He was about 38 when he played the role! I don't know what Babe's age should be, so if he was supposed to play a younger role, but he just doesn't seem that very young.
I'm Winston Wolf, I solve problems
And no dream is ever... just a dream...
He was enrolled in a doctoral program. People obtain pHds at all ages.
shareActually, in the DVD special features, they say they were conscious Dustin was too old for the role.
I'm Winston Wolf, I solve problems
And no dream is ever... just a dream...
In the book is said that is 23 if I remember well. No more than 25, sure.
Dustin was too old even in The Graduate, done almost ten years earlier...
There are college students of all ages.
Shoot.People in their 40's are going back to school to get their Doctorate.
Established 1976
Dustin Hoffman didn't look 38 at the time and that's the point. I don't care how old an actor actually is as long as they look the age their character is supposed to be.
shareHe didn't look like much of a marathon runner either.
In the movie he said that he hadn't ran a marathon yet. I took that to mean he was training to run a marathon.
shareThat's absolutely right geraldd, he was a novice runner, hoping to run in a marathon.
On the point of original poster, being too old to be a student, I echo CorrinaCarpenter in that people of ALL ages work on doctorate degrees. In any case, Dustin Hoffman looked much younger than his actual age. He has what I call Dick Clark Syndrome, lucky man.
A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory.
You've covered all bases there Snoopy. Well done! Charlie Brown would be proud.
shareHe was older than the part, but he was the best of the available superstars to FIT the part. Warren Beatty or Robert Redford wasn't going to play the guy. Nor the unathletic Jack Nicholson.
Funny thing: once Al Pacino got his stardom, Dustin Hoffman got competition. It was between Pacino and Hoffman to play Bernstein in All the President's Men. (And Hoffman had been considered for Michael Corleone.) But Marathon Man needed a more overtly Jewish actor.
I have read that in "Marathon Man," subtle make-up was used on Hoffman to "make him younger." Things were done with his teeth and ears to suggest a man in his twenties. As you age, the ears get shorter and the teeth get longer as gums recede("Long in the tooth.") So they lengthened his ears and shortened his teeth.
"As you age, the ears get shorter..." Huh?!? You did mean longer/bigger, right?
shareAgreed, Snoopy, he didn't look his age in this film. Amazing, he still hasn't aged much today.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.
Nor did/does Eddie Izzard, but he is. It takes all sorts.
shareAs a boy, coming off the tree-swing when his father shot himself, young Babe looked to be about 8 years old, give or take a year or two. When Doc died in his apartment, Babe told the cops his father had been dead for 20 years. So, 38-year-old Dustin Hoffman was portraying a character who was about 28.
shareIn the book it is made clear that while Babe is training for a marathon or to be a marathon runner he isn't really all that physically gifted for the sport. In other words he's in good shape, but not a great runner.
shareI knew a guy who was 30/31 when he was pursuing his bachelors.. It isn't out of the realm of possibility..
shareHe was a doctoral student, and not everyone goes to grad school right after earning their bachelors degree. Some people wait several years, then go back for a masters, then wait a few years more before going for a PhD. Sometimes, life gets in the way of doing it all in one shot.
I got my BA @21, went back for an MA @35, and now, @48 I'm headed back for the PhD, and there are several people older than me in the program…..and one of them is a grandmother! :-)
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Adversity does not build character. It reveals it.
Caedite eos! Novit enim Dominus qui sunt
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Adversity does not build character. It reveals it.
Caedite eos! Novit enim Dominus qui sunt
I think the fact that he was 38 during the time of filming is irrelevant, especially since your reasoning is that he was too old to play a student. People pursue academic degrees, especially doctorates, at all ages. I didn't even graduate with my masters until I was 30, so it that far out of the realm of possibility for a 38 year old to be in the midst of obtaining a doctorate?
Regarding the age of the character in the book, the film maker took poetic license. Again, his age is irrelevant. It doesn't impact the believability of the story whatsoever, and for people who haven't read the book, there would be no way of discerning, based on the scope of the plot, that Hoffman's character was originally in his twenties.
Screws fall out all of the time. The world's an imperfect place.