19 Celebrities Who Bought Caught Mendacity

Actors and musicians are storytellers, efficiently promoting narratives of their performances or lyrics.

1.

After years of conflicting studies about his peak, in 2020, Nicholas Braun instructed Enterprise Insider, “6’7″ is the actual quantity. I used to make it shorter as a result of most individuals hear 6’7″ and even 6’6″ and, I believe, are a little bit spooked by it, like I’ll be too tall. I am simply speaking about in auditions or after I’m going for an element. So I used to form of make it low, 6’4″, 6’5″. I am actually 6’7″ after I stand. It has been the most important obstacle to getting roles, I believe, my entire life. As a result of at the same time as a child after I was youthful, like 11, 12 years previous, I used to be very tall. I simply stored being very tall. However all people’s bought one thing that may get in the way in which. I am simply gonna embrace it from right here on out.”

2.

Idris Elba pretended to be American for his The Wire audition. In 2019, he instructed Scorching Ones, “[Series creator] David Simon particularly instructed Alexa Fogel, who’s the casting director, ‘Pay attention, that is about Baltimore. I do not wanna see no non-People for any of those roles. I would like individuals that may actually relate to the story I am attempting to inform right here.’ Which is a very reasonable factor to ask for, contemplating how observant he’s of the tradition. So, Alexa Fogel was a casting director that was actually into seeing new expertise, and he or she met me. And she or he stated, ‘I like you. I can carry you into this audition, however you gotta promise me, you possibly can’t inform them you are from East London.'”

3.

From 2000–2019, Laverne Cox lied about her age. In 2022, she instructed The Ellen Present, “I used to be 28 years previous, and I used to be courting a man that was 21, and he broke up with me as a result of he stated I used to be too previous. And I used to be like, ‘Oh, if I am too previous, I will simply be 22.'” After a number of years, although, she did not wish to lie about being 22 anymore. She continued, “‘Over 21’ turned my age. And so I used to be ‘Over 21’ from like 2002 to 2019.” Nonetheless, when IMDB “discovered” her actual age, Laverne “was having such nervousness” and apprehensive it will make her look like she “wasn’t hirable” or “dateable.” So, she spoke along with her therapist about these emotions. When she was talking at an occasion in 2019, she stated her actual age out loud for the primary time.

4.

Early in her profession, Nicole Kidman, who’s 5’11”, was instructed, “You will not have a profession. You are too tall.” In 2024, she instructed the Radio Occasions Podcast, “I say 5’10½”, however I am 5’11”.” Sadly, she realized her peak could also be a hindrance to her performing profession fairly younger. She stated, “I bear in mind auditioning for Annie, which was simply a type of large callouts the place tons of and tons of of individuals [go]. I did not have an agent or something; I simply confirmed up…I needed to discuss my approach by way of the door ‘trigger they had been measuring you earlier than you went in. I used to be mortified, and I used to be over the mark. I believe you needed to be, form of, 5’2″, and I used to be perhaps 5’4″…they usually let me in…”

5.

In 2001, Nadine Coyle — who later rose to fame as a member of Women Aloud — competed on Irish Popstars. Rivals needed to be at the least 18, however since she was solely 16, she lied about her age. Nonetheless, she by accident spilled her personal secret throughout an interview.

A producer found that she’d put 1983 as her start yr on her paperwork and confronted her concerning the contradiction. Nadine tried to backtrack then acted like she did not know the place her passport was.

6.

When Kaya Scodelario was 14, one in all her lecturers instructed the scholars about auditions for Skins. In 2024, she instructed the Guardian, “A bunch of us went down simply to look, after which a few the assured ladies went in. I used to be stood watching when the creator, Bryan Elsley, got here outdoors for a cigarette – I believe that they had had too many children flip up, so he was happening the road and fairly brutally being like, ‘Sure, no, sure, no.’ He noticed me throughout the street and stated, ‘Do you wish to audition?'” Then, Kaya auditioned, however she additionally lied and stated she was 15. Nonetheless, after she booked it, she came upon they had been really searching for a youthful actor. So, she known as the producers and stated, “No, I lied! I lied! I am solely 14!”

7.

In 2020, Jacob Elordi instructed GQ, “I was so delicate about my peak, as a result of after I first began performing, actually all people would inform me that I might by no means work as a result of they would not have the ability to companion me with individuals, they usually would not raise the digicam up. So, I principally bought instructed that I used to be too tall to be an actor. So to all of these individuals…good. So, yeah, I used to be tremendous nervous about telling individuals my peak. So I used to try to cross as, like, 6’2″ or 6’3″, however I am really 6’5″. So on-line, there’s all totally different sorts of numbers. I’ve simply bought myself out. Simply because…individuals hear 6’5″, they usually go, like ‘You are a large,’ but when I stand subsequent to somebody who’s 6’3″, the distinction is, like, tiny.”

8.

At age 24, Gillian Anderson landed a number one position on The X-Recordsdata with comparatively little performing expertise by pretending to be older. In 2020, she instructed Contemporary Air, “I lied about my age on the primary audition. So I stated that I used to be 27. In order that’s the way you get that job. However I used to be despatched in on an audition, like some other audition, after which stored getting known as again and, finally, , went to community with all the opposite ladies who had been additionally attempting out for the position, going to community and attending to learn with David Duchovny, who that they had by that time chosen as Mulder. However they weren’t satisfied — Chris Carter, who created the sequence, was satisfied that I used to be his Scully, however the community wasn’t. And so, swiftly, they began to fly in all these different actresses from the theater neighborhood in New York.”

9.

When Laurence Fishburne auditioned for Apocalypse Now, he claimed he was 16, however he was really 14. The jig was up when producer Fred Roos acknowledged him from a earlier undertaking. Nonetheless, a secretary’s opinion that he may cross for 18 helped him get the position. In 2013, Laurence instructed George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, “A younger girl who was working within the workplaces, a secretary, bought up and walked by way of. And as she was strolling, Francis [Ford Coppola, the director] lastly spoke up, and he simply checked out her and stated, ‘Excuse me, you suppose this child could possibly be 18?’ And whoever this younger girl was, she circled, checked out me, and went, ‘Yeah.'”

10.

In 2018, Chloë Grace Moretz instructed The Late Present with Stephen Colbert, “I lied to a reasonably heavy hitter. I lied to Martin Scorsese for Hugo. In Hugo, I am imagined to have a British accent and be British, and so I went in there, , simply prepared for it…I hadn’t achieved a British accent earlier than…However I’ve, like, a stable ear, so I am okay with faking it. And I’m going into the audition, and I might achieved, like, , a pair smaller auditions, and the casting director knew I wasn’t British, however she knew that I used to be prepared to lie. And she or he appreciated me. And she or he was like, ‘Misinform Marty. It will work.’ And I used to be like, ‘Okay. If I get the half.’ I might already lied in my self-tape, after which I lied along with her, and he or she knew the reality. So, she was like, ‘Maintain mendacity.'” So, Chloë instructed the director she was the daughter of horse breeders from Cambridgeshire.

11.

When Lisanne Falk auditioned for Heathers, she was 23 however claimed to be 19. In 2019, she instructed Fox Information, “Wanting again at it, it is form of gotten misinterpreted. On the time there have been so many teen films the place you had individuals who had been trying 30 years previous, who had been well past their due date when it comes to being in highschool. I bought this audition by way of my agent and…I used to be 23 on the time. However I all the time appeared fairly younger…And after I learn the script, I simply knew I had to do that. I did not wish to lose my alternative. So I assumed, ‘I am simply going to go in and add a ‘teen’ on the finish of my age so it isn’t even a problem. In order that they would not suppose twice about hiring me.’ And principally it labored. I stated I used to be 19, they usually had been fantastic with it. I did not suppose I would not should take care of that once more.”

12.

To nab the position of 16-year-old Andrea Zuckerman on Beverly Hills 90210, then-29-year-old Gabrielle Carteris lied about being 21. In 2019, she instructed Folks, “After I bought the position, a lawyer instructed me I may signal a contract and state a special age, so long as it was over the age of 21. When [my real age] did come out, the present was simply beginning to take off, and my character was established sufficient that they didn’t hearth me. However a producer did say to me, ‘You are fortunate we did not know your age once we employed you.'”

13.

In 2013, Jessica Chastain — who was broadly reported to be 35 on the time — instructed the Unbiased, “I’ll by no means say my age as a result of I am an actress, and I wish to play totally different ages.”

14.

In 2016, Chris Hemsworth instructed the Radio Occasions, “There are definitely issues I’ve wished to go up for which I have been completely mistaken for, bodily. And I usually lie about my peak [6’3”] and say I am shorter. However it will possibly go two methods. The transient for the audition for Thor stated, ‘Should be over 6’1″, which I might by no means seen earlier than!”

15.

In 2023, James Blunt instructed the Guardian, “Should you take a look at my Wikipedia web page, it is going to say that I am 47 — I am really 49. That is as a result of I modified the entry.” As of February 2025, his age on Wikipedia is listed appropriately.

16.

In a 2021 essay for iNews, Paloma Religion wrote, “I used to be 27 after I put my first report out, however I instructed my label I used to be 23. I appeared fairly younger, so I may get away with it. I learn loads of articles about musicians on the time, and it appeared like every bit about KT Tunstall would indicate that she was fairly previous, despite the fact that she was solely 27. That actually affected me, and I bear in mind pondering, ‘I wish to be judged for my music, not my age.’ My plan had been to get to a sure degree of success after which have a dialog about my age, however I used to be compelled to do it sooner as a result of somebody stored altering my Wikipedia web page. Each time I set my age to 23, they’d change it again to 27. Ultimately, they supplied my start certificates to Wikipedia, so I used to be blocked from modifying my very own web page.”

17.

After being scouted at 18, Agyness Deyn spent 5 years as a jobbing mannequin. Then, when she was 23, she signed with an agent in New York and reached new ranges of success. On the time, she was surrounded by rumors that she’d lied about her age. The rumors reportedly sparked from a Fb group known as “Agyness Deyn You are Not 18,” which her former classmates made in 2007. The web page stated, “This group is for all those that notice that supermodel Agyness Deyn, AKA Laura Hollins, is just not 18, or 21, or any of the opposite ages she claims to be. We all know individuals who went to highschool along with her and can confirm she is 24.” In 2012, Agyness instructed the Guardian she’d been mendacity for for much longer than individuals theorized.

18.

When Whoopi Goldberg was 30, it was broadly reported that she was 35. In 1986, she instructed the Washington Put up, “I needed to lie about my age to get some jobs.”

19.

And at last, for 2 years, the hip-hop duo Silibil N’ Brains — aka Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd — masquerade as two California boys who met at a San Francisco rap battle. In actuality, they had been pals from Dundee, Scotland who’d by no means even been to California. They determined to cover their roots after a 13-hour bus journey to London for a label audition, the place they had been laughed at for being from Scotland. In a joint 2013 Vice interview, Billy stated, “We fell into these identities because of how we had been feeling. We determined we both had to surrender or do one thing loopy.” Gavin added, “The hip hop we might been listening to was American, so we had been miming their accents once we had been singing within the bathe. We may rap within the accent naturally, however we started talking that approach as effectively.”