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.
Hollywood has a funny habit of casting someone and then quietly hoping the audience won’t do the math. Sometimes it works like magic, you look at the screen and think, yep, that is exactly the age this character should be. Other times, the casting feels like a dare, like the production team looked at a calendar and said, close enough.
This list is basically a scoreboard for that exact problem. You’ve got Lachlan Watson nailing Theo at 16, right where the character is supposed to be, and Taylor Momsen portraying 14-year-old Jenny in Gossip Girl while she’s also 14. Then you swing to Shirley Henderson showing up as 14-year-old Moaning Myrtle at 37, or Ross Butler playing a 17-ish character at 28 in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.
By the time you get to Gloria Stuart as 100-year-old Rose at 86, you realize the real chaos is the range, and it only gets wilder.
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
It’s like the dilemma in asking to lend money to a friend against your partner’s wishes.
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
That’s the part that makes Lachlan Watson as Theo and Finn Wolfhard as Mike so satisfying, they match the age instead of just the vibe.
But then Shirley Henderson as 14-year-old Moaning Myrtle at 37 crashes the party, and suddenly the “perfect casting” argument gets shaky fast.
The same pattern pops up again with Ross Butler at 28 playing a 17-ish Lara Jean era character, and it’s hard not to notice once you see it.
And by the time Gloria Stuart turns 86 into 100-year-old Rose in Titanic, you’re left wondering how the casting directors decide what “close” even means.
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.
The funniest part is when the ages line up perfectly, because it makes the misses feel even louder.
For another age-gap mess, read Demi Lovato’s “unhealthy” teenage romance with Wilmer Valderrama.
