The actors who were DECADES older than their characters
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Olivia Newton-John, who on Monday aged 73, reportedly worried she was ‘too old’ to play the part of high school student Sandy Olsson in 1983 movie musical Grease.
But the actress, who was 29 when she was cast as the fresh-faced teenager, is far from the only star to have played a much younger character on screen.
Her Grease co-star Stockard Channing was 34 when she played fellow Pink Lady and Sandy’s frenemy Rizzo.
Olivia Newton-John, who on Monday aged 73, reportedly worried she was ‘too old’ to play the part of high school student Sandy Olsson in 1983 movie musical Grease. But the actress, who was 29 when she was cast, is far from the only star to have played a much younger character
Barbara Streisand was in her 40s when she was cast as the 19-year-old titular character in 1983 film Yentl, while British actress Shirley Henderson was in her late 30s when she first appeared as 14-year-old ghost schoolgirl Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter series.
Some turns are more successful than others. Viewers were amazed when they learned Irish actress Nicola Coughlan, who plays a teenager in both Bridgerton and Derry Girls, is in her 30s.
But The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder, who was 31 when the series started, never quite passed for a 17-year-old.
Here, FEMAIL reveals the other actors who’ve played much younger characters with varying degrees of success…
Stockard Channing in Grease (1978)
Age: 34, playing 17-year-old Pink Lady Rizzo
Grease star Olivia Newton-John was worried about being too ‘old’ to play high schooler Sandy, but she wasn’t the only one playing younger. Stockard Channing (right in 2017) was 34 when she played 17-year-old Rizzo (left in character), the queen of the Pink Ladies
Shirley Henderson in Harry Potter
Age: The actress was 36 when she first played ghost schoolgirl Moaning Myrtle, 14
The Harry Potter film series was packed with child talent – but not every Hogwarts student was played by a young star. Actress Shirley Henderson, also known for Bridget Jones, was 36 when she first played 14-year-old ghost Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. By the time she filmed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Henderson was 40
Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Age: Dame Emma, then 35, was cast as 19-year-old Elinor Dashwood
Acting great Dame Emma Thompson (right in June) made her name in a string of period dramas, including Sense and Sensibility (left). The actress was 35 when she was cast in the role of 19-year-old Elinor Dashwood
Nicola Coughlan in Bridgerton and Derry Girls
Age: Nicola was 33 when she first played Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton. She also appears as a teenage schoolgirl in Derry Girls
Fresh-faced Irish actress Nicola Coughlan, 35, has played teenagers in two high profile TV roles: schoolgirl Clare in Derry Girls (right) and Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton (left). She was 33 when she first played Penelope, then 17, while Clare was even younger
Ian Somerhalder in The Vampire Diaries
Age: The actor played vampire Damon Salvatore, 17, from the ages of 31-38
Teen heartthrob Ian Ian Somerhalder was 31 when he first appeared on screen as 17-year-old vampire Damon Salvatore (left) in The Vampire Diaries. The supernatural character never aged but Somerhalder did: the actor (right in 2020) was 38 by the time the TV series came to an end
Stacey Dash in Clueless (1995)
Age: 28 when she was cast as Dionne Davenport, 17
Stacey Dash was a 28-year-old mother-of-one when she was cast as 17-year-old Dionne Davenport in the teen classic Clueless opposite Alicia Silverstone, who was just 18
Wood Harris in Remember the Titans (2000)
Age: Harris was 31, playing 18-year-old high schooler Julius Campbell
Actor Wood Harris played real-life football player Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans. Julius was in high school and preparing for the state championships, while the actor was 31
Henry Winkler in Happy Days
Age: Winkler was 29 when he first played teenager The Fonz
When Happy Days first premiered in 1974, Fonzie, or The Fonz, was a minor character but quickly became the star of the show after proving a hit with viewers. Fans are divided over how old the character is at the start of the series, putting him anywhere from 18 to his early 20s. In any case he was much younger than actor Henry Winkler, who was 29 when he was cast
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Age: Hepburn was 32 when she played 19-year-old Holly Golightly
Truman Capote’s creation of Holly Golightly is depicted as being an 18 or 19-year-old girl. She was portrayed in the classic 1961 film adaptation by Audrey Hepburn, who was 31 at the time
Cory Monteith in Glee
Age: The late actor was 27 when he was cast as Finn, 16
The late Canadian actor Cory Monteith, who died in 2013, was 27 when he was cast as 16-year-old Finn in high school musical series Glee – just slightly younger than Matthew Morrison, who portrayed glee club director William Schuester. His co-star Lea Michele was 22 in series one
Barbara Streisand in Yentl (1983)
Age: Barbara was 44, playing titular character Yentl Mendel, 19
Despite her youthful appearance on screen as Yentl Mendel, Barbara Streisand was far older than her 19-year-old character. The mega star was 44 when she was cast in the 1983 film