Monster criticised for huge age gap between Lizzie Borden cast and real-life Borden family
22 September 2026, 15:42 | Updated: 23 September 2026, 11:56
How old was Lizzie Borden when her parents died? How old is Ella Beatty? All the cast age differences explained.
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Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is coming under fire over the huge age gaps between the cast and their characters.
Netflix's Monster is no stranger to taking some liberties with facts. Dahmer inaccurately portrayed Glenda Cleveland as Jeffrey Dahmer's neighbour, the Lyle and Erik Mendendez Story libellously implied that the Menendez brothers could have been incestuous and Ed Gein's season falsely suggested that he helped solve Ted Bundy's case.
The new Lizzie Borden instalment is no different and the cast ages, in particular, have sparked criticism with viewers. How old is Lizzie Borden in the show though? How old is Ella Beatty? Find out the cast and character ages below.
- Read more: Was Lizzie Borden gay? The truth behind her lesbian relationship in Monster explained
- Read more: The true story behind Monster's vile Lizzie Borden dinner scene is horrifying
Watch Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
How old was Lizzie Borden when her parents died?
Lizzie Borden was born on July 19th 1980 in Fall River, Massachusetts. This means that Lizzie was 32 years old when her father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden, were killed. The show then follows Lizzie during her trial and up until she is much older. Lizzie died on on June 1st 1927 at the age of 66 in her hometown.
How old is Ella Beatty?
In comparison to Lizzie, Ella Beatty is much younger than her character. Ella's birthday is April 8th and she was born in 200 which makes her 26 years old and 25 when filming took place. This means that she was seven years younger than Lizzie while filming. Ella also portrays Lizzie in her older years.
How old was Andrew Borden when he died?
Lizzie Borden's father Andrew Borden was born on September 13th 1822 and brutally murdered on August 4th 1892. This meant that he was 69 years old when he died and three years older than Lizzie was at the age of her death.
How old is Charlie Hunnam?
In contrast to Andrew, British actor Charlie Hunnam is just 46 years old in real life. He was born on April 10th 1980 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyme. This makes him 23 years younger than his Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story character.
How old was Abby Borden when she died?
Lizzie Borden's stepmother Abby Borden was also a similar age to Andrew when she was killed. Abby's birthday was January 21st 1828 and she passed away the same day as Andew on August 4th 1892. She was 64 years old.
How old is Rebecca Hall?
Similar to her co-stars Ella and Charlie, Rebecca is also considerably younger than her Monster character. She was born on May 3rd 1982 and is 44 years old. There's a 20 year age gap between Rebecca and Abby.
Criticising the age gaps on X / Twitter, one fan wrote: "the cast is WAY too young. why do we have a 46 year old actor playing a 69 year old man?"
Another wrote: "Lizzie was 32? I thought this was a story about teenage angst".
What do you think? Were the actors the right ages for their roles?
Read more Monster news here:
- Did Lizzie Borden actually kill her parents? The true story behind Monster on Netflix
- Did Aileen Wuornos visit Lizzie Borden's house? Monster boss explains fake story
- Does Erik Menendez have a daughter? Here’s how Talia Menendez is related to him
- Did Ed Gein help catch Ted Bundy? The true story behind the Monster scene
- Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes banned from being sold on eBay
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