Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for Book Club: The Next Chapter
Book Club: The Next Chapter sees the return of four iconic actresses, who reprise their roles from 2018’s Book Club. Directed by Bill Holderman from a screenplay co-written alongside Erin Simms, the sequel goes the scenic route. The first film received mixed reviews, but went on to become a box office success, grossing $104.4 million globally on a $14.1 million budget. The Next Chapter is expected to make $7-$10 million at the box office, which is only slightly lower than the first film’s opening weekend gross.
After lockdown is over, the women of Book Club: The Next Chapter decide to take a trip to Italy. Doubling as a bachelorette outing for Vivian, who is engaged to be married to Arthur, the foursome go on a journey together that is long overdue. Book Club: The Next Chapter has received a critical reception that is mostly negative. That likely won’t detract moviegoers from seeing the film considering its high audience score vs. its lower Rotten Tomatoes score, and they’ll find themselves picking back up with the characters a few years after the events of the first film. The story factors in the characters’ ages, but how do the cast’s ages compare to their onscreen personas?
Jane Fonda’s Age Compared To Vivian
Vivian is in her mid-to-late 60s. First introduced in Book Club, Vivian has owned and operated hotels for 40 years. Book Club: The Next Chapter is set a few years after the first film, and Vivian was at least 60 years old, but more than likely 62 or 63 at the most. Jane Fonda, who portrays Vivian, is actually two decades older than her onscreen counterpart. Fonda is 85 years old as of the release of Book Club: The Next Chapter; she was 84 years old when the sequel went into production in the spring of 2022. At the age of 85, the legendary actress is the oldest of all of her Book Club 2 co-stars.
Diane Keaton’s Age Compared To Diane
Diane is still going strong in her relationship with Mitchell, the pilot she met in Book Club, in the sequel. Like Vivian, Diane is also in her mid-to-late 60s, as it’s made clear that she became pregnant with her first child while still in college and the first movie is set 40 years later. Portrayed by Diane Keaton, the actress is substantially older than her character. Keaton, whose career began on Broadway, was born in 1946 and is now 77 years old. Keaton is nearly a decade younger than Jane Fonda, despite their Book Club characters being around the same age, but that doesn’t stop the strength of their onscreen camaraderie.
Candice Bergen’s Age Compared To Sharon
Sharon, the strong-minded judge, is also around the same age as Diane and Vivian. With Book Club: The Next Chapter establishing that she’s now retired, Sharon is likely about 67 years old at the start of the sequel. She’s got a lot more time on her hands now that she no longer has to work, and The Next Chapter sees Sharon being a lot more sexually adventurous than she was in the first film. Unlike Sharon, however, actress Candice Bergen is 77 years old, the same age as Diane Keaton. At the time of filming the Book Club sequel in May 2022, Bergen had just turned 76 years old.
Mary Steenburgen’s Age Compared To Carol
Carol is approximately 67 years old in Book Club: The Next Chapter, the same age as Sharon, Diane, and Vivian. The four women went to college together, so it makes sense that they’re around the same age as each other. Unlike her friends, however, Carol is the only one who still dyes her hair so that none of the gray shows. Perhaps the reason Carol does look a bit younger than her onscreen friends is because Mary Steenburgen is the youngest of the main cast. The actress is now 70 years old, and was 69 years old during the making of The Next Chapter.
Don Johnson’s Age Compared To Arthur
Arthur is meant to be around Vivian’s age, but he’s likely a couple of years older. That would make him approximately 67-70. Arthur has known Vivian for a long time, and proposed to her when they were younger. It’s a storyline that circles back around in Book Club: The Next Chapter. Don Johnson, who plays Arthur in the film, is actually a few years older than his onscreen counterpart. The actor is 73 years old, but was 72 at the time filming took place. Arthur is now Johnson’s age when Book Club was released, and he is more than a decade younger than Jane Fonda, which follows a trend with two of the three actors.
Andy García’s Age Compared To Mitchell
Mitchell is a 60-something pilot. How old he was exactly in the first Book Club is unclear, but given that it’s only been a few years since the last film, it’s more than likely Mitchell is around the same age as Diane, who is approximately 67. Andy García just so happens to be around the same age as his character: 67 years old. He’s the only cast member who is the closest in age to their fictional persona. Being in his late 60s, the actor is a decade younger than Diane Keaton, who he charms throughout both Book Club films, despite their characters being much closer in age.
Craig T. Nelson’s Age Compared To Bruce
It’s unclear how old Bruce is supposed to be in the film, but it’s likely he’s a few years older than Carol, especially since Book Club: The Next Chapter makes it a point to address undergoing angioplasty. With Carol being around 67 years old, it’s possible Bruce is approximately 71 years old. In the first film, Bruce was around the same age as Carol is now; he had only just retired. Craig T. Nelson is now 79 years old (78 at the time the Book Club sequel was filmed in 2022), having just celebrated his birthday in April. Nelson is nearly a decade older than his onscreen wife, who only recently turned 70.
