10 Times You Might Have Missed the Age Difference Between Movie Duos Due to How Well They Performed

It's fairly common for actors to portray characters who aren't their exact age. Talent is a wonderful thing.

If not, how do you explain the fact that skilled actors can play such roles? Older actors can easily transform into school students or even teenagers, while younger actors can convincingly portray shrewd adults without the viewer noticing.

Certainly, every movie fan has their favorite actors and films, and they are likely to know a thing or two about the real people who play the most iconic characters on the big screen. While age is certainly just a number, fans may be surprised to learn that their favorite movie duos (whether they are family members, romantic couples, or best friends) are actually played by actors with significant age gaps in real life.

The fans' perceptions of this action-packed film or the actors may change as a result. While some films directly address the large age gap between characters, others simply ignore it, leaving viewers in for a surprise when they discover the actual ages of the actors playing the roles!

People have watched some of their favorite movies and discovered on-screen couples with surprisingly large age differences in real life. Keep scrolling and get ready to be wowed!

1. Time (2011) - Justin Timberlake and Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde plays Justin Timberlake's mother. In the film, she is 50 years old, while her son is 28. However, in reality, Olivia was 27 years old, and Justin was 30.

© In Time / 20th Century Studios

2. The Lord of the Rings (2001) - Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood

Orlando Bloom, who was only 24 years old when the film was released, portrayed Legolas. His co-stars were Sean Astin and Elijah Wood, who played 38-year-old Samwise Gamgee but was actually 20, and 50-year-old Frodo Baggins but was actually 39.

© The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / New Line Cinema

3. Beowulf (2007) - Angelina Jolie and Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover is actually 11 years older than Angelina Jolie, who played Grendel's mother. At that time, she was 32 years old, and he was 43.

© EVERETT COLLECTION / EAST NEWS, © EAST NEWS

4. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie

Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie played an intense couple, but DiCaprio is actually 16 years older than Robbie.

© The Wolf of Wall Street / Paramount Pictures

5. The Vampire Diaries (2009) - Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder

Dobrev and Somerhalder play a couple. Nina portrayed a 17-year-old high school student but was 20 years old when the show started. Ian was 31 but played a 145-year-old vampire.

© The Vampire Diaries / The CW

6. Mamma Mia! 2 (2018) - Meryl Streep and Cher

Cher plays Meryl Streep's mother and was so convincing, but Cher is only 3 years older than Streep.

© Mamma Mia! 2 / Legendary Pictures

7. Beauty and the Beast (2017) - Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans

Belle was portrayed by 27-year-old Emma Watson, while the Beast, played by Dan Stevens, is 35. Luke Evans was 38 years old at that time.

© Beauty and the Beast / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. Seven (1995) - Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow

At that time, Paltrow was 23 years old, and Pitt was 32.

© Seven / New Line Cinema

9. Girl, Interrupted (1999) - Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie

28-year-old Winona Ryder played a high school student, while 24-year-old Angelina portrayed a 24-year-old girl.

© Girl, Interrupted / Columbia Pictures

10. Pulp Fiction (1994) - John Travolta and Uma Thurman

Both looked so great that you wouldn't notice the huge age difference. At that time, Thurman was 24 years old, and Travolta was 40.

© Pulp Fiction / Miramax Films

Wow, it’s truly amazing how people can portray characters that are way beyond their age. And not just that; they perform so well that no one actually notices the difference.

Now that you have read about the reality of some of your favorite movie duos, what are your thoughts on their age differences?