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crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2021-09-06 21:30:25

It has to really be outside of the normal for that to apply, due to things like Playing Gertrude and Dawson Casting being so common. What, specifically, are you thinking of?

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
GnomeTitan Since: Aug, 2013
2021-09-07 01:40:47

I can think of a concrete example from Lost Girl: Anna Silk, who played the protagonist, 28-year-old Bo, was 36 when the first season was filmed, and actually older than the actress playing her Supernaturally Young Parent. I'd say that when applied to the show, it's trivia, because it has no relevance to the show at all. In-universe, Bo is in her late twenties and looks the part.

If Anna consistently gets a lot of parts where she plays younger women, it could merit a place on her Creator page as well, but I just checked and there is no entry for Older Than They Look on the creator page, and none on the show's trivia page either. There are entries for Dawson Casting in both places, though.

Edited by GnomeTitan
crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2021-09-07 05:24:58

Bo is not Older Than They Look, which says "When the actor is older than the character they portray, it's Dawson Casting." Although I'm not sure 8 years is enough to count for that when the character is mid-twenties. Playing Gertrude applies to her character's mother, with the justification of being a Supernaturally Young Parent.

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
TVGuy2001 Since: Dec, 2020
2021-09-07 10:20:32

^^^ Well pretty much all the entires on Live-Action TV refer to the character looking younger than their stated age, and most of their actors look the same as their character, meaning no makeup, costumes, or visual editing was applied to differentiate the character physically from their actor. Here's one example on the former subpage:

  • 7th Heaven: Beverley Mitchell, who played middle daughter Lucy, was actually one year older than Jessica Biel, who played oldest daughter Mary. Biel was 14 and easily looked 16 or 17, while Mitchell was 15 and looked 10.

Edited by TVGuy2001
Reymma Since: Feb, 2015
2021-09-07 11:00:31

I wonder if it might be better to restrict unfitting-appearance tropes like Younger Than They Look to where it is plot-relevant (like a teenager buying alcohol by passing as an adult) or is commented upon by anyone in the show itself.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2021-09-07 11:07:09

^^ That is misuse; Lucy is younger than Mary, and Teens Are Short is how this is conveyed visually.

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
TVGuy2001 Since: Dec, 2020
2021-09-07 12:20:24

Yes but the entry is focused more on Lucy than anyone else, who had her age Retconned at the start of the series: Lucy's age was played around with a few times. She starts at 12, then celebrates her 13th birthday later in the season, only to be 14 at the start of season 2. Nevertheless, she looked 10 at the time.

Also, Mary was 14 at the start of the series, which would be the same age as Lucy by season 2 if not a year older (assuming Mary moved up to 15 during season 2), albeit one or two years older at the start. The only reason Mary and her actress Jessica Biel are mentioned is because Beverley Mitchell is a year older than Biel, which would give readers the impression that her character (Lucy) is also older than Mary (Biel), even though it's the other way around.

That said, could the entry perhaps be cut down to make it purely about Beverely Mitchell's character (Lucy) since a 15-year-old who looks like a preteen is definitely exemplar of Older Than They Look?

Edited by TVGuy2001
crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2021-09-07 13:26:42

but the entry is focused more on Lucy than anyone else
No, the example, as written, is about Beverley Mitchell, not Lucy. Bev is not a character in 7th Heaven.
who had her age Retconned at the start of the series
What you described is not a retcon. It is a demonstration of how "elastic" tv time is. A season of episodes is "about" a year for child-focused television shows. Have season 1 start in June and end in October, then have season 2 start in September and end in February, then you will have a Sept 1st birthday go through the exact same thing that you described of season 1 (12, then birthday) and starting season 2 (14).
Nevertheless, she looked 10 at the time.
You are either trying to say that Lucy was 12 and looked 10, or that she was 14 and looked 10. The trope is "this character will look noticeably younger than their age. Sometimes even improbably younger", not two or three years younger. If, at 14, she looked younger than her brother Simon, then we can consider it applying, but it isn't a slam-dunk example.
assuming Mary moved up to 15 during season 2
It aired a year later, so you should assume everyone is another year older.
Beverley Mitchell is a year older than Biel, which would give readers the impression that her character (Lucy) is also older than Mary (Biel),
That has nothing to do with OTTL or YTTL. Casting usually depends on talent much more than the actor's age. You want Playing Gertrude or Dawson Casting to express that incongruity (not that either should apply to a difference of two years).
15-year-old who looks like a preteen is definitely exemplar of Older Than They Look?
Are you trying to talk about Season 3 now? If Season 3 Lucy looks younger than S3 Ruthie, then that would be an acceptable example. If you mean Beverley Mitchell from Season 1 again, then you are conflating the actor with their character because Lucy is not 15.

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
GnomeTitan Since: Aug, 2013
2021-09-07 13:31:20

Replying to a post way upthread:

Samaritan: that was kind of my point, but maybe I expressed myself badly. What I meant was that Bo the character is not older than she looks. She’s 28 in-universe and looks that age. Anna Silk (the actor) was 36 and looked like 28, but as you write that’s Dawson Casting, and not a reason to put Older Than They Look on the series’ work page as a ”meta example” or whatever you’d call it.

Edited by GnomeTitan
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