8 Times Famous Actors Played Characters That Were Way Out Of Their Age Range
It turns out that more than just one or two actors have portrayed characters who are much younger than they actually are.
Hollywood loves a good age-bending casting choice, and these movies took it personally. Sometimes it looks believable, sometimes it’s a full-on “wait, what?” moment, and sometimes the actor’s age range is so off it becomes a plot point you can’t unsee.
In “Dirty Dancing,” Patrick Swayze plays Johnny Castle as a 25-year-old, even though he’s already a decade older than that. In “The Dig,” Carey Mulligan’s Edith Pretty is written as significantly older than the actress at the time, which flips the usual “young actor, older role” script. And then “Cruella” basically does a time-jump in the casting, with one actor as a kid, another as a young woman, and Emma Stone stepping in at 33.
Once you notice the age gaps in these eight roles, you’ll start watching the whole movie through the lens of “how did they pull this off?”
1. Patrick Swayze As Johnny Castle In “Dirty Dancing”
The protagonist, who captured the hearts of numerous young women, was described in the script as being 25 years old. Patrick Swayze, a legendary dancer, was ten years older.
Getty Images2. Carey Mulligan As Edith Pretty In “The Dig”
The heroine in the 2021 movie, who was considerably older than her character, was portrayed by Carey Mulligan, who was 35 years old at the time of production.
Getty Images3. Matt Damon As Scott Thorson In “Behind the Candelabra”
Actor Matt Damon has always stood out for his capacity to fully inhabit his roles. This time, though, he seemed to have surprised even himself, as despite being 43 years old, he played Scott as if he were 18.
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4. Emma Stone As Cruella In “Cruella”
Early on in the movie, Cruella is first portrayed by a different actor. She is a student between the ages of 10 and 12.
Then there is a ten-year gap. Estella is a young woman between the ages of 20 and 22. The actress who played this villain was 33 years old.
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5. Zendaya As Chani In “Dune”
The main character of the story, Paul, is 15 years old, and Chani is a girl of the same age. In the literature, Dune takes place in 10191, while Chani was born in 10178.
As a result, Chani was most likely approximately 13 years old by the end of the first novel.
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6. Saoirse Ronan As Jo March In “Little Women”
In 2019, a new film about the devoted March family was produced. One of the key characters, Jo, has a temper and is steadfast in her convictions.
The actress who played Jo was ten years older than her character.
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7. Mia Wasikowska As Alice In “Alice in Wonderland”
Alice, a small child who was just seven years old when Lewis Carroll wrote his first novel, followed the white rabbit. Mia Wasikowska, who was 21 at the time, was cast because the protagonist in the movie adaptation was made older.
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8. Lily Collins As Rosie Dunne In “Love, Rosie”
The protagonist of the movie is between the ages of 16 and 18 because, at the beginning of the film, she has just finished high school. Lily Collins, who played Rosie, was 25 years old when she took on the role.
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The moment you clock Patrick Swayze being 10 years older than Johnny Castle’s scripted 25, you realize the casting director’s math is already a little unhinged.
This is similar to the friend who begged me to adopt her elderly rabbit, even after I said no.
Then “The Dig” ups the weirdness, because Carey Mulligan is 35 when she’s meant to embody Edith Pretty in a world where everyone else’s age feels oddly out of sync.
Next comes “Behind the Candelabra,” where Matt Damon is 43 playing Scott Thorson like he’s 18, and somehow the movie makes it work just enough to be distracting.
By the time you hit “Love, Rosie,” with Lily Collins stepping into Rosie Dunne’s 16 to 18-year-old timeline, the age-bending stops being trivia and starts feeling like a running gag.
The ability to play a range of characters is essential for actors and actresses.
These actors didn’t just play characters outside their age range, they turned the mismatch into the whole point.
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