Maggie Gyllenhaal, 37, Was Told She Was Too Old to Play a 55-Year-Old Actor's Love Interest

Maggie Gyllenhaal is opening up being a woman in Hollywood – and recalling a recent specific event where she was too old.

“There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time,” the 37-year-old actress told The Wrap. “I’m 37 and I was told recently I was too old to play the lover of a man who was 55. It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made me feel angry, and then it made me laugh.”

“A lot of actresses are doing incredible work right now, playing real women, complicated women,” Maggie added – she’s getting Emmy buzz for her role in The Honourable Woman. “I don’t feel despairing at all. And I’m more looking with hope for something fascinating.”

Also pictured inside: Maggie and her husband Peter Sarsgaard at the airport together on Wednesday (May 20) in Los Angeles.