Hollywood loves how it can change looks, but the new tech of making older actors look young has stirred things up. From throwback stories to wild new ways of telling tales, this tech is now a big deal for creative folks and stirs up a lot of talk. Let’s check out the most odd—and talk-worthy—times they used this trick in movies and TV, starting from just cool to weird.
7. Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas in “Ant-Man and The Wasp”
Marvel Studios took us back in time in “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” not just by picking actors who look like younger versions but by using high-tech effects to make Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas seem much younger. Trent Claus from Lola VFX said they rebuilt their faces digitally to match how they looked years ago, ready with doubles just in case it didn’t look right.
The final show? A mix of old memories and superhero fun that made viewers look twice. Peyton Reed, the director, said they gathered lots of info to make the change seem real, and it worked very well.
6. Mark Hamill in “The Mandalorian”
Star Wars fans were thrilled when a young Luke Skywalker showed up in “The Mandalorian” season 2’s last part. Mark Hamill, almost 70, was made to look younger digitally to play his famous role again. Hamill told everyone it was him by sharing photos from behind the scenes, ending talks that it was all just computer-made.
The final look was a big hit and struck a chord with long-time fans, mixing past and present in a far-off star world.
5. Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ever thought about seeing Brad Pitt get younger? “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” showed just that. The movie’s idea made it a must for Pitt to move from old age to youth convincingly, and the effects team did it so well they won an Oscar.
Pitt, who was 44 then, saw his face and body change to fit each part of Benjamin Button’s odd life. The outcome was both cool and spooky—a great fit for a story about time going backwards.
4. Robert Downey Jr. in “Captain America: Civil War”
That flashback of a young Tony Stark with his parents? That was not just neat makeup. The tech wizards at Lola VFX made Robert Downey Jr. look like he was from the 1980s, using old clips to get it just right.
Trent Claus said it was like super-powered Photoshop, with every part of his face and moves tweaked. The team had to meet what fans thought young Downey should look like, and the result made everyone question what was real and what was digital.
3. Samuel L. Jackson in “Captain Marvel”
“Captain Marvel” took de-aging up a notch by making Samuel L. Jackson look 25 years younger through most of the movie. The VFX group used Jackson’s old movies to make young Nick Fury look on point, and the actor was amazed by how spot on they got it.
Marvel’s special effects boss Janelle Croshaw Ralla said they could match exact moments from Jackson’s past films, giving a nearly perfect change. Jackson even made jokes on Instagram about how grand the tech was.
2. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in “The Irishman”
Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” was both a show of great tech work and a main topic for talks. De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci were made to look younger digitally to play their roles over many years, with new tech from Industrial Light & Magic that got rid of needing awkward equipment.
The work was detailed and costly, but it let Scorsese keep his famous actors as the stars. Some people found their look weird, especially when their bodies didn’t quite match their younger faces, but there’s no denying the high aim of the project. Douglas Moore from ILM said the aim was to bring back the young looks of these actors as Scorsese remembered them—and that’s what viewers saw, good or bad.
1. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in “Here”
Now, the newest—and maybe most debated—use of de-aging: Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Robert Zemeckis’s “Here.” This movie goes all-in on de-aging, using AI tech to show its stars as teens, grown-ups, and old folks, all in the same tale. Zemeckis, always pushing tech limits, went far with this, but not all think it’s better. Some critics called it odd, and even said the digital faces took away the deep feelings of the acting. Hanks wondered about what it means for acting “until he dies—and even beyond,” with AI and deepfake tech. Whether it’s cool or creepy, “Here” is the top example of how far de-aging has come—and what might be next.
De-aging is not just a neat trick now—it’s a way to tell stories anew, bring back old feelings, and sometimes, open a box of new issues. As the tech gets better (and weirder), it’s hard to tell real actors from digital ones. Will we ever feel okay seeing our best-loved stars always young? Or will it always feel a bit odd? One thing’s certain: Hollywood’s love for turning back time is not going to stop soon.