History Main / UnderageCasting

** Creator/SeanConnery plays Dr. Henry Jones, Sr., father of Henry Jones, Jr., or Indiana Jones, who is played by Creator/HarrisonFord. However, is only 12 years older than Ford (Connery was born in 1930, Ford in 1942), even if his baldness and white beard disguises it well.

* ''Film/BatmanForever'': Creator/NicoleKidman was 27 when she played Dr Chase Meridan and looked younger at times. She's far too young to be a renowned criminal psychologist who consults with the police; realistically she probably wouldn't have finished her [=PhD=] yet, plus it takes around a decade or more to become a qualified clinical psychologist, so it's highly unlikely she'd have her own practice or be experienced enough to be considered an expert in her field. Originally, Creator/ReneRusso was cast as Chase; at 39/40, her age was far more fitting for the character, but Russo got booted for being "too old".

* Any incarnation of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn really counts, since she's always presented as a very young (or at least, childlike in manner and appearance) character, despite the fact that she held an M.D., specialised in psychiatry, and was experienced enough to be allowed to spend time alone with highly dangerous patients - meaning that she would presumably be in her mid-thirties at the youngest by the time she became ComicBook/TheJoker's moll, and she was by his side for at least a few years. The version of her in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' has to take the cake, though, as she is played by the 25-year-old Creator/MargotRobbie, who in real life would be ''just about'' finishing med school and choosing her specialty at that age, and wouldn't be let loose unsupervised on a prisoner of the Joker's calibre for years to come. And unlike some other professions on this list, psychiatry is one that is very difficult for "teen genius" types to get into early, since it requires not just raw intelligence but rigorous demonstrations of mental and emotional maturity. One depiction tried to explain away her getting to where she is with the excuse that [[SextraCredit she slept with her professor for good grades]]. "Extra credit" may explain ''one'' professor, but not the entire psychiatry program.

* ''Film/TheRoom'': Johnny's fiance Lisa is implied to be at least in her late twenties, since they've been together for seven years, but Juliette Danielle was twenty-two at the time of filming next to Creator/TommyWiseau in his late forties. This is apparently a result of the original actress for Lisa dropping out, and Juliette Danielle (who'd been cast as Michelle) getting bumped up.

* In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy has a [=PhD=] and a career as a botanist, meaning she would be in her late 20s at the youngest but is most likely in her 30s, and her comments toward Robin suggest that she sees him as the proverbial Younger Man. Creator/UmaThurman was only 26 during filming; she was still older than Chris O'Donnell (Robin)...by about two months.
* Creator/KatieHolmes played an assistant district attorney in ''Film/BatmanBegins'' despite being 26 years old and looking to be about 23. If Rachel Dawes had gone to law school straight out of college, she'd have graduated at 24 or 25. It's unlikely given her youth and inexperience that she'd be handling cases--especially major, high-profile ones--on her own.
* Creator/NicoleKidman was 27 when she played Dr Chase Meridian in ''Film/BatmanForever'' and looked younger at times. She's far too young to be a renowned criminal psychologist who consults with the police; realistically she probably wouldn't have finished her [=PhD=] yet, plus it takes around a decade or more to become a qualified clinical psychologist, so it's highly unlikely she'd have her own practice or be experienced enough to be considered an expert in her field. Originally, Creator/ReneRusso was cast as Chase; at 39/40, her age was far more fitting for the character, but Russo got booted for being "too old" next to Creator/ValKilmer (he's only five years younger).

* In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy has a [=PhD=] and a career as a botanist, meaning she would be in her late 20s at the youngest but is most likely in her 30s, and her comments toward Robin suggest that she sees him as the proverbial Younger Man. Creator/UmaThurman was only 26 during filming, and while she was still older than Chris O'Donnell (Robin), it was by a whopping two months.

* Ultimately inverted by ''Film/AllTheMoneyInTheWorld'', where the 80-year-old J. Paul Getty was originally going to be portrayed by 58-year-old Creator/KevinSpacey, disguised with aging makeup... until [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Spacey's sexual scandals erased him from the movie]], [[TheOtherMarty and replace him with]] Creator/ChristopherPlummer, whose age of 88 was five years higher than Getty's whole lifespan!

* Creator/AngelaLansbury was only three years older than the actor playing her son in the original ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate''.

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Alicia Hannah-Kim played Kim Da-Eun is around 40s and Hannah-Kim is 35 when season 5 is aired.

** ''Suicide Squad'' also has examples in the couple Rick Flagg and June Moone (aka the Enchantress) - the former is a colonel, a rank probably expected for someone older than 36-year-old Creator/JoelKinnaman; the latter is referred to as "Doctor", meaning she has spent at least a decade studying to get a Ph.D in archaeology, and yet her actress, Creator/CaraDelevingne, was only 23.

* Ultimately inverted by ''Film/AllTheMoneyInTheWorld'', where the 80-year-old J. Paul Getty was originally going to be portrayed by 58-year-old Creator/KevinSpacey, disguised with aging makeup... until [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Spacey's sexual scandals erased him from the movie]], and a replacement by Creator/ChristopherPlummer, whose age of 88 was five years higher than Getty's whole lifespan!

* ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'': Based on flashbacks in season 3 of ''Series/CobraKai'', Terry Silver is meant to be a Vietnam War veteran about the same age as John Kreese. Thomas Ian Griffith was 25 at the time of filming, and four months younger than Creator/RalphMacchio, who is playing an 18-year-old Daniel [=LaRusso=]. This would extend to season 4 of ''Series/CobraKai'' when Griffith reprised his role as Silver, though there his [[SilverFox silver hair]] combined with Macchio's still [[OlderThanTheyLook relatively youthful looking face]] means Silver does look closer in age to Kreese (75-year-old Martin Kove) than to Daniel (59-year-old Macchio). To cap things off, Nick Marini, who played young Terry Silver in the Vietnam flashbacks in season 3, was older at the time of recording that than Griffith was during the filming of ''The Karate Kid III''

* The fictional Prime Minister Michael Callow in the first episode of ''Series/BlackMirror'' was played by Rory Kinnear, 33 at the time. Not as improbable as some other examples, but the youngest British Prime Minister in the last century was 44 when he assumed office.

* Part of the TragicBackstory of ''Series/StrikeBack'''s Colonel Alexander Coltrane is an especially traumatic mission in the Balkans in 1992. He explicitly stated that he was a lieutenant, but at that time, his portrayer, Creator/JamieBamber, would have been only 19 and couldn't possibly have been ranked that high.

** The latest film in the series ''Film/JasonBourne'' has this problem as well, with 27-year old Creator/AliciaVikander playing a high-ranking CIA official, who concludes the film angling for an even ''higher'' position.

* ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'': Based on flashbacks in season 3 of ''Series/CobraKai'', Terry Silver is meant to be a Vietnam War veteran about the same age as John Kreese. Thomas Ian Griffith was 25 at the time of filming, and four months younger than Creator/RalphMacchio, who is playing an 18 year old Daniel [=LaRusso=]. This would extend to season 4 of ''Series/CobraKai'' when Griffith reprised his role as Silver, though there his [[SilverFox silver hair]] combined with Macchio's still [[OlderThanTheyLook relatively youthful looking face]] means Silver does look closer in age to Kreese (75 year old Martin Kove) than to Daniel (59 year old Macchio). To cap things off, Nick Marini, who played young Terry Silver in the Vietnam flashbacks in season 3, was older at the time of recording that than Griffith was during the filming of ''The Karate Kid III''

* Creator/BlakeLively was 23 when she was cast as Carol Ferris in ''Film/GreenLantern2011'', yet several lines imply she's the same age as Hal Jordan (played by 35-years-old Creator/RyanReynolds) and Hector Hammond (39-years-old Creator/PeterSarsgaard), the latter of whom was a professor.

%%* In ''Film/HouseOfGucci'', 35 year old Music/LadyGaga and 37 year old Creator/AdamDriver played a 47 year old Patrizia Reggiani and 46 year old Maurizio Gucci, respectively.

* ''Film/{{Eiffel}}'' has Creator/RomainDuris, then-46, as the 55-57 year old Gustave Eiffel. Also, RealLife Adrienne Bourgès was around 18 in 1858 when she met Eiffel, which would make her 47-49 in 1887-1889. She was played by 24 year old Creator/EmmaMackey in the latter years in the film.

* In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy has a [=PhD=] and a career as a botanist, meaning she would be in her late 20's at the youngest but is most likely in her 30's, and her comments toward Robin suggest that she sees him as the proverbial Younger Man. Creator/UmaThurman was only 26 during filming, and while she was still older than Chris O'Donnell (Robin), it was by a whopping two months.

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Alicia Hannah-Kim played Kim Da-Eun is around 40's and Hannah-Kim is 35 when season 5 is aired.

** ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' was much mocked for having its main BondGirl, Dr. Christmas Jones, played by then 28-year-old Creator/DeniseRichards and looking even younger, be supposedly a world-renowned nuclear physicist. What makes it stand out even more is that another (male) nuclear physicist who was working for the bad guys was clearly in his fifties.

* In ''Film/HouseOfGucci'', 35 year old Music/LadyGaga and 37 year old Creator/AdamDriver played a 47 year old Patrizia Reggiani and 46 year old Maurizio Gucci, respectively.

* In ''Film/FantasticBeasts'', protagonist Newt, played by Creator/EddieRedmayne, is nine years younger than his brother Theseus. The actor who plays Theseus, Callum Turner, is eight years younger than Redmayne.

* ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' introduces Yelena Belova, played by Creator/FlorencePugh. [[AMinorKidroduction The opening scene with child versions of Yelena and title character Natasha]] posing as the daughters of a couple of {{Deep Cover Agent}}s is set in 1995, the year before Pugh was born.

* Creator/GillianAnderson was cast as Dana Scully on ''Series/TheXFiles'' at 24, though she lied and said she was 27 to make her seem more believable as an FBI agent with a medical degree; her character is 28 at the start of the series. A combination of UnderAgeCasting and ImprobableAge for the character make for noticeable dissonance. Scully is a teacher at Quantico and a forensic pathologist, a career which requires 13-15 years of education. This is in addition to the two years she is stated to have been with the FBI in the pilot. Scully ''should'' be at least in her mid-30s in the pilot.

* The majority of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' teams are high school students (played by 20-somethings), but the occasional season will have a team of rangers with other professions that require extensive training still played by the typical 18-25 actors they always have. Dana Mitchell of ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'' was a paramedic played by 20-year-old Allison [=McInnis=], who was then a full-fledged pediatrician the next year. Dana's younger brother Ryan played by Rhett Fisher is same age as [=McInnis=] and Captain Mitchell Dana and Ryan's father is played by Ron Rogee is only twelve years older. Similarly, by the time of ''Dino Thunder,'' Tommy Oliver (then-31-year-old-Creator/JasonDavidFrank) had finished college, gotten a Doctorate in Palaeontology, and developed the Dino Thunder technology, all in the six-year span since he graduated high school midway through ''Turbo.'' ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', Astronema/Karone is younger sister of Andros but Creator/MelodyPerkins is 4 years older than Christopher Khayman Lee. ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'', Mike Corbett is older brother of Leo Corbett but Mike actor Russell Laurence is 5 years younger than Leo actor Danny Slavin.

* ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop'': The [[Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII] third film in the series]] states Axl Foley to be in his early thirties. This lines up with Creator/EddieMurphy's age, but although Foley being a detective despite his wrecklessness and insubordination is [[RuleOfFunny the whole point]], his having been promoted that far in his early 20s is probably even less realistic.