Top 10 Actors and Actresses Who Played Characters Younger Than Their Real Age

Hollywood is weird. More often than not, characters in films are or were played by actors and actresses who are or were way older than the characters they played.

Please do your research before submitting someone. Thanks.

The Top Ten

  1. Michael J. Fox

    Michael J. Fox played high school student Marty McFly in Back to the Future at age 24. He was several years older than his character, who was written as a teenager.

    I don't know if it's common knowledge that Michael J. was way older than both of his trademark roles (Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly) or not, but it's true. Michael J. Fox was 24 in the first Back to the Future (and 29 in Back to the Future III) but still played a convincing high school student.

  2. Tobey Maguire

    Tobey Maguire was 27 when he first portrayed Peter Parker, a high school student, in Spider-Man. The character was a teenager, while Maguire was already in his late twenties.

    Before Spider-Man 3, Tobey Maguire was known for his "boy charm." In the original Spider-Man trilogy, he was 27 in the first installment and played a convincing dorky 19-year-old. Honestly, Tobey is one of those actors who doesn't seem to age much at all. At least when he's clean-shaven, he doesn't seem to age much. The beard makes him look older.

  3. Jason Earles

    Jason Earles played Jackson Stewart in Hannah Montana while in his late twenties. His character was a teenager during the early seasons of the show.

    Perhaps number 9 is too low considering how extreme an example this is. I'm a lot younger than he was, and there is no way anyone would think I was 16. Also, it strikes me that there are a lot of cases like this but seemingly very few the other way. I can't think of anyone who has played a significantly older character.

    Back when Miley Cyrus was a normal, ditzy country singer, Jason Earles played Miley's older brother in Hannah Montana. He started out as a 29-year-old playing a 16-year-old, and by the time the show ended, he was in his mid-thirties.

  4. Emilia Clarke

    Emilia Clarke was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones at age 24. Her character began the series as a teenager younger than Clarke's real age.

  5. Andrew Garfield

    Andrew Garfield was 28 years old when he debuted as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. His version of the character was a high school student at the time.

    Andrew Garfield, another Spider-Man, was two years older in his first film than Tobey was in his. The Amazing Spider-Man movies were flops that caused there to be three live-action Spider-Men within nine years. However, much like Tobey Maguire, in the first Amazing Spider-Man movie, he was a convincing high school senior. (Dunno about TASM 2. Still haven't seen that one.)

  6. Alexandra Daddario

    Alexandra Daddario played Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief at age 24. The character was written as a 16-year-old demigod.

    Although I doubt she's as well known for playing younger roles as Michael J. or Tobey, back in 2015, when she was in San Andreas, Daddario was 29 and easily could pass for being a decade younger, or at the very least 23.

  7. Rachel McAdams

    Rachel McAdams was 26 when she played Regina George, a high school student, in Mean Girls. The character was 16 years old, significantly younger than McAdams.

    Anyone remember Mean Girls? Rachel McAdams played a junior in high school when she was 26.

  8. Jim Parsons

    Jim Parsons portrayed Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory starting at age 33. The character was intended to be in his late twenties at the beginning of the series.

    Jim Parsons is a decade older than Sheldon unless Sheldon ages, which usually is the case. I can think of instances when characters don't age, but if he does, Jim is seven years older than Sheldon.

  9. Cole Sprouse

    Cole Sprouse was 24 when he took on the role of Jughead Jones in Riverdale. Jughead was a high school student in the series.

    In Riverdale, Sprouse was portraying a 16-year-old and was 25.

  10. Ralph Macchio

    Ralph Macchio was 22 when he starred as Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid. The character was a high school student at the time of the story.

    He was the same deal as Michael J. Fox. He was twenty-something in most of the Karate Kid movies. (Unless you include the reboot or "The New Karate Kid," which are actually two different things.)

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Chris Knowings

    Chris Knowings joined Sesame Street in 2002 at the age of 28. His character, Chris Robinson, was written as a younger adult and presented as more of a recent graduate type than someone nearing thirty. That age gap was never obvious on screen, which helped make the character relatable to the show's core audience.

  12. ?

    Olivia Newton-John

    Olivia Newton-John was 29 when she played Sandy, a high school senior, in Grease. The character was a teenager graduating from high school.

    I haven't watched Grease, to be honest, but I just found out it's about a couple who have just finished high school. In actual fact, Olivia was nearly 30 when the film came out.

    13. The Contenders

  13. Jeff Bridges

    Jeff Bridges was 22 when he played high school football player Duane Jackson in The Last Picture Show. The character was a teenager, while Bridges was already in his twenties.

    In Tron: Legacy, Jeff Bridges had two roles: Kevin Flynn and Clu. Clu is a character who is supposed to be 33. In real life, Jeff Bridges was 61 at the time.

  14. Audrey Hepburn

    Audrey Hepburn played 18-year-old Princess Ann in Roman Holiday at age 24. The role earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

  15. Gabrielle Carteris

    Gabrielle Carteris was 29 when she began portraying Andrea Zuckerman in Beverly Hills, 90210. Andrea was a high school student during the early seasons.

    She was 29 at the start of Beverly Hills 90210, and her character was 15. Shocked that she's not on the list, let alone #1, to be honest.

  16. Jennifer Grey

    Jennifer Grey was 27 when she starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in Dirty Dancing. Her character was depicted as a 17-year-old on summer vacation.

  17. Cory Monteith

    Cory Monteith was 27 when he began playing Finn Hudson, a high school student, in Glee. The character was written as a teenager, while Monteith was much older.

    Right before he passed away, he was 31 playing a 19-year-old on Glee. Cory was actually four years older than Matthew Morrison, who was playing his teacher.

  18. James Stewart

    James Stewart played a young man in It's a Wonderful Life across multiple ages. In the early scenes, his character, George Bailey, was portrayed as younger than Stewart's actual age.

    He was 39 years old in It's a Wonderful Life but played a character who was at one point described as 28. There is even an earlier scene in which he was just starting college, but it does not say how old he was (the film portrays him throughout his life).

  19. Brigitte Auber

    Brigitte Auber appeared as Danielle Foussard in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief after establishing herself in French cinema earlier in the 1950s. Danielle is presented as a young adult and the daughter of an insurance executive, which allowed Auber to convincingly play someone a few years younger than she actually was at the time.

    Her character is described as a teenager in To Catch a Thief, but she was in fact 30 years old.

  20. Bianca Lawson

    Bianca Lawson has frequently played teenage roles well into adulthood. She portrayed high school students in shows such as Pretty Little Liars while in her thirties.

  21. Tom Holland

    Tom Holland was 20 when he debuted as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. The character was portrayed as a 15-year-old high school student.

  22. Lili Reinhart

    Lili Reinhart was 20 when she began playing Betty Cooper in Riverdale. The character was a high school student at the start of the series.

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