Ulrika Jonsson has claimed men aren’t criticised as much as ladies for their appearance after she was trolled for not wearing makeup, insisting that the bar is ‘set impossibly high for women’.
And whilst red carpets are filled with the glamorous likes of Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Anne Hathaway, who look more youthful than ever, it appears the same can’t be said for some of their famous male counterparts.
‘A man wouldn’t have gotten the same amount of critique,’ said Ulrika, adding women in their 40s and 50s must meet ‘impossibly high’ standards when it comes to their physical appearance.
While the pressure to maintain their youthful looks has seen stars from the Eighties and Nineties increasingly turn to cosmetic surgery and tweakments, men in the industry have typically embraced their rugged, time-worn features.
These photos below of famous faces in their youth, compared to now, prove that Ulrika might be right about men having to barely fuss over ageing.
Read on to discover the A-list male celebrities over 50 who have rejected the aesthetic constraints and aged somewhat ‘disgracefully’ instead…
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp’s movie star good looks meant he quickly climbed the ranks on Hollywood’s A-list, but Depp admitted he let his hair down later in his career
Johnny Depp, now 61, made his debut in 1984 with Nightmare on Elm Street and quickly became one of the world’s most famous actors after performances in Edward Scissorhands, the Pirates of the Caribbean, and Donnie Brasco.
His movie star good looks meant he quickly climbed the ranks on Hollywood’s A-list, but Depp admitted he let his hair down later in his career after he became ‘hyper aware’ of his ‘pot belly’.
His ‘rotting’ teeth also sparked fan concern after Depp walked the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in May 2023, before the Oscar nominee underwent a dramatic dental transformation.
In September 2024, sources suggested Depp was weighing up undergoing a complete makeover as he returned to the limelight after his divorce from ex-wife Amber Heard was finalised in the wake of their landmark defamation lawsuit.
One person told Radar he was ‘finally going to do something about that pot belly, not to mention investing in some beauty rituals to polish up his skin, hair and general appearance’ after years of neglect.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson has embraced his greys without worrying too much about judgement from fans
Mel Gibson is also seemingly celebrating his age without worrying about fan criticism over his looks.
The now-70-year-old veteran actor looked unrecognisable with a full head of grey hair and scruffy when he attended Vince Vaughn’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony two years ago.
Gibson – who is best known for his Lethal Weapon franchise – also was much more dressed down than other attendees.
The father-of-nine wore shorts, white collared shirt, and kept his glasses on for most of the ceremony as Mel entered his ‘silver fox’ era.
It is in stark contrast to the judgment women face when they go grey as Melinda Messenger revealed she was told she looks ‘old’ and ‘disgusting’ when the former glamour model, now 55, stopped dyeing her hair.
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy’s fans recently defended him after a social media user asked ‘what happened to’ him while sharing side-by-side comparison photos on Instagram taken 26 years apart
Tom Hardy’s fans recently defended him after a social media user asked ‘what happened to’ him while sharing side-by-side comparison photos on Instagram taken 26 years apart.
The picture from 2021 showed Tom flaunting his heavily tattooed, toned physique while the shirtless snap taken during a beach outing earlier this month revealed he had put on a considerable amount of weight.
While female stars are frequently criticised for weight gain, Tom’s fans declared ‘bodies change’ after the before-and-after pictures were posted online.
One person suggested he was ‘ageing like fine wine’ while another said the 48-year-old star is ‘still a smoke show’.
Mickey Rourke
For years, Mickey Rourke’s face attracted speculation, as many wondered if his varying looks were down to years of boxing or ‘bad surgery’
At the height of his career in the 1980s and early 90s, Mickey Rourke was hailed as one of Hollywood’s most magnetic and unconventional leading men with standout performances in 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart and Rumble Fish.
In January, however, he looked worlds away from that 90s Hollywood heartthrob when he was pictured with a shaved head picking up a Taco Bell order outside his home in Los Angeles, California.
Once known for his rugged good looks and dangerous charisma, Rourke’s appearance has undergone drastic changes, largely due to extensive plastic surgeries following injuries sustained during his stint as a professional boxer.
For years, Rourke’s face attracted speculation, as many wondered if his varying looks were down to years of boxing or ‘bad surgery’.
‘Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together,’ he later explained.
Despite his constantly changing looks, fans were struck by Rourke’s appearance when the New York-born athlete was photographed with his takeout order earlier this year.
Rourke’s once-luscious hair was gone, replaced by a nearly bald head in his latest sighting, with the insider stating the actor has ‘lived the life of a rock star.’
They said: ‘Mickey has lived the life of a rock star with plenty of drug and alcohol abuse over the years, so to see him worse for wear in recent pictures without the benefit of Hollywood movie magic, we shouldn’t be surprised that he looks nothing like he used to.’
Representatives for Rourke did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment at the time.
Gary Oldman
At 68, the star of the hit Apple TV series Slow Horses said he is the ‘happiest’ he has ever been in an interview with Variety – even if his dashing looks are a thing of the past
Gary Oldman is another leading man whose work has not been impacted by his age.
At 68, the star of the hit Apple TV series Slow Horses said he is the ‘happiest’ he has ever been in an interview with Variety – even if his dashing looks are a thing of the past.
The London-born thespian has enjoyed a 44-year career after making his debut with Remembrance in 1982.
Today, he looks dramatically different to his younger self, with Oldman typically seen sporting a bushy grey beard and tortoise-rimmed glasses everywhere from red carpets to interviews.
