Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Long-in-the-Tooth “Teenagers”
by Stacy Conradt - January 20, 2010 - 4:47 PM

q10

You all know that I’m a big Glee fan. But I’m not delusional – I know that a lot of the actors in the show are nowhere close to being of high school age… unless they’ve flunked many a grade (Cory Monteith and Mark Salling, who play Finn and Puck respectively, are both 27). They’re definitely not the first cast to employ such tactics, though… here are 10 other actors who have portrayed teens long after they actually graduated.

dash1. Stacey Dash, Clueless. Dash played Cher’s best friend Dionne in this 1995 classic movie about privileged California teens. While co-stars Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy were just 18 and 17 when the movie came out, Dash was 28. Another fun fact about Stacey Dash: her cousin is Damon Dash, the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella records and Rocawear.

2. Eric Christian Olsen, Fired Up!. Um. Yes, I have seen this movie. No, I don’t care to discuss it… other than to tell you that Olsen, who was playing a high schooler presumably between his junior and senior years, was 31 years old when the movie came out last year.

3. Judd Nelson, The Breakfast Club. Nelson was 26 when he played iconic bad boy John Bender in The Breakfast Club. In fact, only two of the actors were actually teenagers at the time the movie was filmed: Anthony Michael Hall, who was 17 when it came out, and Molly Ringwald, who was three days shy of her 17th birthday.

cameron4. Alan Ruck, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ruck was 29 when the movie was released on June 11, 1986, missing his 30th birthday by about three weeks. But really, Cameron seemed like he was well past his 18 years anyway, didn’t he?
5. Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds. When this cult movie came out in 1984, Mr. Carradine has just turned 30. His co-star, Anthony Edwards, was a little closer to his college days with just 22 years under his belt.
6. Danielle Harris, Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). She was 30 when the Rob Zombie remake of this slasher flick came out a couple of years ago and 32 when the sequel came out last year. But you have to know her history to appreciate her role as 17-year-old Annie Brackett. Harris was in the fourth and fifth incarnations of the original Halloween series back in the late ‘80s when she was just 11 and 12 years old. It’s a nice piece of stunt casting.

CARRIE7. Sissy Spacek, Carrie. Spacek was not quite 27 when Carrie came out in November 1976.
8. Regina Hall, Scary Movie. Known as cliché best friend/sidekick in the Scary Movie series, Regina was 29 when the first one came out in 2000.
9. Rachel True, The Craft. This was one of my favorite movies when I was in high school, but I never would have guessed that one of the main characters was 29!
10. Harrison Ford, American Graffiti. Can you believe Indy was already 31 when he played the annoying Bob Falfa in this 1973 film?

A few of others that may or may not surprise you:

  • James Dean was 24 when he played a 17-year-old in Rebel Without a Cause.
  • Elisabeth Shue was 24 when she played 17-year-old Chris Parker in Adventures in Babysitting.
  • Christine Taylor was 26 when she played Marcia, Marcia, Marcia in A Very Brady Sequel.
  • Rachel McAdams was 26 when Mean Girls was released.
  • Elvis was 23 when he played a troubled teen in 1958′s King Creole.

    • Do any other outrageous examples come to mind?

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    Comments (54)

    1. From my high school days… what about the cast of the original 90210?

      posted by carl on 1-20-2010 at 4:51 pm

    2. How about the entire cast of Grease, with the exception of one Pink Lady?

      posted by Lindsey on 1-20-2010 at 4:54 pm

    3. The cast of Grease had to be older. The . . . um . . . lady who played “Cha Cha” looked about 40.

      posted by Shannon O. on 1-20-2010 at 4:55 pm

    4. On a related note, since it doesn’t seem to matter that the ACTOR is older (often quite a bit so) than the CHARACTER he or she is playing…

      If a movie was ever to be made of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, I would put forth Phillip Seymour Hoffman for the role of Bunny Corcoran.

      posted by Amy on 1-20-2010 at 4:58 pm

    5. Jason Earles, who plays 18 year old Jackson on Hannah Montana, is actually 32.

      posted by caroline on 1-20-2010 at 5:22 pm

    6. Some of my favorites…

      Most of the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv version) were a bit old for their roles. Charisma Carpenter was the worst of the bunch, playing a high school sophomore at 27. Sarah Michelle Gellar (fittingly, being the star) was actually not too far off at being only 19.

      On the other hand, there’s ‘Freaks and Geeks.’ One thing that made this high-school show unique is that almost all of the actors were about the right age and under 20 (and John Francis Daley’s voice hadn’t even fully changed yet!) Linda Cardellini was the only exception… being 24 at the time.

      posted by Susanna on 1-20-2010 at 5:28 pm

    7. Ralph Macchio was 23 when he first played Daniel Laruso.

      posted by Johnny Cat on 1-20-2010 at 5:43 pm

    8. didn’t the OC make fun of adults playing teenagers/young adults when they were in fact the ones doing it?

      posted by kristen on 1-20-2010 at 5:44 pm

    9. How old was Steve McQueen in THE BLOB-30′s?

      posted by chrisr on 1-20-2010 at 5:49 pm

    10. My favorite example of this is Stockard Channing in Grease.

      posted by sprads on 1-20-2010 at 5:56 pm

    11. Wow. I love Finn and Puck and GLEE in general. :) I can’t believe they’re in their late twenties!

      ReCaptcha: Creditor Corn lol

      posted by tess on 1-20-2010 at 6:03 pm

    12. This reminded me of when I was in 8th grade. Toward the end of the year, we found out one of the kids going to school with us was actually an adult, I’m not sure he was over 20 but he sure wasn’t 13/14 like the rest of us! Some people can play it off really well because we never had a clue, it was a surprise to everyone when it was discovered and revealed.

      If I remember right, he was hiding from the law or something.

      posted by Sarah in CA on 1-20-2010 at 6:08 pm

    13. The entire cast of Grease!

      posted by J. on 1-20-2010 at 6:38 pm

    14. The entire cast of glee is 21 or older, with the exeption of Cris Colfer (who plays kurt) who is 19.

      posted by ufluffed on 1-20-2010 at 6:40 pm

    15. Stockard Channing beats ‘em all – she was 34 when she played Rizzo in Grease. John Travolta and Welcome Back Kotter’s Sweathogs were also pretty long in the tooth by the end of the show’s run. By the final episode in 1979, Barbarino was 25, Washington was 26, Epstein was 28, and Horshack was 30 (and just one year younger than Mrs. Kotter).

      posted by Jane S on 1-20-2010 at 6:54 pm

    16. I don’t have the statistics handy, but I believe that Laura Prepon (Donna on “That 70′s Show) was a bit older than her character.

      posted by harold on 1-20-2010 at 6:54 pm

    17. The ultimate: Jennifer Jones was almost 30 when she played the Lolita named Pearl in “Duel in the Sun”.

      posted by harold on 1-20-2010 at 6:57 pm

    18. keiko agena who played lane on gilmore girls started shooting the 7 season show when she was 27…her character started off as a 16 year old.

      posted by Lauren on 1-20-2010 at 6:57 pm

    19. Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer were 43 and 34 when they played Romeo and Juliet.

      posted by Antinous on 1-20-2010 at 7:14 pm

    20. Check this one out,Vanessa Hudgens’ best friend in High School Musical (Monique something) is 27.Why don’t we all age as well as some of these actors? :)

      posted by Nikky on 1-20-2010 at 7:38 pm

    21. Along with Alan Ruck, Matthew Broderick was 24 when he played Ferris.

      posted by Tammy on 1-20-2010 at 8:39 pm

    22. How about Gabrielle Union!? She was 27 when she played a HS sophmore in 10 Things I Hate About You and she was 28 playing a senior in Bring It On.

      posted by Spooner on 1-20-2010 at 9:49 pm

    23. Kerr Smith was 26 and Meredith Monroe was 29 when they first showed up as high-schoolers on Dawson’s Creek.

      posted by Jenn on 1-20-2010 at 10:44 pm

    24. Vivien Leigh was all of 26 when she played 16 year old Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (her character ages 12 years by the movies end, tho)

      posted by Marty on 1-20-2010 at 11:24 pm

    25. All of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers were supposed to be 16. However, Austin St. John (Jason/red) was 18, Thuy Trang (Trini/yellow) was 20, Walter Jones (Zack/black) and Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly/pink) were 23, and David Yost (Billy/blue) was 24.

      posted by furiousk on 1-21-2010 at 12:32 am

    26. The cast of The Simpsons!

      posted by Tea on 1-21-2010 at 1:39 am

    27. Sean Connery played Harrison Ford’s father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In real life, Connery is only 11 or 12 years older than Ford.

      posted by Jabba on 1-21-2010 at 2:02 am

    28. I love how on Glee the students are in their 20s, while Matthew Morrison, who plays Mr. Schuester, is only 31.

      The character Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz is supposed to be 12. While Judy Garland was only five years older at the time of release, there is a huge difference between 12 and 17.

      posted by Rachel on 1-21-2010 at 3:14 am

    29. And this is why I included ageism in the body image presentation I gave at a local high school this year! Gossip Girl was the offender I mentioned, but some of these are even more egregious.

      When pubescent teenagers see these full grown men and women on television and in movies, who are supposedly their age, how can they be expected to love or even accept their bodies? Ouch.

      The only show I really commend for breaking this stereotype with some frequency is Degrassi which even features junior high boys who are *gasp* shorter than the girls!

      posted by Lynnie on 1-21-2010 at 3:25 am

    30. Wasn’t Kevin Bacon already like 45 in “Animal House?”

      From the obscuro files, there was an old movie called “Teenagers From Outer Space” where all the titular characters were visibly well into their 30s. They didn’t even really attempt to give them “mod” haircuts.

      MST3K featured this film many years ago. “Wow…incredibly OLD teenagers from outer space!”

      posted by clint on 1-21-2010 at 8:34 am

    31. Will Smith was 21 at the start of The Fresh Prince and he remained in High School for a number of years after that.

      posted by Jwill on 1-21-2010 at 9:06 am

    32. “Moaning Myrtle” from the Harry Potter movies was 40 when Goblet of Fire came out.

      posted by Kevin K on 1-21-2010 at 9:25 am

    33. @ carl –

      I seem to remember the gal playing Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) on 90210 was into her 30s at some point. Wikipedia actually states she was 29 and playing a junior in high school… not to mention the rest of the cast in their mid-twenties.

      Recaptcha – Muzzles authority

      posted by Justin L on 1-21-2010 at 9:52 am

    34. Kevin Bacon was born in 1958, so he was 20 when Animal House came out. As a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fanatic, I think another movie needs to be mentioned: Ring of Terror, featuring (to quote Dr. Clayton Forrester) “the world’s oldest college students!” (the actors playing the students in the movie were in their mid to late 30′s).

      posted by berserkley on 1-21-2010 at 9:59 am

    35. The youngest cast teenager in Scream was Drew Barrymore, 21 at the time. Neve Campbell and Rose McGowan were 23 and Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy were 26.
      Sydney Prescott was originally offered to Molly Ringwald. She turned it down, stating that she was not looking to portray a teenager at 27.

      posted by Julie on 1-21-2010 at 10:11 am

    36. Sarah in CA: was it Jon Cryer?

      posted by mike on 1-21-2010 at 10:34 am

    37. Christopher Mintz-Plasse must have been 18 or 19 when he played Auggie Farks in Role Models who must have been about 12 years old?

      posted by Justin on 1-21-2010 at 10:39 am

    38. Wasn’t the cast of Saved By the Bell in their 20′s by the end of the show?

      posted by Suz on 1-21-2010 at 11:07 am

    39. Rory from Gilmore Girls! She was in her twenties when the show premiered!

      posted by Drina on 1-21-2010 at 11:39 am

    40. John Goodman was 40 when The Babe came out. But he played Babe Ruth at 19.

      posted by Patten on 1-21-2010 at 12:20 pm

    41. how about most of the cast of high school musical

      posted by kyuubi79 on 1-21-2010 at 12:59 pm

    42. I remember seeing a Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis movie on cable a few years ago, where they inexplicably played college students. A quick check of Wikipedia shows that it was “That’s My Boy” from 1951. At the time, Martin was 34 and Lewis was 25.

      posted by Jaclyn McKewan on 1-21-2010 at 1:26 pm

    43. I think Estelle Getty was younger than her charectar Sophia. And I was going to point out the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”, but someone beat me to it. And when he made the video for “Summer of ’69″, Bryan Adams was playing a teen-ager, when in real life, he was twenty-five. @Sarah in CA-Could he have maybe just failed a lot of times? A girl in my FOURTH grade class was, like, sixteen when we were in class together.

      posted by Sara in AL on 1-21-2010 at 1:31 pm

    44. As someone who looks younger than my 24 years, this is actually rather comforting. :-P

      posted by Kate on 1-21-2010 at 1:53 pm

    45. Max Casella who played the friend on Doogie Howser was 22 playing a 16 year old and Neil Patrick Harris was, gasp, 16 playing a 16 year old.

      posted by Dave on 1-21-2010 at 2:27 pm

    46. Ron Howard was 20 playing a 9th grader at the beginning of Happy Days and Henry Winkler was 29 playing a high school dropout.

      posted by Dave on 1-21-2010 at 2:32 pm

    47. Michael J Fox was at least 24 when he played the part of Marty Mc Fly who was 17 in Back to the Future

      posted by Steve C on 1-21-2010 at 3:22 pm

    48. Ralph Machio was around 23 when he did the first Karate Kid movie.

      posted by Scott on 1-21-2010 at 3:42 pm

    49. Jason Earles, who play Hannah Montana’s brother in Hannah Montana, is actually 33!!!

      posted by Donna on 1-21-2010 at 4:44 pm

    50. Trina McGee, who played Shawn’s girlfriend Angela on Boy Meets World, was 28 years old playing an 18 year old senior in high school.

      posted by angela on 1-21-2010 at 7:40 pm

    51. Christopher Mintz-Plasse must have been 18 or 19 when he played Auggie Farks in Role Models who must have been about 12 years old?\

      Actually auggie was supposed to be around 16 or 17. He was just a nerd. But he definitely looked his age.

      posted by Victoria on 1-22-2010 at 1:04 am

    52. I think Hollywood’s tendency towards this kind of casting puts a lot of pressure on young people to look more grown up than they are because it is so prevalent in all the shows and movies they watch.

      posted by C.A. on 1-22-2010 at 10:27 am

    53. Tom Welling was 24 when Smallville premiered, playing the role of Clark Kent in his FRESHMAN year of high school.

      posted by JOsh on 1-17-2011 at 10:05 am

    54. Gabourey Sidibe was 26 when “Precious” was filmed. Her character was 16.

      posted by Tibbie D on 3-27-2011 at 1:21 am

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