Cast Age Comparison
| Actor | Character | Actor Age | Char Age | Conf | Diff | Source/Hints | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nicolas Cage | Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman | 38 | 40 | C5 | -2 | Opening scene includes birthday cards addressed to Charlie stating it is his 40th birthday |
 |
Meryl Streep | Susan Orlean | 53 | - | C1 | ||
 |
Chris Cooper | John Laroche | 51 | - | C1 | ||
 |
Tilda Swinton | Valerie Thomas | 42 | - | C1 | ||
 |
Jay Tavare | Matthew Osceola | 34 | - | C1 |
Actor Age
Actor’s real age when the production was filmed or released
Char Age
The character’s age as stated or implied in the story
Diff
Difference between actor age and character age (green = close, red = far apart)
Source/Hints
Where the character age was found or how it was inferred
Confidence Scale
C5
Canonical — age explicitly stated in the production
C4
Canonical — derived from dates or events in the story
C3
Strong secondary source (script, novelization, creator interview)
C2
Inferred range — estimated from context clues
C1
Unknown — no reliable age information found