Why do people always play someone younger on TV?

[manlymatt83]

I'm watching a movie. A girl is obviously late 20's/early 30's and is playing a 17 year old. The Saved by the Bell kids were in their early 20's when they were playing High Schoolers. Why do they always cast older people?

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Because most people in their high school stage just want to party, get drunk and do drugs.

 

[LTC8K6]

Harder to get younger people to play the parts well. Plus, if you hire a minor, you gotta' deal with the parents...

 

[anyusername]

Because there are few young actors who don't suck.

 

[JS80]

Because 17 year olds can't act. Acting actually takes, along with innate talent, a lot of skill you develop through experience. And by acting of course I mean good acting.

 

[IronWing]

Sex scenes

 

[BoomerD]

Too hard to find a young person who can act...If they had to rely solely on actors who were the approximate age of the characters they play, we'd see the same 5 or 6 actors/actresses in every show and movie.

 

[Crono]

High school aged kids are generally... in high school.

Fewer number of actors who are willing (or have willing parents) to act at younger ages. Plus, a lot of people take acting up only after high school or college.

And less trouble depicting sex scenes and the like if you have older actors.

EDIT: Good example of what you are talking about is The Vampire Diaries.

 

[nageov3t]

labor laws... working with kids is a PITA.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

watch some monster movies from the 50's. the high school kids were 40 or older.

 

[ProfJohn]

Actually the Saved by the Bell group were all in their teens when the show started.
The show ran for 5 years so the 15 year olds were all 20 when it finished.

You see the same thing with a lot of other shows. A 15 year old starts playing a 15 year old. The actor ages but the characters often do not or do so much slower.

 

[0roo0roo]

child labor is expensive.

 

[ShawnD1]

Harder to get younger people to play the parts well. Plus, if you hire a minor, you gotta' deal with the parents...

Dealing with their school would suck too. They'd run away from the set to go to school or whatever. A 21 year old playing a teen can film all day and night because he's not in school, and this is his full time job.

watch some monster movies from the 50's. the high school kids were 40 or older.

Back then, teens really did look 40. I remember looking at grad pictures on the wall of my high school, and guys in the 60s and 70s looked really really old when they graduated high school.