Hollywood is known for warping reality when it comes to age, and casting is no exception. Sometimes an actor in their thirties is cast as a teenager, while in other cases a young actor in their twenties is cast as someone who’s had a long life of struggles behind them. Whether it’s for logistical reasons such as work hour constraints, the actor’s physical appearance, or just casting convenience, Hollywood is no stranger to stretching the truth. Here are ten of the most striking examples of actors’ ages not matching their characters’ ages.
10. Florence Pugh as Amy March – Little Women
Florence Pugh gave an incredible performance as Amy March in the film, but an interesting fact to note is that the character begins the story as a 13-year-old, whereas the actress was actually 22 when the film was made. She portrays the character of Amy March magnificently, but it’s crazy to think that the actress was actually playing a character nearly a decade younger than her!
9. Keira Knightley as Juliet – Love Actually
Remember that memorable scene from the movie? Keira Knightley was only 18 years old when the movie was released, but was only 17 years old when the movie was cast! Her on-screen husband was Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was 26 years old at the time, while her on-screen love interest, Andrew Lincoln (the cue card guy), was 30 years old! Cool fact: Keira was only five years older than Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played the love-struck
8. Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood – Sense and Sensibility
Emma Thompson’s Elinor Dashwood is supposed to be a sage-beyond-her-years 19-year-old. Thompson herself? Thirty-five. Her work was so fine it scored her Oscar nods for acting and writing, showing that sometimes talent counts a heck of a lot more than age fidelity.
7. Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart – Hannah Montana
Jason Earles was verging on 30 when he initially appeared as Miley’s klutzy teen brother. During the last season, he was 34, still playing a fellow who hadn’t reached his twenties. His baby face pulled it off—more or less—but the age difference was wider than the show ever admitted.
6. Laurence Fishburne as Tyrone Miller – Apocalypse Now
In a surprise departure from the typical, Laurence Fishburne was younger than his on-screen counterpart. He was a mere 14 when he falsified his age to land a job as a young soldier. By the time the film finally did open years later, he was 18—nearly what viewers would have expected.
5. Gloria Stuart as Old Rose – Titanic
When James Cameron required a 100-year-old Rose for Titanic, he used Gloria Stuart, who was 87. A dash of makeup magic provided more than a decade, and one of cinema’s most iconic elder performances was born.
4. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell – Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence was only 21 when she acted as Tiffany, a widow scripted to be in her mid-to-late 30s. Her performance was so good that it earned her an Oscar for Best Actress, one of the youngest to have received the award.
3. Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrilo – The Golden Girls
Estelle Getty portrayed Bea Arthur’s sassy, sharp-mouthed mother—but in real life, Getty was one year younger than her on-screen daughter. With the right dress, hairpiece, and attitude, she managed to pull it off magnificently.
2. Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly – Back to the Future Part III
Marty McFly might be stuck in the body of a teenager forever, but Michael J. Fox was 29 on the third Back to the Future movie—twelve years older than his on-screen self. He still kind of looked the part, but the difference was getting increasingly difficult to dismiss.
1. Angelina Jolie as Olympias – Alexander
And at number one: Angelina Jolie as the mother of Colin Farrell’s Alexander the Great, when she’s just one year his senior. Jolie was 29, Farrell was 30, and yet the film asked us to believe that she’d given birth to him many decades earlier.
Why does Hollywood do this? Occasionally, it’s about star power, occasionally it’s about who can actually work the hours legally, and occasionally it’s just because casting directors are convinced that audiences will accept it. But whereas it’s fun to notice, it also creates some rather unrealistic expectations—particularly for younger people. Nevertheless, as long as the cameras continue to roll, you can be sure that Hollywood will continue to play fast and loose with the truth when it comes to age.