13 Actors Who Portrayed Characters Who Were Too Young or Too Old for Them

When Ben Platt was cast in Dear Evan Hansen as a 17-year-old when in reality he is 10 years older, many people were skeptical. And the question of why Hollywood casts actors who are not the same age as their roles came up. The first reason is because underage actors are allowed to work only certain hours per day, while adults don’t have the same limitations. And while the results are usually great, we can’t help but notice this practice of movie studios.

1. Too old: Robert Pattinson in Twilight.

Robert Pattinson was 26 years old in the last film of the famous saga, while his character, Edward Cullen, was still only 17.

2. Too old: Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can

Even during his late twenties, Leo DiCaprio still looked fresh with his baby face, passing as the 18-year-old Frank Abagnale, a young con artist who pretended to be a pilot and a lawyer well past his real age in Catch Me If You Can.

3. Too old: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones.

40-year-old Peter Hayden Dinklage played the iconic role of Tyrion Lannister who was only 23 years old in the book and 32 years old in the TV series.

4. Too young: Kirsten Dunst in Interview With the Vampire

Kirsten Dunst’s career as a child star was launched when she played Claudia in Interview With the Vampire, acting alongside bigshots Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. The then-12-year-old delivered an outstanding performance as a child vampire whose wish was to have a grown woman’s body.

5. Too old: Taylor Kitsch in Friday Night Lights.

25-year-old Taylor Kitsch managed to play the role of a 15-year-old teenager.

6. Too old: Drew Barrymore in Scream

The iconic opening scene to Scream cemented Drew Barrymore into the minds of horror fans, making Casey Becker a cult classic. However, Barrymore was already 21 when she played the high school student and first victim of Ghostface.

7. Too old: Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

After 7 seasons of being a fan favorite, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended with Sarah Michelle Gellar playing the titular character at 26. Gellar began portraying the high schooler when she was already 19.

8. Too old: Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby.

27-year-old Carey Mulligan easily transformed into 18-year-old Daisy Buchanan.

9. Too old: Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen is all about a high schooler’s experience with friendship and loss. It started as a musical and was later adapted to a film with the same lead actor, Ben Platt. But he was already 27 when the movie version came out.

10. Too old: Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man

When he became the friendly neighborhood superhero, Tobey Maguire was already 28 as Spidey juggled college and took pictures for the Daily Bugle. This was common with all 3 Spider-Mans, who were all way ahead of Peter Parker’s age in the movies.

11. Too old: Natalie Dormer in Game of Thrones.

Natalie Dormer was 32 years old when she was playing the role of 18-year-old Margaery Tyrell.

12. Too young: Angelina Jolie in Alexander

Playing a mother to an actor who is almost the same age as you can be pretty unconvincing. Angelina Jolie, who was 29 at the time, was evidently much too young to be the matriarchal figure for Colin Farrell’s Alexander the Great.

13. Too old: Anna Kendrick in Twilight

When Anna Kendrick was cast in Twilight as Bella’s first friend in Forks High School, Jessica, the actress was already a young adult. The multi-talented actress was actually 23 when the film debuted.

Do you think Hollywood should start hiring actors that are the same age as the roles they play or is experience more important?