It is true that actors and actresses often play roles that are younger or older than them. Due to their age, the actors sometimes turned down major movie roles. However, some actor age so well that they look much younger than they really are. Even at the age of 30, these actors can easily portray a high-school student.
However, some actors' looks don't match the appearance of their characters, they cannot hide the signs of aging. Even makeup artists are not able to make actors look identical to the characters they play.
If you are curious about how the famous movie characters would look if the actor were exactly the same age as they were in the original work, keep scrolling down to see.
#1 Zendaya playing Chani in Dune (2021)
Source: Warner Bros/ Courtesy Ever Collection
In the original Dune novels, the events of Dune took place in 10191, whereas Chani was born in 10178. Therefore, Chani was around 13 in the first novel. In the Dune movie (2021 Netflix), Zendaya played the role of Chani when she was 25.
#2 Emma Stone playing Cruella in Cruella (2021)
Source: Disney+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Cruella is a 2021 American crime comedy film based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. In the movie, Stone played Cruella de Vil at the age of 20-23. In fact, Stone’s real age was 33 years old at the same time.
#3 Lily Collins playing Rosie Dunne in Love, Rosie (2014)
Source: Courtesy Everett Collection
In 2014, Collins starred as Rosie Dunne in the film adaptation of Love, Rosie, alongside Sam Claflin, written by Cecelia Ahern. The character she played was a 17-year-old girl while the real actress’s age was 25.
#4 Saoirse Ronan playing Jo March in Little Women (2019)
Source: Wilson Webb / Capital Pictures
Another film version of the story of the close-knit March family was released in 2019. Jo, one of the major characters, has a fiery temper and a stubborn personality. Saoirse Ronan who played Josephine was ten years older than her character.
#5 Julia Roberts playing Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love (2010)
Source: face to face / Reporter
In 2010, Julia Roberts starred as an author finding herself following a divorce in the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love. Eat Pray Love had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role. During the production, she embodied a 43-year-old woman was 43.
#6 Patrick Swayze playing Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing (1987)
Source: Artisan Entertainment Courtesy Everett Collection
When “Dirty Dancing” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1987, Patrick Swayze was 35 years old and was best known for portraying Johnny Castle at the age of 25. Although Patrick Swayze was 10 years older, he conquered the hearts of thousands of girls at that time.
#7 Armie Hammer playing Oliver in Call me by your name (2017)
Source: Capital Pictures
In “Call me by your name”, Armie Hammer played Oliver, a 24-year-old graduate student who comes to his professor’s country house to work on his academic paperwork. When portraying this character, Armie Hammer was 31.
#8 Carey Mulligan playing Edith Pretty in The Dig (2021)
Source: Capital Pictures
In the new film The Dig, Carey Mulligan, the 35-year-old screen star, played 56-year-old landowner Edith Pretty – a role originally intended for Nicole Kidman. Due to the age gap between Carey Mulligan and the character she playing, the movie met with criticism.
#9 Mia Wasikowska playing Alice in Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Source: East News
Wasikowska was cast as the eponymous heroine in Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland, alongside Johnny Deep and Anne Hathaway. She portrayed a 7-year-old girl who got lost in Wonderland. During the production, the actress is 21 years old.
#10 Danielle Macdonald playing Willowdean Dumplin’ (2018)
Source: Wiese / FaceToFace / REPORTER
Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress, known for her role as Willowdean Dickson in “Dumplin” (2018). In the movie, the actress embodied an overweight teenage daughter of a former beauty queen when being 27 years old.
#11 Matt Damon playing Scott Thorson in Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Source: East News
Matt Damon has always been known for his ability to completely immerse himself in his roles. In 2013, he portrayed 18-year-old Scott Thorson, an animal trainer for films in “Behind the Candelabra”. It was surprising that Matt Damon played the character at the age of 43.
