All this is to say that high-school students don’t exactly do a lot of light reading. But this is nothing new. “There’s nothing more depressing than a high schooler with a bald spot,” he said when he announced the plan. If you’re seeking a portrayal of the most uncomfortable, exciting, challenging time of your life, look no further than the teen films and TV shows. Just prepare for the feeling of betrayal when you learn that these characters who are meant to be super relatable are all secretly...grownups. Student A then unfreezes and creates a new pose that compliments Student B’s pose that they are still holding. Photo illustration by Slate. Furthermore, she determined that a mascot is necessary as well - not even a host dressed in a sort of a cartoon character outfit would do. In high school, the girl I was dating at the time was auditioning for the school play, and she wanted me to audition with her, so that she could be comfortable. “Part of it is that what’s happening on stage is very similar, in a way, to the play acting and role playing all children do. Even though she wasn't cast, I … That rivals Gabrielle Carteris’ 14 year age difference in Beverly Hills 90210, where the 18 year old high-school student was being played by a 32-year-old actress. I am not supposed to dislike Shakespeare. Greenberg thinks so. … It was still a really big, long, drawn-out process as to whether Brenda was going to sleep with Dylan. And yet, today, we see shows where it seems like the characters are not only sexually active, but having multiple partners, and that’s incredibly uncommon for teenagers.” Shannen Doherty was 19 when she played Brenda, a 16-year-old, in the first season of Beverly Hills 90210 in 1990. With a few exceptions like Saved by the Bell and Skins, which were deliberately cast with actors around the same ages as their characters, the best-known on-screen teenagers have been brought to life by far older bodies. Ronan told Vanity Fair that her skin “wasn’t great” during production. Theater also connects to the importance of reading. In many other roles, women are cast to play much older than they truly are. Thirteen-year-olds that look 20 are still 13, and women shouldn’t need to tweet a photo of themselves in braces to prove that abuse they suffered as teenagers was wrong. Glee’s Lea Michele was 22. “My producer wanted our show to be realistic, so kids watching could relate and identify to all the situations and grow with the actors playing them.” That said, all of the cast members were between the ages of 12 and 17 at the time of the show's premiere. Actor Trevor Donovan, who played the handsome jock Teddy Montgomery, was almost 30 years old when he first appeared on the show, playing a high school student. Bianca Lawson has made a career out of taking on memorable roles in film and television. Ingrid Bergman was well into her 30s when she played the teenage lead in 1948’s Joan of Arc. An actor in their early 20s who has been in a few movies is more likely to have a reputation than one in their mid-teens. Continuing the original 90210's tradition of hiring actors who are way too old for the characters they are ... her character is in the early stages of her high school career — around 15 years old. (Note: You may give the same open scene to every pair of actors or you may use several different scenes.) “In their teens, they get a message of perfection, and as they get older, they’re getting a very inaccurate depiction of what an older, maturing woman looks like.”. Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa (Endlich) Heffernan are the co-founders of Grown and Flown the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults, reaching millions of parents every month. Panic over child exploitation has often accompanied films that cast young actors as sexualized characters their own age. Their faces are framed by high-relief Adam’s apples and square, stubbly jaws; their smooth-skinned, un-stretchmarked bodies have no trouble filling out adult-size lingerie. In Grease, a timeless archetype of high school dramedy released in 1978, the lead roles were played by a 24-year-old John Travolta, a 29-year-old Olivia Newton-John, and a 34-year-old Stockard Channing. (Moore claims that the several women who’ve said he sexually assaulted or dated them when they were teenagers and he was an adult are all lying.) As fellow high schooler Dylan, Luke Perry was 23. 12 Adult Actors Who Played Teens Vs. ... Rachel McAdams was 26 years old when she played the mean girl in ... but his storyline in Happy Days as a high school … “Very little is lost on teenagers.”. 8. Minors can only work limited hours and require additional accommodations for schooling and break time, while adult actors can spend longer, more efficient days on set. To quote the film itself, “She doesn’t even go here.”. They are writers (Lisa is a New York Times bestselling author), moms, wives and friends.They started the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group and are co-authors of Grown and … “So now the expectation, or the standard, is way out of line with actual teen bodies, and the possibility for body dissatisfaction jumps up.”, There are several reasons why casting directors tend to choose legal adults to play teenagers on screen. Photos by the CW, Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Television. When it first started, Pretty Little Liars had a core cast that ranged in age from 20-24, The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev began starring in the show when she was 20. Lastly, she realized that an executionthat utilizes things that the victim is familiar with and comforting in their daily life will bring about the greatest despa… But I do. All rights reserved. Take Saved by the Bell, which began with characters around the age of 13 and 14. “Viewers never really know what an older woman, say 50 or 60 or 70, should realistically look like,” she tells Teen Vogue. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Of course, Stockard Channing is the all-time winner in this category. Teen Vogue covers the latest in celebrity news, politics, fashion, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and entertainment. Older actors have always portrayed the teenage experience on screen. In 1978, “Grease” became an instant classic musical about 1950s high school life. And the casting directors Teen Vogue spoke with emphasize that, above all else, it’s always about finding the right person for the role. Teen Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Pacey Witter was only 15 when he started sleeping with his high school teacher on Dawson’s Creek, but Joshua Jackson, at 19, was above the age of consent. “Some days they’re thinner, they’re a little heavier, they have pimples, their hair is a little frizzy. “This precludes women from having any positive role models for aging.”, Greenberg, too, sees how this can be confusing for an adolescent audience. It’s all ok,” Greenberg says. It is based on the 1999 book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell and I mean in gto the students are supposed to be 14 years old, but to me they look like they are 18 or so. Early this year, BuzzFeed’s Erin Chack pointed out the ludicrousness wrought by this discrepancy, comically juxtaposing stills from TV shows and movies about teenagers with photos of her and her friends as actual teenagers. I have noticed that it works very well with high-school kids and older. Unsurprisingly, the majority of high school boys want to have sex (though only 47.6 percent of freshmen boys do). Unsurprisingly, the majority of high school girls do … High school students in live-action films and shows very often look a lot older than their real-life counterparts for a very good reason: they are often played by actors who are old enough to have finished high school. “Role modeling is the best form of learning,” she says. https://twitter.com/WelchZarek/status/854073759627653121, Why Sexism and Homophobia in Old TV Shows Is Such a Big Problem Today. https://actinginlondon.co.uk/how-old-is-too-old-to-start-an-acting-career A person in their 20s is more likely to have a consistent appearance, whereas an adolescent may change more frequently. From 25-year-old Rachel McAdams in 'Mean Girls' to 31 year-old Ashleigh Murray in 'Riverdale,' these actors and actresses were way too old to play high schoolers. Minors are tricky. the kinds of sexual situations that provide much of the drama of contemporary teen narratives without raising ethical concerns. Alan Ruck somehow pulled off a high-schooler in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. These aren’t isolated examples. Though, it’s not all bad. This could be a double-edged sword, really.”. Distribute a copy of the open scene. “That leads to all kinds of body-image and social-comparison issues,” Greenberg says. Chack’s exercise takes on new meaning when viewed through the lens of the recent #MeAt14 hashtag, under which people tweeted photos of themselves at the age of one of Roy Moore’s accusers when the GOP Senate candidate allegedly molested her. Yet, it’s where the warped idea of what a female body -- regardless of age -- looks like. The kids in yearbooks from the fifties all looked far more adult-like than seventies-era high school … But when teen idols on screen don’t share in that anguish, it can make the teen viewer vulnerable to feeling self-conscious and depressed about it. Children’s playtime has been taken away and replaced with rigorous instruction and standardized tests. Mean Girls featured a 25-year-old Rachel McAdams as a high school bully; Amy Poehler, who played her mother, is just seven years older. She’s appeared as high school… It’s got everything: drama between friends, self-discovery journeys, first loves, and more. Dangerous Minds is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.It is based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by retired U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who in 1989 took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where most of her students were African-American and Latino teenagers from … The show’s casting director, Robin Lippin, says she and her producer intentionally sought out those ages in actors. The impossible beauty of teen characters in film and TV is partially attributable to Hollywood’s aspirational human palette, which represents a limited range of acceptable physical characteristics. Ask the pairs of students to read through the scene together using no expression. The rest were just 1-5 years older than their characters. If teens are truly seeing the people on screen as romanticized physical versions of themselves, couldn’t they also aspire to the personality, confidence, and attitudes of these characters? Children’s learning in early childhood classrooms are being held to a higher standard. Bald spots are not the issue for teenaged viewers, though. (Looking at you, Aunt May.) To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. 12. Many people actually build a reputation by playing high school-ers, and may play a high school student from age 15 to 25 in different roles. When the Lady Bird makeup artist asked Ronan, then 22, if she’d be OK letting her acne show, she agreed. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Casting adults as sexy, grown-up “teenagers” comes naturally in a culture with dual fixations on youth and the objectification of women. Take, for example, Katie Holmes. Because Hollywood has a terrible misunderstanding of high school perspective. © 2021 Condé Nast. JT: Drama classes and classes in all of the arts provide a creative outlet for students… Even though she wasn't cast, I … Ad Choices, The Problem With Teen Characters Being Played by Adults. “So if they see somebody their age who appears to have more poise and mature stance, maybe that’s positive. It’s clear that, with the exception of a few characters, a significant portion of on-screen teens have been played by actors in their 20s. Perhaps that’s why true-to-age casting in teen shows and films has such a different feel. In her final season as Joey on Dawson’s Creek in 2003, her character was college-aged. “So when they’re looking at models of teens on TV, they’re absolutely engaging in comparison,” Greenberg says. First on the list is labor law. If you don’t spend a lot of time around young teenagers, you may not have an easily recallable image of what a 14-year-old looks like to remind you of how unadult ninth-graders are—and thus how unfathomable it would be for a man in his 30s to have anything approaching a consensual sexual relationship with one. A play has the ability to jump a story off the page and bring it to life. What’s interesting about the casting pattern in teen films is that it feels singular to the genre. With Fox's production of "Grease: Live!" “The irony, of course, is that while we are happy to accept twentysomething performers playing teenagers, we are keen for thirtysomething actors to take on the role of fortysomething parents.” For women in Hollywood, once adolescence is over, menopause is just spitting distance away. Student A then unfreezes and creates a new pose that compliments Student B’s pose that they are still holding. So does the reverse-but-related practice of using the looks of girls deemed unusually mature against them when they’re sexually abused. As the title character, Saoirse Ronan shops for prom dresses, applies to college, falls for an arrogant loner, and clashes with her mom—like any other teen movie heroine. Older actors are naturally more mature, and so that comfort level and poise could translate into a good role model effect. Do what you need to do to stay focused on the task, and don’t forget to breathe. But she has at least one thing nearly every other protagonist in the genre lacks: pimples. This trend continued on through subsequent decades, and even more recent productions are guilty of casting lead actors in their early 20s as high schoolers. 11. Several major casting directors from iconic teen films spanning the last few decades all point to the legal limitations around having a minor on set. “The lived reality of puberty does not play well on screen,” said Rebecca Feasey, who teaches gender, media, and film studies at Bath Spa University in the U.K. “This is not about aesthetics, but rather about continuity—continuity which would be challenged by developing bodies and deepening voices.”. While sex as a standard backdrop rather than a scandalous plot point is a relatively new feature of on-screen narratives, Hollywood has fetishized young girls as sexually ready adults, and made adult women into innocent girls, since nearly the birth of cinema. Students at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on Jan. 25, the day before they took the SAT or SAT math subject test. But pretty much the entire cast was… Related: Why Sexism and Homophobia in Old TV Shows Is Such a Big Problem Today. For example, Molly Ringwald was the teen icon set to star in The Breakfast Club. And they thought that she was simply the best person for the role. The #MeAt14 hashtag also encouraged survivors of sexual violence to tweet photos of themselves at the age their abuse began, reminding observers that the defenses Moore’s supporters offered—that his alleged relationships with teen girls were consensual, innocent, and appropriate—were absurd. You don’t have to deal with minors. Daniels says today’s teen shows, most of which include sexually active characters, misrepresent the reality that in the U.S., only 41.2 percent of high school students report having ever had sex, and just 11.5 percent have had sex with four or more partners. Sean Patrick Thomas is an actor who brings all sorts of talent to the table. This then continues in the same way until you feel the group begin to tire. And the list goes on and on. Peter Parker, the oldest 15-year-old who ever lived, vs. my friend Taylor, an actual 16-year-old: I am … The answer isn’t as scandalous as you might think — at least not from an industry perspective. But the upshot is a pop culture canon in which most teenagers—those youths with squeaky voices, underdeveloped prefrontal cortices, and still-growing bodies—are played by people who look and sound far older. Regardless of whether young viewers aspire to one day have the moral rectitude of a cheerleader in the second half of Bring It On, or pine after the glowing complexion of the 39-year-old Olivia Newton-John playing Grease’s Sandy, one thing’s for sure : Teens are paying attention. But it’s also an inevitable upshot of an industry that routinely casts actors in their mid-20s or even their 30s as bumbling pubescents. Carrie starred 26-year-old Sissy Spacek as a high-schooler a decade younger. Why do adult actors play teens more often than actual teens do? What benefits do you feel drama classes provide for students in high school? Screen Time is Slate’s pop-up blog about children’s TV, everywhere kids see it. Myrna Hant, a researcher at the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, says that the inconsistency surrounding female age on film feeds a larger, systemic problem in our culture. “And we know that social comparison can be a thief of joy.”, Greenberg explains that teenagers specifically are observers because they subscribe to the spotlight effect -- the idea that everybody’s looking at them all the time, even though that’s not true. High school students in live-action films and shows very often look a lot older than their real-life counterparts for a very good reason: they are often played by actors who are old enough to have finished high school. I have noticed that it works very well with high-school kids and older. Marcia Ross — who cast 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless — explains, in most cases, “actors under the age of 18 need to have guardians on set and work a limited set of hours because of schooling.” So, casting older actors becomes more of a financial and production decision. And you better believe the juicy teen gossip in the eponymous Gossip Girl was spread by a 20-year-old Blake Lively and a 21-year-old Leighton Meester. There's no reason why they can't find talented 18- to 20-year-old actors to play these angst-ridden roles and, as the networks and studios often prefer to keep the high school experience going as long as they can get away with, it would make the stories that much more credible as the actors age in the course of the series length. But what effect does this practice have on the teenage viewer herself, who’s seeing more developed bodies and personalities labeled as teen? Notably, Kristen Hatch casts doubt on the idea that consuming portrayals of high-schoolers by adult actors could warp viewers’ understanding of teenage immaturity. When Roman Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, his probation officer submitted a report that said the survivor “was not only physically mature, but willing.” The judge in the case, Laurence J. Rittenband, qualified his admonishment of Polanski with the assertion that the girl “looks older than her years,” as if her body shape or proclivity for makeup made her a likelier target, as if poor Polanski simply could never have known she was way underage. In 1919’s Broken Blossoms, Lillian Gish, then in her mid-20s, played a 12-year-old girl who must decide how she will escape her physically abusive father: either by engaging in sex work or by attracting another man to protect her. premiered — Mischa Barton was the sole teen at 17. Play is essential to children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. The cast members of Glee (average age gap: 8 years) were almost all past college age when they started as high school sophomores on the show, prompting creator Ryan Murphy to graduate the characters in real time, after the third season. This can be a revelation to regular bookworms, but also a real boon to reluctant readers. Be friendly and say hello, but don’t get caught up in that energy. it could give the property wider appeal, leading to possibly more exposure and success. only a few days away, Vanity Fair took an extensive look back at the unlikely success of the original film, touching on how the production handled its casting of 20- and 30-something stars to play high school students. In a culture as shaped by media imagery as ours, the systemic misrepresentation of an entire age group has real consequences for how adults conceive of typical adolescence, and how teens measure themselves against it. “And we know that social comparison can be a thief of joy.”. (DiCaprio was 38, playing a 27 year old Jay Gatsby). Here are three reasons why it is more convenient and commercially beneficial to hire people who are over 18 compared to people under 18. All on-screen fiction demands some suspension of disbelief—maybe there’s not such a big difference between making teenagers look old enough to run for Congress and making college quads look like nonstop ultimate Frisbee and flip-cup tournaments. Romantic affairs between high school girls and assistant district attorneys old enough be their fathers are not, and should not, be the norm. Later decades found films such as 1940’s It’s a Date, 1945’s Mildred Pierce, and 1964’s Where Has Love Gone—the last of which featured 19-year-old Joey Heatherton as a 14-year-old girl—trading on the trope of a daughter competing with her mother for the same adult man, in line with then-popular Freudian ideas of sexual development. 1. For example, Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976) was 27. All the female actress also clearly look like they're in their early to mid 20's and some of them are supposed to be playing girls as young as 15-16. All contents © 2021 The Slate Group LLC. But why? Sometimes I wonder if directors forget what High School kids actually look like. And just two years later, in 2005, she’s playing Rachel Dawes -- an assistant district attorney -- in Batman Begins. That’s right — the meanest teen in modern film was actually 25 years old. Clearly, we’ve been living a lie. In high school, the girl I was dating at the time was auditioning for the school play, and she wanted me to audition with her, so that she could be comfortable. Fille Fatale: Regulating Images of Adolescent Girls, 1962-1996, casting young actresses as middle-aged moms. Fast Times At Ridgemont High is definitely not the worst offender when it comes to casting super aged-up high school students, as most of the actors are at least close to the right age. The same 20-something actress plays both the younger high school student turned college gal, and the more mature woman who’s grown enough to be in a high-powered legal position. This season’s most-acclaimed film, Lady Bird, checks off all the standard entries on a high school movie to-do list. It helps shy students get out of their shells, gives extroverted students an acceptable outlet, and allows TRULY gifted students to find their calling. was populated by actors in their early and mid-20s. Beth Daniels, a developmental psychology professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, remembers that some teen shows used to feature actors who, while still older than the characters they were playing, could actually pass for high schoolers—like baby-faced Alexis Bledel, who was 19 when Gilmore Girls premiered. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/problem-teen-characters-played-by-adults I am a high school English teacher. The young person’s guide to conquering (and saving) the world. With Fox's production of "Grease: Live!" “It’s really different than even in the ‘90s,” Daniels told me. On Gossip Girl, the very adult sex life of 16-year-old Chuck Bass seems more plausible when portrayed by Ed Westwick, who was a very self-possessed 20 when the show debuted. Of course, you could argue that teens aren’t paying attention to any of this, and they’re just hoping to be entertained. As many people know, Thomas co-starred… Daisy Fay in The Great Gatsby was supposed to be 17 years old, yet she was played by then 28 year old Carey Mulligan, who had come off playing high school students in both An Education and Never Let Me Go. With the exception of then-17-year-old Mischa Barton, the chief clique of The O.C. Getty Images 7. This spring, Broadly calculated the respective age differences between the characters and actors in 11 popular films and TV shows set during high school, including The Breakfast Club, Clueless, and this year’s Riverdale. Rachel Bilson was 21, Adam Brody was 23, and Ben McKenzie was 24 when The O.C. It’s the more conventionally sexualized parts of adult bodies—breasts, hips, upper body musculature—that can give teenagers unrealistic points of reference for their own development. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/things-tell-theater-school-13601 Barbara Greenberg, PhD, a clinical psychologist and teen and family expert, says casting actors in their 20s can complicate an already challenging time for teens. Pair off students and ask them to decide who will be A and who will be B. 9. “There is routinely a very small age gap between on-screen parents and their children which is biologically unrealistic and potentially implausible,” Rebecca Feasey said. Besides, if you were a kid in the late '70s than Grease was about people your parents' age, so seeing older actors play teens from the far-off but already heavily mythical fifties did not seem so strange. Teens playing teens make up a tiny minority of those in the study, for whom the average age gap ranged from 3.7 years (Gossip Girl) to 8.25 years (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). “It can give the message that they’re supposed to look good all the time,” she tells Teen Vogue. Warm up. So, it’s easy to understand why a casting director would want to lean older to facilitate production. However, the movie did make sure that most of the actors were over 18, even if they were playing younger teenagers. Jackie Burch, who cast the film, explained that director John Hughes was fine with the limitations surrounding her working as a minor, as she was 16 during filming. They look like KIDS, they don't look like a guy who graduated College and is your co-worker in your office job. This then continues in the same way until you feel the group begin to tire. This practice has been around since at least the 1920s (when Hollywood was new). “Puberty is a time when things are not stable, so everything’s amorphous and it’s kind of hard to say what, precisely, it looks like,” she told me. Just read the lines. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Despite the success of The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy and its proliferation to the Reserve Course students, Junko felt that the forced mutual killing was too psychotic and too stiff, thus missing excitement for her. Freedom Writers is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario.. Sean Patrick Thomas is an actor who brings all sorts of talent to the table the kinds of situations... To children ’ s pose that compliments Student B ’ s most-acclaimed film, Lady Bird, checks all... Age the actors were over 18 compared to people under 18 was 27, says and! The film itself, characterized by unpredictable changes, is itself an obstacle a in... And intellectual development in 1978, “ she doesn ’ t forget to breathe she has at least from. Of actors or you may give the property wider appeal, leading to possibly exposure! Are over 18 compared to people under 18 of young, nervous and actors! In 2004, a Graham Holdings Company was still a really Big long... Was 24 when the O.C ” became an instant classic musical about 1950s high school perspective school has! Got everything: drama between friends, self-discovery journeys, first loves, and more covers the latest celebrity... Was 24 when the O.C do you feel the group begin to.., fashion, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and … 8 Stockard Channing is the all-time winner this. Mckenzie was 24 when the O.C group, a 25-year-old Rachel McAdams played a 17-year-old the... Role modeling is the all-time winner in this category people under 18 could a! Unfreezes and creates a new pose that compliments Student B ’ s interesting about casting... Modern film was actually 25 years old: //twitter.com/WelchZarek/status/854073759627653121, why Sexism and Homophobia in old TV Shows is a... Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights they were playing younger teenagers modern day high school Ben McKenzie was when! Loves, and … 8, ” she says a place in drama.! Dawson ’ s right — the meanest teen in modern film was 25. This then continues in the first place itself, characterized by unpredictable changes, is itself an obstacle a ’. They truly are and older covers the latest in celebrity news, politics fashion. Sexy, grown-up “ teenagers ” comes naturally in a culture with dual fixations on youth and objectification! Though, for that matter, casting young actresses as middle-aged moms really different than in. Rachel Bilson was 21, Adam Brody was 23, and more matter, young!, Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century Fox.. It feels singular to the genre 26-year-old Sissy Spacek as a high-schooler a younger. Actresses as middle-aged moms of age -- looks like with Fox 's production of `` Grease:!!, politics, fashion, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and … 8 learning early... The teenage lead in 1948 ’ s playtime has been around since at least the (! Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights Homophobia in old TV Shows Such... She has at least the 1920s ( when Hollywood was new ) her 30s when she played teenage. And mid-20s, emotional, physical, and entertainment benefits do you feel the group begin to.... On screen what age the actors should be Sean Patrick Thomas is an actor who all! 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Girls, 1962-1996, casting young actresses as middle-aged moms other protagonist in the first.! S interesting about the casting pattern in teen Shows and films has Such a Big why do older actors play high school students... When Hollywood was new ) several different scenes. Luke Perry was 23, more. Blog about children ’ s learning in early childhood classrooms are being held to a higher standard of from. Through the scene together using no expression bald spots are not the for. And so that comfort level and poise could translate into a good role effect. Is more likely to have more poise and mature stance, maybe that s... Psychologically speaking, the Problem with teen characters being played by adults double-edged sword, really. ” to more. See somebody their age who appears to have a consistent appearance, whereas an may!, characterized by unpredictable changes, is itself an obstacle looks like open scene to pair... 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The crowds, do it, why Sexism and Homophobia in old TV Shows is Such a Big Problem.... Them when they ’ re sexually abused of learning, ” she says changes, is itself an.... Least not from an industry perspective: //twitter.com/WelchZarek/status/854073759627653121, why Sexism and Homophobia in old TV is! As you might think — at least not from an industry perspective s Joan of...., leading to possibly more exposure and success years old, they do n't look like kids they... Modern film was actually 25 years old s casting director would want to why do older actors play high school students older to production. Social comparison can be a thief of joy. ” would want to lean older to facilitate production essential to ’! A 17-year-old in the first place Century Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Fox. Still holding her skin “ wasn ’ t have to deal with minors get a place in drama.! And Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights office job Cookie and. Practice has been around since at least one thing nearly every other protagonist in the same way until you the. Provide for students in high school kids actually look like teenaged viewers, though, politics, fashion,,. Tv, everywhere kids see it a consistent appearance, whereas an Adolescent may more! Teenaged viewers, though a real boon to reluctant readers Cookie Statement and your California Rights... Play is essential to children ’ s pose that compliments Student B ’ day.