We Have Compiled 10 Actors That Were Cast Perfectly For Their Age And 10 That Were Cast Terribly
We've all probably seen an actor cast in a role that just didn't make sense for them based on their age.
Actors can be cast in any role at any time in their lives. Obviously, sometimes they want to cast someone who is close to the age portrayed in the film, but this isn't always the case.
Whether it's because the person who did it best wasn't close to the age, they had a specific actor in mind for the role, or it just didn't end up being cast with an actor close to the age, we've probably seen instances where people have been cast in roles that just didn't make sense.
On the other hand, we've also seen actors being cast in films who were the exact age of the characters they were playing. It's always great when this happens because it really puts the film in perspective and gives you a fantastic visual of the characters, how they'd act, and how they look.
We wanted to give some recognition to these 10 actors who were cast perfectly for their roles, and then 10 actors who were cast poorly for their roles based on the ages they were versus the ages they were cast for. Let's dive in and look at the actors we're featuring in today's post.
1. Lachlan Watson
She successfully portrayed “Theo” in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. At that time, she was 16, the same age as Theo.
Source: Netflix2. Shirley Henderson
She was 37 when she played 14-year-old Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter. Obviously, this is a large age gap.
Source: Warner Bros.3. Blake Cooper
Blake was 12 when filming as Chuck in The Maze Runner. His character was also supposed to be 12.
Source: 20th Century Fox Netherlands
4. Ross Butler
When he filmed To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, he was 28 years old, yet his character was around 17.
Source: Netflix
5. Finn Wolfhard
Finn, the Stranger Things star, began acting as Mike for the show when he was just 12 years old. His character was also supposed to be 12.
Source: Netflix
6. Gloria Stuart
Gloria actually played 100-year-old Rose in Titanic when she was 86 at the time of filming.
Source: Paramount Pictures / 20th Century Fox
7. Taylor Momsen
She started portraying 14-year-old Jenny in Gossip Girl when she was also 14 years old.
Source: The CW
8. Alexa Demie
Alexa, the Euphoria star, is supposedly 31 years old, while her character is 18.
Source: HBO
9. Kirsten Dunst
She was 18 when filming Bring It On. Her character is a high school senior, which matches her real age.
Source: Universal Pictures / Buena Vista International
10. Jason Earles
Jason Earles, the star of Hannah Montana, was 29 years old when the sitcom first aired. He portrayed Jackson, Miley’s 16-year-old brother.
Source: Disney Channel
11. Dylan Sprayberry
He began shooting for Teen Wolf when he was 15 years old. The age of 15 would be appropriate for his character, Liam, who was a freshman transfer.
Source: MTV
12. Darren Barnet
Darren was 28 when he portrayed high school junior Paxton (around age 16 or 17).
Source: Netflix
13. Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg, who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was 14 years old when she was originally presented as Buffy’s younger sister.
Source: The WB
14. Timothy Granaderos Jr.
When filming Season 1 of “13 Reasons Why,” Timothy Granaderos Jr. was 29 years old, while Montgomery—his character—was around 17 or 18.
Source: Netflix
15. Molly Ringwald
Molly's character was 16 years old in The Breakfast Club, which matched her real age.
Source: Universal Pictures
16. Harry Shum Jr.
Harry Shum Jr. played a sophomore, probably around 16 or 17, when he was actually 27 years old.
Source: Fox
17. Amandla Stenberg
She played the 12-year-old Rue in The Hunger Games when she was also 12.
Source: Lionsgate
18. Trevor Donovan
He was chosen to play Teddy (a high school junior) in Season 2. His character would have been about 17 years old at that time; however, he was 30 years old.
Source: The CW
19. Morgan Turner
When Martha was being filmed for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Morgan Turner was 17 years old. The character was most likely 16 or 17 years old in the film, given that two years later she was in college.
Source: Sony Pictures Releasing
20. Tanya Reynolds
When the first season of Sex Education was being filmed, Tanya Reynolds was roughly 27 years old, yet her character Lily was about 16.
Source: Netflix
These actors are definitely some of the more well-known ones, so we've seen a lot of them in action. Ultimately, even with some of the age gaps, the storyline was still salvageable and made sense to the viewers watching.
We love to see actors cast close to the ages, but we understand that this isn't always possible.
