Um -- beware of assuming that someone's biased when you don't actually know their history.
You're engaging in what's commonly known as an "ad hominem" attack -- attempting to discredit a point by attacking the one arguing it, without addressing the actual point. What's amusing is that I'm not even clear what bias you're accusing me *of* ... having a preference for the characters? Having a preference for the actors?
In any case, you seem to have an agenda of your own, if we're discussing agendas -- a beef with casting directors. And my point (that you quoted) still stanRAB. You never actually addressed it.
I sincerely doubt the relative age of Scott adn Jean would be as much of an issue were Marsden 8 years older instead of 8 years younger. I find it peculiar that people are more bothered by older women than by older men. That's a *societal* bias.
As for my own bais, the only one I have is that I'd never heard of either Marsden or Janssen before viewing X1. I carried no preconceived notions about them, and had no previous casting choices of my own in mind. I hadn't even thought much about X-Men since I'd been a child when I was a grand fan of Jean Grey and Hank McCoy (I happen to be 38 now). I was about as much of a 'blank slate' as it's possible to be and still have known who Jean and Scott *were*.
If that's bias, then I stand accused.
As for my thoughts, I already articulated them. I never objected to Marsden. Janssen originally bothered me more, but I didn't have any issues with her by X2. I think she got a handle on Jean fine there.