When I was a child, I had various role models. From Spiderman to Marco from “Degrassi,” they taught me right from wrong, how to act in social situations and how to look. Unfortunately, movies and TV shows have a habit of “Dawson-casting” when it comes to actors. “Dawson-casting” is when the actors are significantly older than the characters they’re portraying, an act that the show “Dawson’s Creek” was well-known for. Jason Earles from “Hannah Montana” isn’t the only offender as he played a tenth grader at the age of 29. From “Glee” to “Grease,” mis-aged actors are more of a problem than one may think.
Alison Brie was 26 when she began playing Annie Edison from “Community.” They claimed the character was 19 at the beginning of the series. No amount of good acting could have convinced me of that fact. As a 19-year-old, I could tell that was a lie. The actor was obviously way older than me. That ain’t a high schooler. It was at this moment I realized that Dawson-casting has been messing with me for a majority of my life. I’d see 27-year-olds and believe that’s what a 19-year-old should look like. Here’s looking at you, Cameron from “Ferris Bueller” (who was 30 around the time of filming).
Dawson-casting can lower a child’s self image just as badly as a Photoshopped model. Studies have shown exactly how influential the media is on children. Yes, they’ve cast “young-looking actors” for some roles. Bianca Lawson, age 35, is an actress who’s been playing high-schoolers for 20 years. However, “The Amazing Spiderman”’s Andrew Garfield and his incredibly modelesque features are rarely seen on the average American high schooler. Casting like this further perpetuates a skewed view on how old “kids these days” are “supposed” to look. As if growing up wasn’t hard enough without the expectation of hunky 15-year-olds running around your public high school.
Not only does it cause a warped body image, but Dawson-casting also steals from the full effect of a film. Katniss Everdeen is 16 yet the actress is 23. Jennifer Lawrence might be “young enough,” but mis-aging her actress subsequently caused the full intensity of the book to be lost. “Hunger Games” is about kids killing kids, an important element that illustrates just how perverse the government is. The movie would only gain if they had used younger actors. It’d be more intense and emotional for movie-goers while remaining PG-13. “Lord of the Flies” (1990) grasped that concept and created a beautifully disturbing film that still gets referenced for its great casting. Basically, if the story revolves around kids, then you should probably get actors that actually look like kids.
“Degrassi: The Next Generation” does it right. They’re more relatable as characters, which helps get important points across to its adolescent audience. Seeing characters who represent your age group is probably one of the best ways to reach an audience. Maybe we can take a hint from the show and apply it to the rest of our media. It’d be great if more child actors could be hired. At minimum, actors should be able to pass for the age they’re portraying. Adults aren’t being fooled, but the kids are being deceived. It’s time to grow up, Hollywood.
