10 Actors Too Young For The Roles They Played

There’s any number of reasons an actor might play a part far older than they are. Sometimes a film stretches decades and a young actor in one scene must be made up to look older in another.

Sometimes the waifish wide-eyed innocent look the director physically wants doesn’t line-up with the life-experience necessary to have gotten the character where they are when the story starts. Other times, two high-powered big-name actors are hired without taking into account the age gap, or lack thereof, between them.

Whatever the reason, Hollywood often casts young to play old. From actors that are too young to be parents, wives or love-interests: here are some of the oddest and most memorable times an actor aged-up.

Superman Returns (2006) takes place five-years after Superman has seemingly abandoned Earth. His old flame, Louis Lane, is still working as a journalist and has received a Pulitzer-prize for an article she wrote entitled, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”

Talk about a sharp public critique of your ex. Being an award-winning world-renowned journalist takes some savvy grit, skill, determination, and let’s be honest…time.

Kate Bosworth was only 22 when she played the part, and she looks it. She appears nearly as baby-faced as her on-screen five-year-old son. Yes, she is also supposed to be old enough to be the mother of a five-year old. While Lois Lane’s exact age isn’t given, it clearly isn’t the films intention to imply Superman banged a 16-year old writing prodigy.