Cenas Que Sei: 16 Adults Who Played Teens

1. Three Years – Anthony Edwards at 22 as Gilbert Lowe, presumably 18, inRevenge of the Nerds (1984)

Note that Anthony Edwards isn’t the only overage actor in the ROTN cast, which is rife with problems. After all, Ted McGinley was 26, Curtis Armstrong 31, and Donald Gibb 32 at the time the movie came out. However, they were overlooked because as they were athletes, and upperclassmen, it’s possible that they were in their fifth year of college and therefore not playing teenagers, whereas Edwards, as a newly-minted college freshmen, clearly was.

2. Five Years – Jonah Hill at 23 as Seth, presumably 18, in Superbad (2007)

3. Six Years – Ralph Macchio at 22 as Daniel LaRusso, 16 in The Karate Kid(1984)

At the start of TKK LaRusso does not have his license, and as the common age for licensing in the mid-80s was 16, it’s assumed that LaRusso passes from 15 to 16 over the course of the film. Also, it is worth noting that Pat Morita, who earned an Academy Award nod as Daniel’s mentor, Mr. Miyagi, played even farther above his age than Macchio played below. Morita was born in 1932, and therefore would have been but 13 at the time the Manzanar Internment Camp closed, hardly of an age to have a wife and son who could have perished in the same camp while he was off fighting in WWII, as his character did.

4. Six Years – Colin Hanks at 24 as Sean Brumder, presumably 18, in Orange County (2002

5. Seven Years – Joseph Gordon-Leavitt at 25 as Brendan Frye, presumably 18, in Brick (2006)

Brick was not the first instance of JGL appearing as a teen even though he’s an adult. Among the more notorious – or notoriously shocking roles – was as the sexually-compulsive Neil in The Mysterious Skin.

6. Seven Years – Alyson Hannigan at 25 as Michelle Flaherty, presumably 18, in American Pie (1999)

Like Revenge of the Nerds, nobody played their age inAmerican Pie, with Jason Biggs being three years older than his character, Sean William Scott five older than his, and Shannon Elizabeth a whopping eight.

7. Seven Years – Judge Reinhold at 25 as Brad Hamilton, presumably 18, inFast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Isn’t it sad to think that if anybody remembers poor Judge Reinhold at all it is because of the scene in this movie where he masturbates while fantasizing about Phoebe Cates coming out of the pool? It’s kind of like Ned Beatty trying to live down the fact that he’s got a ‘purty mouth’ and squeals convincingly like a pig.

8. Seven Years – Michael J. Fox at 24 as Marty McFly, 17, in Back To The Future (1985)

When I made this list I tried to base the gap between character and actor on the age of the actor at the time the film was released and ignored sequels. This was dubbed – by me – the ‘McFly Rule.’ This rule was necesary because in the case of the Back To The Future series, the character of Marty McFly technically ages but a day throughout the series while the actor playing him, Michael J. Fox, added five and fairness dictated leaving the sequels out.

9. Eight Years – Parminder K. Nagra at 26 as Jess Bhamra, 18, inBend it Like Beckham(2002)

10. Eight Years – Sissy Spacek at 23 as Holly, 15, in Badlands (1973)

11. Nine Years – Sissy Spacek at 26 as Carrie White, 17, in Carrie(1976)

Note that Carrie is another example of all the teens in a movie being played by adults. P.J. Soles was approximately eight years older than her character, Norma, as was Nancy Allen as Sue; William Katt and Edie McClurg were approximately seven years older than their characters and Amy Irving five. Of the principle cast, John Travolta was the closest in age to his character as he was a mere four years older than Billy Nolan, the procurer of the pig’s blood.

12. Nine Years – Denise Richards at 27 as Kelly Van Ryan, presumably 18, in Wild Things (1998)

It’s interesting to note that the woman who played Richards’ mother in the film, Theresa Russell, is but 14 years older than Richards.

13. Ten Years – Jennifer Grey at 27 as Baby, 17, in Dirty Dancing(1987)

We learn in the movie that ‘nobody puts Baby in a corner,’ but only now do I realize it’s because Baby was closing in on thirty and probably too old for standing in a corner anymore.

14. Ten Years – P.J. Soles at 28 as Lynda Van Der Klok, presumably 18, inHalloween (1978)

In this film P.J. proved the rule that if you show your goodies or have sex in a horror film, you’re sure to die.

15. Eleven Years – Alan Ruck at 29 as Cameron Frye, presumably 18, inFerris Bueller’s Day Off(1986)

16. Twelve Years – Robert Carradine at 30 as Lewis Skolnick, presumably 18, inRevenge of the Nerds (1984)

See the note about ROTN under Number 1, about Anthony Edwards.

Honorable Mention

Negative Three Years – Laurence Fishburne at 14/15 as Mr. Clean, 17, inApocalypse Now (1979)

I wanted to include Laurence Fishburne here as some sort of honorable mention because while he didn’t play a teen as an adult, he did play a teen as a teen, though, as he was 14/15 at the time his scenes were filmed in Apocalypse Now, he was as much as three years younger than his 17 year-old-character. I thought that accounted for something, even though by the time the was released in 1979, Fishburne had exceeded his characters age. And life span.

Special Grand Champion Award

Grease (1978)

Assuming that everyone in the movie Grease playing a high school kid was playing a senior, at therefore 18 years old, then the cast of Grease is the Grand Campion of all at adults playing teens. All told the principle cast of Grease is 100 years older than the characters they played, or an average of 9.1 years.