She may be an Oscar nominated actress, but apparently there's no way she could convincingly play a 55-year-old's girlfriend.

That's what 37-year-old Maggie Gyllenhaal was recently told by a casting director.

The Crazy Heart star revealed in an interview with The Wrap Magazine that she was denied a role opposite a man almost 20 years her senior because she was 'too old'.

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Over the hill: Maggie Gyllenhaal, 37, has revealed she was turned down for a role because she was too old to play the lover of a 55-year-old man

'There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time,' she said

'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.'

To put it in context, According to this unnamed casting director, Maggie would not be a believable love interest of Val Kilmer, Kevin Spacey, Hugh Laurie, James Spader, Judd Nelson, Rupert Everett, Hugo Weaving or Jason Alexander - all of whom are 55 years old.

Sexism in Hollywood is not a new phenomenon: A recent study by the Journal Of Management looked at the top 265 earning actresses and actors found that while female salaries increase steadily through their 20s, they drop suddenly after age 34.

Sugar daddies: Val Kilmer, Kevin Spacey, Hugh Laurie, James Spader are all 55 - and definitely wouldn't hook up with Maggie on screen, based on what the casting director told Maggie

Unbelievable: Judd Nelson, Rupert Everett, Hugo Weaving or Jason Alexander would also all be considered too young to play Gyllenhaal's partner

Men's wages meanwhile do not peak until 51 and plateau after that.

'Men's well-worn faces are thought to convey maturity, character and experience,' the study concluded. 'A woman's face, on the other hand, is valued for appearing young.'

In another study by the San Diego State's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, females accounted for only 12 per cent of all the protagonists depicted in the top 100 domestic box office releases of 2014, a figure that has been steadily decreasing.

On top of that, woman also made up just 29 per cent of the major characters and 30 per cent of all speaking roles.

Nevertheless, Maggie is remaining optimistic.

'A lot of actresses are doing incredible work right now, playing real women, complicated women,' the Golden Globe-winner said. 'I don't feel despairing at all. And I'm more looking with hope for something fascinating.'