A 40-year-old actress is suing Amazon, owner of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), for revealing her age and consequently costing her employment opportunities in Hollywood.

 

Huong Hoang, who goes by Junie Hoang, contends Amazon used her personal and credit card information without her consent to help determine her age and then post it to her IMDb profile. According to the lawsuit, “In the entertainment industry, youth is king. If one is perceived to be ‘over-the-hill,’ i.e., approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the Plaintiff, to get work as she is thought to have less of an ‘upside’.” She also alleges that after her age was made public, she tried to obtain age-appropriate roles but was rejected because she was too young-looking.

 

Hoang’s film credits include Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust, The Bong Connection and Thug Life.

 

Hoang filed her original complaint last year as an anonymous plaintiff, but a federal court in Seattle dismissed the case because she did not reveal her name. In the amended complaint she gave her name and age.

-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff,

 

Actress, 40, Makes a Federal Case of her Age (by David Lee, Courthouse News Service)

Huong Hoang v. Amazon (U.S. District Court, Western Washington) (pdf)

Vietnamese-American Actress Sues Amazon (Tuoitre News)