality and be simpatico.”

Find even more amazing movies, TV shows, and true crime documentaries to catch on streaming this month. If that’s not enough, find out what’s in store this year for K-drama.