Old people are ruining our TV! Well, at least our youth-oriented TV like Gossip Girl and the awful 90210 reboot. See, actors who are wayyyy older than their characters are supposed to be keep getting cast on these shows. So what is it: silly and annoying trend, or harmless and kinda-fun trend?
Harmless and kinda-fun because, well, you know... um, some of us don't have to feel so bad when we develop crushes on people who are supposed to be in high school if they are in fact in their mid-to-late 20s in real life (helloooo, Cory Monteith). But it's also silly and annoying, because, what? Teen girls watching 90210 are supposed to think that 30-year-old Trevor Donovan is just like the super dreamy boys in their own schools? I mean, the guy (who is, admittedly, bangin') has crow's feet when he smiles! It's more than a little peculiar. Why not just cast a real-life 18-year-old kid? It's not like Donovan is so wildly talented that they just had to have him. I've seen a bunch of young fellas in Broadway shows, for example, who are much better actors, would probably have the tweeny girls in a sexed-up frenzy, and would likely kill for a TV part. Why then give it to the beau-hunk who was born in the '70s? And why is Gossip Girl having 16-year-old Jenny date a 25-year-old? Not only is she just 16, but she looks even younger. (This exact age ratio happened in A Cinderella Story 2 with Selena Gomez and some old dude, so it's no unprecedented.) Forget peculiar. It's downright creepy.
And we're not the only (or first) ones finding this whole thing strange. The lovely guys at Movieline put together a list of TV's oldest actors currently playing high school students a little while back that's hilarious and embarrassing for all involved. But it must be especially embarrassing for the actors. (Though I'm sure they're cringing all the way to the bank.) And EW's Archana Ram is feeling confused by the issue as well. Just what is going on? Do the networks (well, the CW in particular) want teens to aspire to look like 26-year-olds? Lemme tell ya, kids, I'm 26 right now, and you should enjoy looking 17 while you can. Beauty fades!
Though I guess it takes a loooong time to fade for some extra-blessed fake high schoolers.
What do you think? Does the trend bother you or is it no big deal? I just think it's laughably ridiculous.
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because real teenagers are the most annoying things in the world, and not only does nobody want to work with them, but nobody wants to watch them. Furthermore, us guys don't find 16 year old underaged kids hot (unless you're a pedophile), so it would really be horrible to have to watch these shows with 16 year old pricks instead of smokin hot actresses in their early/mid twenties.
Fear and laziness. Fear on part of the production company in that they'll not find a real kid with the chops and stamina to be there vehicles' lead, and laziness in trying to find such. It's 'easier' for a movie and it's limit production run and returns box office wise, but somehow, and with the laziness of the public, we seem to say okay to the 30 year old playing the teen (until they horribly display their true age). Nothing like having the grand kids show up at your taping of the teen drama you star.
The funniest Will & Grace joke was about this. Something along the lines of "This is just like The O.C., except without the 30 year old teenagers and the 35 year old parents."
"and the awful 90210 reboot." -Hey, some of us like it. -But I think you hit the nail on the head: Older people like to watch shows about highschoolers because it was a better time in their life, but also don't want to develop crushes on minors because that's gross. Younger people watch the same shows so they can fantasize about the cool lives they want to have. -I think Degrassi had young actors, but then again I never watched it so IDK.
As irg19 mentioned, minors can only work limited hours. Plus they still have to do school work which takes up time in production. But there have been several shows that have always gotten teens to play teens, remember Save by the Bell? Besides, it's just TV. By the way shadowysea07, Tom Welling was 24 when he started, not 30 something, now you're exaggerating.
ment kid in hgh school
lol no mention of smallville? he's 30 something and was playing a kind in highschool. i laughed so hard when i saw him playing the boyfriend on judging amy and then saw him on smallville. its really stupid they can't find someone who is the actual age of the character their suposed to be. also what teens actually look like that? i know theres the saying 13 going on 30 but they don't actually look 30.
It's because of the economic downturn....50-year-old television execs can no longer afford hush money to cover up their indiscrepancies with teenage boys.
I think that is awful. As you said, so many talented kids could be on those roles and they aren't! Yes, it does make a mess on teenagers' heads. I didn't know how old those guys and girls are, so I never believed I look like I'm seventeen thanks to them! U.U Thanks for the tip, I'll enjoy my "dancing queen" age. ;D
I thought it was due to the fact that minors can only work limited hours so the actors have to be at least 18.
because HS shows are aimed at little girls and little girls have no interest in boyd their age, they want (slightly) older guys to sweep them off their feet but if in tvland they appear to be their age, all the better, that way they won't have to be bothered with little things like statutory rape in their daydreaming fantasies...
I never got it, it's one of the many things wrong with the HS image portrayed on television, though I have to admit, high school kids in America do look older in real life too, maybe you guys just grow up fast? Which is a problem for shows with a certain timeline. Teenagers change faster then their characters (We won't be seeing Walt on Lost I'm sure), casting older folks who look the same for years is just easier.
I thought it was interesting that two shows almost gave a nod to the fact that their teenage roles were being played by older actors recently. In 90210, Dixon is involved with a twenty-something who doesn't realize he's in high school. And the last episode of Glee revolved around an ex-student played by Kristen Chenoweth returning to school. Also ironically, she is 41 and was playing a character in her early 30's. Actually I think one reason they do this in 90210 is because it's a little perverted to have underage girls parading around in bikinis, talking about having sex, etc. but I guess it's not perverted when you only THINK they are teenage girls.
There is an interesting concept behind this the popular kids in high school often looked like they were a few years older than the general population. There was a 20/20 Special a few years back, where students looked in their old yearbooks and noticed that those kids had matured faster and as a result they look like college students in high school. So why would this change in television?
because little kids don't know how to act
i couldn't have said it any better than this.
its stupid but actual 18 year olds dont look 18 on tv plus if theyre underaged they cant do half the crap older people playing teens can on tv.
This isn't a new trend... TV has been casting older/younger actors for younger/older characters for as long as TV has been around. Hell, BEFORE that, plays were doing the same thing. For one thing, not everybody looks their age---both actors and the characters they're supposed to portray. There were guys I knew in high school who looked older than most of the teachers. Plus actual youth actors can drastically change over the course of half of a season as their voice or appearance matures which a far bigger distraction than thinking "oh, that guy doesn't look 18" (because it's tough figuring ages anyway, given the massive amount of human diversity). If you've actually been to a public high school, you should know how all of this is. People all age at seemingly random rates. I still get carded at bars while my brother, 5 years younger, does not.
One problem with real 15 yr olds (esp boys) is that their appearance can change almost overnight. When Brian Austin Green was first on 90210 he was a scrawny little nerd, but the next year he was suddenly all buff and kind of hot. Same thing happened with the neighbor kid (Paul) on the Wonder Years. He was a skinny little kid one year and about 6 foot 3 with a mustache the next year.
A story line about a 16 yr old dating a 25 yr old bothers the hell out of me. My daughter's 16, and if a 25 yr old turned his attentions in her direction, I'd have him prosecuted! Where are the parents in these teen shows? They (parents) are either portrayed as too dumb to realize what's going on in their children's lives or they are completely absent as if parental guidance isn't a big part of a teen's life. It's not the actual age of the actors that bothers me, it's the outrageous story lines.
A story line about a 16 yr old dating a 25 yr old bothers the hell out of me. My daughter's 16, and if a 25 yr old turned his attentions in her direction, I'd have him prosecuted! Where are the parents in these teen shows? They (parents) are either portrayed as too dumb to realize what's going on in their children's lives or they are completely absent as if parental guidance isn't a big part of a teen's life. It's not the actual age of the actors that bothers me, it's the outrageous story lines.
i have only recently seen "my so-called life" and the difference between jared leto and claire danes was much more disturbing once i figured she was only 15!
i've always been bugged by that ... ^.^ the latest and really bad example is Vampire Diaries. i mean, seriously ... the main actress i can believe but the rest of the "high school kids" in that show could be college students lol
that's one of the reasons i don't watch "smallville" for.
really enjoyed reading your article and i totally agree with you. when i read that donovan is already 30 (!!!!!!!) i couldnt believe it. i mean, i knew that he was older, but that hes almost twice the age of the guy he plays... really dont get why they cast people this old. but maybe they are afraid that if the actors look the same age they are actually playing, "older" viewers would feel reeeeeally old and would stop watching. any way, its ridiculous...
@InfamousJR: Nice reading comprehension skills. I clearly linked the EW article in my post.
OMG!!! This issue has been bugging me forever! Well not really forever but as long as I can rememeber when it comes to me deciding to start paying attention to teen-oriented shows, at least. Even though I am not a very big Degrassi fan I still like it because they will actually hire actors that are the right age (or extremely close to it). But mainly I can't handle watching those shows just because 30 year olds are unbelievable 15 year olds! :)
I don't care at all. I just suspend my disbelief. And it's a lot better now, with a couple of exceptions. The GG crew are only a couple of years older than their screen counterparts, and I think hiring older actors is because of a) maturity and b) its easier to use them. If they all hired 16 year olds they'd have to worry about how many hours they're working and if they're fitting in their schoolwork.
But that's the way it works, the whole TV age spectrum is off by 10 years. 20 year olds play high schoolers (witness 90210), 30 year olds play 20s (witness Friends) and 40 year olds play 30s (witness Seinfeld). So it all works out. And everything lines up.
I don't mind having 20-somethings playing high-school-aged teens because the laws governing filming with minors are so strict, but it is fairly crazy to have a 30-year-old try to play a teen. Then again, I'm 37 & still get carded for alcohol.
thats what i really liked about freaks and geeks, looked the right age
You know, maybe the actors that audition are their favorites. I'd rather have an actor that looks a little old act well than some stupid immature 16 year old acting stupid.
Wow ...this exact article showed up over on EW.com today. Running out of ideas are we? http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/09/30/older-actors-playing-young-have-you-been-fooled/
I agree with "xixamadeira" i mean we need adult to make those stuffs underage actors cant do it XO XO :):):):)
LOL! That Trevor guy is 30 and its obvious. There is suspension of disbelief and then there is Drew Barrymore pretending to be a high school student. Its ridiculous.Next they will be casting teenagers for these shows with AARP cards or something.
and, OMG!! Cory Monteith is older than me, LOL
I think they also have to put adults playing the characters because some might be asked to play a sex scene, do drugs or whatever. I don't think underage actors are allowed to do that even if they are just acting.
It actually annoys me a great deal and it has for sometime now. The actors playing High School kids are just way too old and they give self image issues to teens and tweens. I mean yes there is that big jump around senoir year where kids change a lot but come on freshmen looking like they are what 25 is just rediculous. And I admit that my High School life was rather tame, but most of situations that they have those "kids" going through is rediculous. Now I admit that in college more of that crap, the sex drugs and other stuff happens a lot more. Why do tv producers insist on a High School setting, when they can just jump to college and make the situations and the actors fit the show and not have it forced. Another plus to switching to college, you are not stuck with figuring out what to do after 2 or 3 years.
I'm not an expert, but I believe that the reason they often cast older people for roles as high school kids is because very few actors/actresses who are actually the right age have the acting skills desired. I can tell you that, out of my high school Drama-club/Forensics/Debate-team/etc, barely anyone would have gotten the part for big roles such as these until after they had perfected their acting in college.
Ev'ry teen show is practically obligated to show the main characters having sex. But, If Taylor Momsen (JENNY in GOSSIP GIRL) allowed to appear topless in TV, then why do they do it?
Maybe it's because they're all hopping into bed all the time and drinking some "tini" in a club so the showrunners don't want to get busted for statuatory rape or at the very least, setting a bad example.
actually yeah its a little annoying i guess.. i mean i remember once upon a time when we used to watch hilary duff ( cinderella story , raise your voice , perfect man etc) and she looked excactly like a cute highschool girl.thats because SHE WAS. nowadays its like they cant find a decent teenage actor. maybe they think 20something actors are more "mature" but still its not THAT hard to find an ACTUAL 16 year old to play a 16 year old..!jesus..
I suppose it's partly due to the child labor laws. I read that they had to shoot The Patty Duke Show in New York because the labor laws in California restricted Patty to something like 2 hours of work a day. The Boy Meets World cast jokes about this very thing in the commentary for one of the BMW videos. They point out that all of the extras in the high school are people in their 40s. :D
Heh, I find the trend laughably ridiculous
Never liked megan fox as the love interest in Transformers she looked way too old!