MovieChat Forums > These Girls (2007) Discussion > Why are 24 - 27 year olds cast as High S...

Why are 24 - 27 year olds cast as High School students?

posted 19 years ago by Sard_O_Niks
14 replies | jump to latest

If you look at the girls cast, Caroline Dhavernas was 27 when the movie came out. Amanda Walsh was 24. I don't know about any of you, but there was no one that age who was just graduating where I went to HS.

These movies would be more believable (just a touch) if casting agents would stop sending what should be graduate students (i.e. looking for a Master's or a Ph. D.) to calls for High School students. People graduate from HS at the age of 17-19, on average, and even a 24-year-old cast as a just-graduated-high-school student is ridiculous.

[–] Ajm_mmc 19 years ago

They couldn't have cast a 17-year-old in the role because the movie contains some nudity and the producers would have been charged with child-pornography.
Also, casting directors almost always cast actors who are older than thier parts because they want someone who has more experience. I thought all the actors looked like teenagers, though, even if they really were in their mid-20's.

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[–] stranger86 19 years ago

Please! the actors looked old and it was a bit ridiculous. It did not bother me that much but still...none of them looked like teenagers.

[–] candyxcoreaple1 13 years ago

I thought they looked like teenagers and I am a teenager.

[–] Krush_Varrok 17 years ago

>They couldn't have cast a 17-year-old in the role because the movie contains
>some nudity and the producers would have been charged with child-pornography.

Wrong. There are Canadian movies with nude scenes done by 17 year olds. Not really relevant here(they could've used 18-19 year olds), but sheesh, people are so misinformed...

I did notice a lot of characters are younger than their actors, even when they're not really young. It's annoying...

[–] candyxcoreaple1 13 years ago

I am pretty sure that sense it was surrounded around sex they wanted someone who wasn't a child or young adult but rather someone who was experienced and could play the role. Not to mention I'm sure people would have been mad that these actors had to get so intimate with the main male lead if they were in their younger years.

[–] WileyDairyGnome 13 years ago

Sooo they couldn't cast 18 year olds? On Skins there's tons of nudity but they just make sure to cast actors who are at least 18. They look the part and no child porno :D

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[–] heavensblade11 18 years ago

The reason is due to child labor laws. Minors have a limit to how many hours a day they can work. Hiring minors would extend the length of the shooting thus cost a lot more in shooting and production costs. With make up on, the girls easily passed for high school students, when you said that Caroline Dhavernas was 27 I did a double take, she looks like a 20 year old to me, but thats probably the makeup.

[–] ndahzone 17 years ago

No, Caroline definitely has a bit of a baby face. It's odd because she doesn't look any older now than she did in "Edge of Madness," which was made 5 or 6 years ago. When she was in "Wonderfalls," I had trouble believing she was a 24-year-old college grad even though in real life, she was already 25. She looks perpetually 18.

The other two...well, Amanda Walsh definitely didn't look like a teenager (I would've guessed 25), so that was a stretch for me. Holly Lewis was alright. She played up the awkwardness of her character well enough that I wasn't paying attention to her age.

[–] angellduvall 17 years ago

You make it sound as if this is the only time its been done. Its been going on and it'll still be going on for years to come. Get over it.

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[–] The_Rockette 17 years ago

I can see both point of views in this case and I agree with both. I am also annoyed when I see adults playing high school students. I look at the kids in my year 12 grade and none of them look like fully grown 27 yr olds haha, if anything they look younger than their age!
But then again, it would be a bit controversial (I'm not completely sure on the laws so I won't mention those here) for them to use girls who are of that age for obvious under age reasons, and because they want more experience.

IMO they should meet half way and perhaps use the 18-20 to portray teenagers. That way they would meet the laws AND have the over the minor age of working and have actors/actresses that at least look the right age without all the make up they stack on.

That's just my view though, so yeah. I dunno lol.

[–] angellduvall 17 years ago

I agree with you as well to some extent. I've seen movies that have these voluptuous WOMEN in them that couldn't possibly be in their teens and then again I went to a school with some pretty voluptuous girls so I have mixed feelings. Hollywood tends to state that they wouldn't get just as good a performance out of their younger actors than older ones, but I disagree to an extent. At least the performances would be honest instead of forced which seems to be the case at times. "Love Don't Cost A Thing" and "ATL" are some prime examples, and the only girls I would've believed were in their teen years were Christina Milian and Lauren London, respectively in the order of the movies I mentioned.

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[–] EverythingIsRen 17 years ago

In addition to the child labor laws mentioned, people in their 20s are generally more attractive than teenagers. Real teenagers are really awkward looking, and Hollywood is all about being attractive.

[–] darkosilencIO 17 years ago

Well, in my opinion the boys in this movie look like high schoolers. Girls can look more mature even when they are minors. That's why it's been going on like this for decades. I guess they generally need to cast guys who look very young, not like Joshua Jackson and James Van Der Beek in "Dawson's Creek", who are meant to play high school boys while they are like, almost 30, married and with kids. That is quite ridiculous.

[–] archimedesowl182 16 years ago

also you have to take into consideration would they 40 year old actor really want to make out with a 17 or 18 year old, i think it would creep them out...hopefully anyway.