Alyssa Rubin ‘23, Commentary Staff Writer

It’s not uncommon to watch a show advertised for teenagers and set in a high school yet notice that the actor’s appearance may be significantly different from that of an actual teen. While they may be playing a 16-year-old, the actor or actress might actually be in their twenties or even thirties. Before dissecting why this may be problematic, it is important to understand why casting directors choose people who are clearly older, not to mention look older, to play teenagers. 

There are many technicalities that are considered when choosing an adult actor over a teenager or child. Firstly, most minors under 18 can only work for a certain amount of hours, which are highly monitored and restricted. Additionally, their schedules have to abide by their schooling programs, rest times, and meals. This ultimately makes it very difficult to have long shooting days, which is a common practice among most production sets. Secondly, actors under 16 years old need a guardian on set, which makes scheduling all the more difficult. Lastly, directors often cast actors who are older because they have more experience and may feel more comfortable shooting mature content. 

Many people may acknowledge that these actors are not playing characters their age, but don’t realize why it’s problematic and often overlooked. There appear to be two major reasons why casting adults as teens are problematic: body image and exaggerated behavior. 

When watching a show that is supposed to be a reflection of how teens act, look and relate to one another, it can often be jarring how different it is from reality. By having actors that are twenty years or older playing teenagers, there is a portrayal of teens that is not only unrealistic but also potentially harmful. It’s all too easy to see a gorgeous twenty-something-year-old on a Netflix show and wonder, why don’t I look like them? In reality, that stunning actor or actress with a perfect body and mature face is not an accurate representation of what a teenager actually looks like. Why? Because they’re not a teenager! Teenagers’ bodies are still maturing and developing, and it is an unrealistic standard to see someone out of puberty and compare them to yourself. Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and teen and family expert, says that “It can give the message that [teenagers are] supposed to look good all the time. [In reality], some days they’re thinner, they’re a little heavier, they have pimples, their hair is a little frizzy. It’s all ok.” When teens are constantly fed a standard of what they are supposed to look like, it’s so easy to believe it and ultimately feel insecure or ugly when they don’t meet that standard. In actuality, most teens don’t look like what the media suggests we should simply because the teens in the media are actually adults. Nevertheless, so many teens feel horrible about their faces and bodies because they don’t live up to a standard of perfection that is, at the end of the day, pretty much unattainable.

The second reason why casting adults as teenagers is questionable is that the media often exaggerates romantic and sexual behaviors, giving actual teens unrealistic expectations and perceptions of certain relationships. While these types of things surely happen in high school, they are often dramatized to make the plot more interesting. Usually, adult actors are hired because it feels less creepy for the viewer to watch them play out explicit content than minors, but there seems to be an underlying problem. If teenage characters are engaging in activities that can’t even be played by actual teenagers, is it realistic behavior? Nonetheless, these tropes are common, if not guaranteed, to be in most teenage shows, setting unrealistic expectations and potentially making some real teenagers feel like they’re missing out. Developmental phycology professor, Beth Daniels, emphasizes that this seems to have become more popular in recent years than in the past. She says “today, we see shows where it seems like the characters are not only sexually active, but having multiple partners. That is incredibly uncommon for teenagers.” The explicit behavior in teen shows can often make actual teens feel like they are not getting the “high school experience” or that they are abnormal. In reality, dramatizations of teenage behavior are simply dramatizations. They are often unrealistic but have genuine repercussions.

While many shows set in high school and have adult casts are great and actually consider how teenagers behave, it is important to take what you’re watching with a grain of salt. Not every TV show that caters to teens is a reflection of reality. Media, specifically media advertised for teens, is often very fun and can be relatable. It can be an escape from reality and a moment to relax, enjoy, and free yourself from the stressors around you. But when looking at highly exaggerated shows like Riverdale, Gossip Girl (2021), or 13 Reasons Why, it’s important to remember that the media sets unrealistic, often unattainable standards. Teenagers shouldn’t feel pressure to model themselves based on the fictitious representation of teens in the media.