Age is More Than a Number
Television has lied to me, and I am absolutely furious, flabbergasted, but unsurprised. I remember back in elementary school watching shows like Power Rangers where the main cast were all supposedly to be at high school age. At the time I believed that when I reached high school, I too would look Jason Lee Scott and patiently waited for a growth spurt that never came.
While the example I used is very anecdotal, there are tons of movies, TV shows, and even plays where younger teenage characters are portrayed by people who are definitely NOT young or close to teenage. Of course, I’m not saying that these actors do a bad job with portraying their characters or acting, but it certainly leaves me curious about the thought process of producers.
Have television producers even seen what a high schooler looks like? From my high school memories, high schoolers range on a scale from looking like middle schoolers to looking like college students. While they clearly understand the college student part, they seem to leave out the middle school part.
I get why they wouldn’t want to cast younger actors. Let’s face it, young actors have a tendency to end up in really bad situations and drama. However, I think there can be a middle ground here. Instead of casting 30-year-olds for 17, why not just cast 20-year-olds? There are plenty of recent college graduates who are looking for acting work. Maybe an opportunity like that would be a chance to become a bigger actor down the line.
Or maybe this entire article is just me complaining about being short. Who knows?
