13 Examples Of Hollywood Casting Literal Grown-Ups As Teens And 12 Times When They Actually Nailed It

    I want whatever kind of delusion it takes to be 42 and trying to pass as a 17-year-old.

    Conshea Brown
    by Conshea Brown

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hollywood is notorious for casting older actors in roles that are meant to portray high school-aged students and teenagers. Sometimes it can get so wild that you find yourself watching people play a character that's half their real age.

    Woman sitting on a couch looking intently at a TV remote in her hand. She appears focused and confused
    Peopleimages / Getty Images

    So, here are 13 adult actors who took the fountain of youth to a whole new level and portrayed teenagers on-screen, and 12 then-teenage actors who actually got cast as teens:

    1. Adult: Audrey Hepburn

    Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", wearing a black dress, tiara, and gloves, with a cigarette holder
    Donaldson Collection / Getty Images

    In one of Audrey Hepburn's most popular movies, Breakfast at Tiffany's, she was 31 years old, portraying 19-year-old Holly Golightly.

    2. Teenager: Lindsay Lohan

    Lindsay Lohan on the set of "Mean Girls"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Lindsay gave us the back-to-back-to-back excellence that is Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Mean Girls, and she did it all as just a teen! During this incredible 2003–2004 stint, Lindsay was between 16 and 17 years old, playing characters all between the ages of 15 and 16.

    3. Adult: Rachel McAdams

    Rachel McAdams on the set of "Mean Girls"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Unlike her costar, Rachel McAdams was 25 when she played 16-year-old Regina George. That same year, she also played 17-year-old Allie Hamilton in The Notebook.

    4. Teenager: Amanda Seyfried

    Amanda Seyfried on the set of "Mean Girls"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    When Amanda Seyfried played 16-year-old Karen Smith in Mean Girls, she was not too far off from her character in age. She was 18 when the film was released.

    5. Adult: Shirley Henderson

    Photo of Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle
    Warner Bros.

    Shirley, who played the forever 14-year-old ghost of Myrtle Warren (aka Moaning Myrtle) in the Harry Potter series, was actually 37 when she first popped onto our screens in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

    6. Teenager: Anna Cathcart

    Girl with braided hair and glasses, wearing a sweater, looking thoughtful
    ©Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection

    Anna, who played 11-year-old Kitty in To All The Boys I've Loved Before (TATBILB) and its spin-off XO, Kitty was just 15 years old when TATBILB premiered.

    7. Adult: Matt Damon

    Matt Damon on the set of "Behind The Candelabra"
    HBO

    As one of the wildest on this list, Matt Damon, who played Scott Thorson in Behind the Candelabra, was a solid 42 years old when he played 17-year-old Scott.

    8. Teenager: Storm Reid

    Young woman in a collared shirt, portraying a character in a scene
    HBO

    While all of her other cast mates were 20+ and playing high school students, Storm Reid was actually 15 years old during Season 1 of Euphoria, where she portrayed 13-year-old Gia.

    9. Adult: Stockard Channing

    Stockard on the set of "Grease"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Stockard, who played the hell out of 18-year-old Rizzo in Grease, was actually the oldest amongst the main cast at 33 years old. Notably, she wasn't the only one; the entire main cast ranged between the ages of 20 and 33, intended to play 17- to 18-year-olds.

    10. Teenager: James Lafferty

    Man in a red zip-up top stands with arms crossed, looking at the camera
    Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    James, who played my favorite brother on One Tree Hill, Nathan Scott, was the only teenager amongst his main cast of Tree Hill Ravens. He was 18 years old when the show started and played 16-year-old Nathan. His other main cast mates were all between the ages of 21 and 22 when the show aired. 

    11. Adult: Monique Coleman

    Monique Coleman on the set of 'High School Musical"
    Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Finding this one out as a kid was so eye-opening because who would have thought?! Monique Coleman played 16/17-year-old Taylor McKessie in the High School Musical trilogy. To much of my generation's shock, Monique Coleman was actually 25 years old and the oldest amongst the main cast.

    12. Teenager: Corbin Bleu

    A smiling person sits in a relaxed pose wearing a casual red sports outfit
    Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Contrary to his on-screen love interest and now longtime friend, Monique, Corbin Bleu was the youngest in the HSM cast at just 16 years old when he was playing 16-year-old Chad Danforth.

    13. Adult: Francia Raisa

    Woman in a red jacket and plaid skirt smiling in an indoor setting
    Jessica Brooks / ©Freeform, formerly ©ABC Family/courtesy / Everett Collection

    While Francia was portraying first-year college student and 18-year-old Ana Torres on the TV show Grown-ish, she was actually 30 when the show first aired. 

    14. Teenager: Shailene Woodley

    Shailene on the set of "The secret Life of the American Teenager"
    Abc Family / ©ABC Family / courtesy Everett Collection

    While Shailene was taking on the troubles of 15-year-old Amy Juergens in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she was actually 16 years old when the show first aired.

    15. Adult: Bianca Lawson

    Bianca Lawson in a purple tank top with a triangle pendant, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression
    Randy Holmes / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

    Wildly enough, both my 1987-born sister and my 1997-born self watched Bianca Lawson play teenagers while we were growing up. When she took on the role of 16-year-old Maya St. Germain in Pretty Little Liars, she was actually 31.

    16. Teenager: Sasha Pieterse

    Actress in floral shirt and pendant, looking off-camera with a thoughtful expression
    Jaimie Trueblood / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

    As the youngest in the entire Pretty Little Liars cast, Sasha was only 14 years old when she first appeared on our TV screens as one of the greatest TV mean girls to ever live, 15-year-old Allison DiLaurentis.

    17. Adult: Alan Ruck

    Alan Ruck as Cameron in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    To my forever surprise, Alan Ruck, who played senior high school student (17 to 18-year-old) Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, was actually 29 years old when the movie was released. The star of the movie, Matthew Broderick, was 24.

    18. Teenager: Molly Ringwald

    Molly Ringwald on the set of "Sixteen Candles"
    Mca / ©MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection

    This one is so correct to me. The icon that is Molly Ringwald, who played Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles and Claire Standish in The Breakfast Club back-to-back, was actually 16 during the premieres of both of these classics.

    19. Adult: Nicola Coughlan

    Nicola on the set of "Derry Girls"
    Aidan Monaghan / ©Channel Four/Courtesy Everett Collection

    The stunning Nicola plays 16-year-old Clare Devlin in the TV show Derry Girls. Surprisingly enough, Nicola is not a 16-year-old girl and was actually 31 by the time the show premiered. Nicola also notably plays 17-year-old (as of the first season) Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton; she was 33 when the first season aired. 

    20. Teenager: Taylor Momsen

    Taylor on the set of "Gossip Girl"
    Cw Network / ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Xoxo, Little J. Taylor Momsen played 14-year-old Jenny Humphrey in one of the greatest teen shows ever made, Gossip Girl. Surprisingly, they hit the nail right on the head this time; Taylor was 14 when the first season was filming.

    21. Adult: Ashleigh Murray

    Ashleigh on the set of "Riverdale"
    ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Ashleigh wonderfully played the number one Pussycat, Josie, in Riverdale. Ashleigh was actually 28 when she first appeared as 15-year-old Josie McCoy in Season 1 of the show. Her other cast mates ranged in age from 19–26 when the show first started.

    22. Teenager: Taylor Lautner

    Jacob Black from Twilight smiles in a close-up shot; he wears a dark crewneck shirt
    Summit Entertainment

    "Where the hell have you been, loca?!" When Taylor Lautner gave us life playing Jacob Black in the Twilight series, they were pretty spot on with his age, as he was just 16 years old while filming the first movie and Jacob was supposed to be 15. For reference, all of the actors who portrayed the high school-aged Cullens (including Kristen Stewart) ranged between the ages of 18 and 24.

    23. Adult: Barbara Streisand

    Barbara Streisand in "Yentl"
    Hulton Archive / Getty Images

    Total icon Barbara Streisand played 17-year-old Yentl in the movie she notably wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, Yentl. At the time of filming the movie, Barbara was actually 41.

    24. Teenager: Hillary Duff

    Smiling woman with blonde bangs wearing a choker and holding a flip phone
    Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    The icon of all teen icons Hillary Duff, who portrayed 17-year-old Sam Montgomery, was surprisingly a bit younger than her high school junior-aged character when she filmed A Cinderella Story. Hillary was only 15 when they filmed the movie and 16 when it was released. In comparison, her costar and love interest in the movie Chad Michael Murray was already 22.

    25. Adult: Andrew Garfield

    Andrew Garfield in a Spider-Man costume with a cityscape in the background
    Columbia Pictures / ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Out of all of the Spider-Men, Andrew Garfield was actually the oldest at 27 when he put on the spidey suit and became 17-year-old Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Andrew was 29 by the time the first movie was finally released.