MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Actors Who Were Too Old/Too Young For Th...

Actors Who Were Too Old/Too Young For Their Roles


Of course, actors playing characters much older or younger than they are is pretty common in movies (especially high school movies), and sometimes it works, but other times the age difference is too noticeable. What are some movies you guys can think of where an actor was too old or too young for the part they played—that is, you as a viewer had a hard time seeing them as the age of their character?

My picks:

Ingrid Bergman as Joan in Joan of Arc (1946). I love this movie, but I think Ingrid was too old at the time to convincingly play a teenage girl.

John Mills as Pip in Great Expectations (1946). This is another one I like, but John Mills, at almost 40, wasn’t believable as 23-year-old Pip.

Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook (2012). I couldn’t see then 21-year-old Jennifer Lawrence as 39-year-old Tiffany.

Winona Ryder as Susanna in Girl, Interrupted (1999). Ryder was almost 30, playing an 18-year-old girl.

reply

Ryan Phillippe looks too young to have a 16 y.o daughter in secrets and lies. Even though he had that in real life when you look this young, you cant be your real age on screen:
https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/secrets-and-lies.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1

reply

Mickey Rourke in year of the dragon. His wife looks like his mom.

reply

I could never buy Robert De Niro as the young Jimmy in Goodfellas. He is introduced to us as being in his 20's and De Niro was around 47 at that point.

reply

I always thought Kate Winslet looked too old for Leonardo DiCaprio's love interest in Titanic,plus Rose was meant to be 17,but Kate still did a good job though.

reply