History Main / DawsonCasting

[[caption-width-right:350:Nobody understands the teenage mind better than an adult actor. [[note]]From left to right: Creator/NicholasBrendon as Xander, Creator/SarahMichelleGellar as Buffy, Creator/CharismaCarpenter as Cordelia, and Creator/AlysonHannigan as Willow. Not numbered, and playing his actual age: 42-year-old Creator/AnthonyStewartHead as middle-aged Giles.[[/note]]]]

Another important reason for this trope to exist is the over-reliance of teenage TV shows and movies on sex scenes and fanservice. It's a lot less troubling and embarrassing (not to mention legal) to ask a legally adult actor to get naked and film a sex scene rather than ask a minor to do the same. One of the only example of movies breaking this trope was American Beauty: the film has a scene with actress Creator/ThoraBirch topless. Since she was 17 years old at the time she made the film and thus classified as a minor in the United States, her parents had to approve her brief topless scene in the movie, and they and child labor representatives were on the set for the shooting of it. Now you can imagine why producers would rather cast adult actors and save themselves all this trouble.

Dawson casting tends to work better with females than with males with a few exceptions. Generally, girls can keep a very similar facial structure and vocal range even after going through puberty, whereas boys tend to have a significantly deepened voice, more defined musculature, and some faintly visible stubble marks even if thoroughly shaved. Therefore, it's ''much'' easier for an actress in her 20's to pass herself off as a teenager than a male actor that age. For example, look at 18-year-old Austin St. John, playing a high school freshman on ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerrangersfanon/images/1/16/Jasonmmprfanonprwiki.png/revision/latest?cb=20140726230131 It does not look right.]] Now look at 22-year-old Creator/AmyJoJohnson, playing a high school freshman on the same show. [[http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/22800000/amy-jo-johson-amy-jo-johnson-22845809-1024-768.jpg The difference between the actress's age and the character's age is not as obvious here.]]

Another important reason for this trope to exist is the over-reliance of teenage TV shows and movies on sex scenes and fanservice. It's a lot less troubling and embarassing (not to mention legal) to ask a legally adult actor to get naked and film a sex scene rather than ask a minor to do the same. One of the only example of movies breaking this trope was American Beauty: the film has actress Thora Birch shows her naked boobs. Since she was barely 17 years old at the time she made the film and thus classified as a minor in the United States, her parents had to approve her brief topless scene in the movie, and they and child labor representatives were on the set for the shooting of it. Now you can imagine why producers would rather cast adult actors and save themselves all this trouble.

* In the author's notes of ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'', Tara Gilesbie suggested that [[Music/MyChemicalRomance Gerard Way]] (!) should play {{Draco|InLeatherPants}} in the next ''Film/HarryPotter'' film. Gerard was almost 30 at the time.

* [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] did a storyline where "Father" Wrestling/JamesMitchell claimed to be the father of Wrestling/{{Abyss}}...except taking into account their relative ages meant that Mitchell was only 9 when Abyss would have been born.

* Quite common with shows involving puppetry that have characters who represent children. The most notable example is Caroll Spinney playing the six-year-old Big Bird on ''Series/SesameStreet'' for 50 years. When he retired, he was 84, making him the oldest example of this trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'': While Malik, Zadie, and Zeke are 7, 6, and 4 respectively, their voice actors, Ian Ho, Mia [=SwamiNathan=], and Rain Janjua are in their pre-teens by the time the show started production. Janjua actually discussed this in a [[https://open.spotify.com/episode/021Of5flTYRcDX9Fq6LKBa?si=OiQlQgSxQuWe2PytWMnRoA&t=721&app_destination=copy-link podcast episode]]. 4-year-olds were unable to be cast as Zeke because they wouldn't be able to read their lines, so 9-year-old Janjua was chosen for the role.

* Both Kristen Vigard and Creator/AndreaMcArdle were 13 when they played the title role in the original 1977 production of ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', though this is more or less averted in some of the later productions, notably with Lilla Crawford who was around Annie's age in the 2012 revival.

Another important reason for this trope to exist is the over-reliance of teenage TV shows and movies on sex scenes and [[fanservice]]. It's a lot less troubling and embarassing (not to mention legal) to ask a legally adult actor to get naked and film a sex scene rather than ask a minor to do the same. One of the only example of movies breaking this trope was [[American Beauty]]: the film has actress Thora Birch shows her naked boobs. Since she was barely 17 years old at the time she made the film and thus classified as a minor in the United States, her parents had to approve her brief topless scene in the movie, and they and child labor representatives were on the set for the shooting of it. Now you can imagine why producers would rather cast adult actors and save themselves all this trouble.

* In ''Theatre/PokemonLive'', the characters are pre-teens. The actors... aren't. Kind of inevitable, really.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Anima]][[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 niacs]]'': While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are in their pre-teen years in the '90s series, they are in their teenage years in [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 the 2020 reboot]]. Creator/TressNacNeille (who voices Dot, the youngest at 13 years old) is five years older than Creator/RobPaulsen (who voices Yakko, the eldest) and twelve years older than Creator/JessHarnell (who voices Wakko, the middle child).

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Anima]][[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 niacs]]'': While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are in their pre-teen years in the '90s series, they are in their teenage years in [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 the 2020 reboot]]. Ironically, while Dot is the youngest in the group at 13-years old, Creator/TressMacNeille is five years older than Creator/RobPaulsen (oldest child Yakko) and twelve years older than Creator/JessHarnell (middle child Wakko).

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Anima]][[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 niacs]]'': While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are in their pre-teen years in the '90s series, they are in their teenage years in the [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 2020 reboot]]. Ironically, while Dot is the youngest in the group at 13-years old, Creator/TressMacNeille is five years older than Creator/RobPaulsen (oldest child Yakko) and twelve years older than Creator/JessHarnell (middle child Wakko).

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Anima]][[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 niacs]]'': While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are in their pre-teen years in the '90s series, they are in their teenage years in the 2020 reboot. Ironically, while Dot is the youngest in the group at 13-years old, Creator/TressMacNeille is five years older than Creator/RobPaulsen (oldest child Yakko) and twelve years older than Creator/JessHarnell (middle child Wakko).

* ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'': While Malik, Zadie, and Zeke are 7, 6, and 4 respectively, their voice actors, Ian Ho, Mia [=SwamiNathan=], and Rain Janjua are in their pre-teens by the time the show started production. Janjua actually discussed this in a [[https://open.spotify.com/episode/021Of5flTYRcDX9Fq6LKBa?si=OiQlQgSxQuWe2PytWMnRoA&t=721&app_destination=copy-link podcast episode]]. 4-year-olds were unable to be cast as Zeke because they wouldn't be able to read their lines, so 9-year-old Janjua was chosen for the role

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Anima]][[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 niacs]]'': While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are in their pre-teen years in the 90's series, and in their teenage years in the 2020 reboot. Ironically, while Dot is the youngest in the group at 13-years old, Tress [=MacNeille=] is five years older than Creator/RobPaulsen (Yakko) and twelve years older than Creator/JessHarnell (Wakko).