Hollywood has a not-so-secret obsession: casting full-grown adults as fresh-faced high schoolers. Sometimes it works like magic, other times it’s painfully distracting, and occasionally you’re left wondering if the school nurse should be handing out AARP cards. Let’s dive into the 10 oldest actors who played teenagers on TV, and unpack why this casting quirk just won’t go away.
10. Bianca Lawson in Pretty Little Liars (31 as Maya)
Bianca Lawson has all but made a career out of acting years after her real teen life. She was 31 when she was cast in Maya St. Germain—and you’d never know it if you weren’t counting. Honestly, she may very well have cracked the code to youth immortality.
9. Jason Earles in Hannah Montana (29 as Jackson)
Miley’s goofy, affectionate brother Jackson was portrayed by Jason Earles, who was almost 30 when Disney Channel’s breakout show first aired. Given Disney’s history of casting older actors to play teenagers, this one remains among the biggest stretches.
8. Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen (28 as Evan)
Ben Platt’s comeback as Evan Hansen at 28 was intended to be emotional, but instead went down in infamy. The age gap was so apparent that it yanked the audience out of the narrative—making what should have been an emotional experience into something inadvertently uncomfortable.
7. Darren Barnet in Never Have I Ever (30 as Paxton)
Paxton Hall-Yoshida, the bare-chested dreamboat of Sherman Oaks High. Darren Barnet, his actor? A 30-year-old. Let’s just say the captain of the swim team could have been more convincingly played as the coach.
6. Stacey Dash as Clueless (28 as Dionne)
When Stacey Dash reappeared in her role as Dionne Davenport for the Clueless TV spinoff, she was 28, ten years older than her character. Rather than high school drama, there was more of a very chic PTA meeting feel.
5. Cory Monteith in Glee (27 as Finn)
Finn Hudson was scripted as the epitome of the high school quarterback, but Cory Monteith was 27 when he became part of the cast. With several other “teens” already firmly entrenched in their twenties, McKinley High was beginning to appear suspiciously like an adult education program.
4. Keiko Agena in Gilmore Girls (27 as Lane)
Ages 27 to 34, Keiko Agena accurately embodied Rory’s friend Lane Kim. Though she aced the vibe of an adolescent, in hindsight, the age difference certainly makes Stars Hollow High look like they had an atypically delayed graduation policy.
3. Chase Stokes on Outer Banks (28 as John B)
John B. and the Pogues are youthful as scrappy teens, yet Chase Stokes was 28 when this show premiered. Most of the other cast members were also in their late twenties, so Outer Banks feels more like a college drama than a teen drama most time.
2. Gabrielle Carteris in Beverly Hills 90210 (29 as Andrea)
Gabrielle Carteris was almost 30 when she won the part of Andrea Zuckerman, the intelligent, ambitious school paper editor. Fun fact: she even kept her true age a secret to get the role—a sign that Hollywood adores the pretence of youth, at any price.
1. Charisma Carpenter in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (27 as Cordelia)
Charisma Carpenter was 27 when she was Cordelia Chase, the Sunnydale High queen bee. Though the show was one of fighting vampires and demons, the greatest suspension of disbelief was believing that so many of its “students” were actually in their mid-to-late twenties.
Why Does Hollywood Keep Doing This?
There are good practical reasons for this casting trend. Young actors are subject to stringent work laws restricting how many hours they can put in, whereas adults introduce flexibility (and less legal trouble) to the show. If the plot includes romance or mature content, hiring someone over the age of 18 also avoids controversy.
But there is a negative. When home-curfed teens watch actors who have perfect skin, six-pack abs, and the self-assurance of someone in their late twenties, it warps expectations. Teenagers begin judging themselves against individuals who have had years to develop into their appearance, and it takes away a little bit of the realness in teen-centered storytelling.
Hollywood probably won’t quit this habit anytime soon, but audiences are getting sharper at spotting it. Next time you’re watching a teen drama, take a closer look—chances are that “sophomore” is old enough to order a glass of wine at dinner.