The document discusses the unrealistic portrayal of teenagers in films and television by adult actors. It notes that while casting directors want teens to appear glamorous, the reality is often different. This is problematic as it can damage the self-esteem of real teenage viewers by creating unattainable standards of beauty and youth. While there are some practical reasons for using adult actors, such as their work hours, shows like Skins have proven it is possible to cast actual teens and still tell compelling stories that resonate with viewers. The author asks casting directors to represent teenagers more truthfully to avoid further harming their self-esteem.

1. Teenagers. What do you think of when you hear the
term? Personally, I picture awkward males with weird
facial hair and bitchy girls with hormonal problems
and acne.
Most casting directors and producers, however, want
us to be glamorous and sophisticated. We may not
all be spotty and nervous, but the Hollywood version
is definitely not the reality. That doesn’t stop them
miscasting: Rachel McAdams was 27 years old when
she was cast as the 16-year-old Regina in ‘Mean Girls’.
Alan Ruck was 29 years old when he played the
17-year-old Cameron in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’.
Adults playing adolescents is incredibly common. It’s
not only unrealistic; it is also damaging to teenagers at
home watching these inaccurate portrayals.
As an 18-year-old who has struggled with low
self-esteem most of her life, seeing actors aged 25+
playing characters who are meant to be my age fills
me with insecurity. Last year, I was the same age as
Regina from ‘Mean Girls’... Was I supposed to have her
curves, her silky hair, her flawless skin?
When I turn 27, am I supposed to look youthful
enough to pass for 16? Being confident these days
is hard enough – with ‘photoshopped’ models on
magazine covers and celebrities getting plastic
surgery. We teenagers already have a horrible notion
that we are imperfect and need to get rid of what
society considers to be flaws.
I can understand – to an extent – why adults are cast
to play teenagers. They can work longer hours – which
means scenes can be filmed more quickly. In the UK,
16-17-year-olds are only allowed to work eight hours
a day or 40 hours over the course of a week; adults
can work up to 48 hours. Adults don’t need to be in
full-time education, which means they have more
time to be on set and don’t have to stress about exams
and studying alongside their job.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cast actual
teenagers. One powerful example of doing this
successfully is the Channel 4 TV show ‘Skins’.
Run from 2007-2013 and set in Bristol, it follows
three groups of teenagers through sixth-form. They
experience the things that real teenagers experience:
homelessness, death, drug taking, binge drinking,
depression, feelings of suicide, pregnancy, exam
stress, same-sex relationships and cancer.
The relevance of these topics and convincing acting
made the show incredibly moving (the show was seen
as ‘raising the game’ of teen TV). I remember crying
when Jal found out she was pregnant, when Effy was
going through manic depression, and when Grace
died in a car accident. These scenes were wonderfully
written —but best of all, the actors were all around
the same age as their characters. Compare that to
the film ‘Grease’, for example: Stockard Channing was
34 when she was playing an 18-year-old high school
student. Her character, Rizzo deals with an unplanned
pregnancy — while Stockard was on her third
marriage at the time.
Of course, even the the scenes in ‘Skins’ don’t
necessarily reflect real life; one critic called the show
a “glossy fantasy” – pointing out, for example, that
parents never seemed to ask where their kids were
going. (Unlike some more realistic shows such as ‘The
Inbetweeners’, for example.) But, in my view, that’s
ok: this is TV drama, after all. A rather dramatic and
perhaps unlikely but gripping storyline is acceptable.
An actor who I could never identify with, on the other
hand, is not.
To all the casting directors and producers out there:
I can understand that older actors are more experi-
enced. But please represent us truthfully.
It is unrealistic for us to be played by fully grown
adults, and doing so just further damages our
self-esteem: which, to be honest, for some of us, is
pretty low already.
When I turn 27, am I
supposed to look youthful
enough to pass for 16?
The depiction of teens
in film & TV is far from
perfect says Jahan Jiwa
Teens on screen