Older actors playing a role meant for a younger one has been a trope in movies for ages. It's especially true when it comes to films set in a high school setting. Every popular television show has done it, from Dawson's Creek to Gossip Girl to Stranger Things. At times, it's simply unavoidable.

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In most cases, it's not that jarring either, and sometimes it's played for laughs like in 21 Jump Street. Some exceptions make the viewer raise their eyebrow. Even if many of the following performances were good, no one should be playing a character a decade younger than them.

10 Sissy Spacek Was Far Older Than A High School Senior Should Be In Carrie

Carrie White is crowned prom queen before the chaos in Brian De Palma's Carrie movie.

As the title character of the Stephen King classic, Carrie, Sissy Spacek was front and center of the film. At the time of the film, she was 29 years old, over a decade older than her character. It was noticeable in the movie, but Spacek's acting chops made sure it didn't detract from the movie.

She made the audience feel for the character of Carrie and pull for her even when she reached her breaking point. It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role all these years later.

9 Stockard Channing Was Old Enough To Be A Teacher In Grease

Stockard Channing leading the pink ladies grease

Grease is a classic movie, filled with great performances, namely from the two leads, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. An underrated character was Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies and played well by Stockard Channing.

There's only one problem, Channing was 33 years old when playing the role. Not only is that pushing it for a senior in high school, but it's old enough for her to be a teacher to all these kids. One could only imagine how scary she'd be if that had actually been her role in the film.

8 Alan Ruck's Baby Face Masked That He Was 30 In Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris and Cameron

Normally it's easy to spot when an adult is playing a teenage character, but that isn't the case with Alan Ruck's Cameron. He fit right in among his younger co-stars even though he was 30 years old at the time.

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Most of that can be chalked up to Ruck's babyface making him seem far younger than he was. It's a good thing too, as he was the perfect complement to Mathew Broderick's Ferris. The movie wouldn't be the same without him in the role.

7 Gabrielle Union Fit In As A Teenager In Bring It On & Has Barely Aged Since Then

Gabrielle union with her team in bring it on

Gabrielle Union played Isis, the rival to Kirsten Dunst's Torrance in Bring It On. The film is a surprisingly fun film that centers around cheerleading without getting completely taken over by cattiness like many female-led movies unfortunately have.

The bigger surprise is that Union was 28 at the time. Not only did she look younger than some of her co-stars, but she's also barely aged at all since it came out. It's almost like she stumbled on the fountain of youth and hasn't told anyone.

6 Kenny Wormald Was A Decade Older Than Ren McCormack In Footloose

Footloose remake 2011

A remake of Footloose wasn't necessary, but the film was surprisingly better than expected and may have had better dance numbers than the original. Both Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough had good chemistry with one another, making it easier to stomach the fact that Wormald was a decade older than his character.

Hough wasn't far behind either, both of them being far older than their respective characters. However, their dance numbers more than made up for that fact.

5 Ingrid Bergman Was Old Enough To Be The Mother To The Character She Was Playing In Joan Of Arc

Ingrid Bergman in joan of arc

It isn't just modern-day movies that try to place older actors into younger roles, hoping the audience doesn't notice. One of the most glaring examples is from the '40s, when 33-year-old Ingrid Bergman played the 14-year-old Joan in Joan of Arc.

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That age gap is massive, Ingrid being old enough to have been the mother of Joan. While it wasn't a big stigma back in the black and white era of films, it makes the movie difficult to enjoy now.

4 No Amount Of Quips Could Hide The Fact That Andrew Garfield Looked Nothing Like A High Schooler In Amazing Spider-Man

andrew-garfield-as-peter-parker-in-the-amazing spider-man Cropped (1)

There were a lot of things wrong with the short-lived Amazing Spider-Man movies, from having too many villains in the second movie to overreliance on CGI when it came to The Lizard in the first.

One thing that often gets glossed over is the fact Andrew Garfield looked nothing like a teenage boy. He didn't have the babyface to cover up for it, and Emma Stone wasn't much better in that regard either. It's a wonder why Spider-Man movies have always been so scared of having a more adult Peter Parker.

3 Vintage Outfits Helped Cover For The Age Gap Carey Mulligan Had With Daisy In Great Gatsby

Carey Mulligan posing in the Great Gatsby

There are times costume design can help cover for an actor's age, and that was the case with The Great Gatsby. Carey Mulligan felt a decade younger wearing the array of vintage clothing that she did. Many of them were so stunning that no one cared that she was 28 years old and playing a character 11 years her junior.

Her short hair and lithe figure certainly helped out as well, not seeming out of place as the character at all. She's even one of the more underrated parts of the film, not at all being overshadowed by DiCaprio.

2 Sean Patrick Thomas' Dance Moves Transcended Age In Save The Last Dance

Sean patrick thomas and julia stiles in save the last dance

As with Wormald and Hough in Footloose, age matters less in movies centered around dancing. What's important in those movies is the chemistry between the two leads and the ability to dance. Sean Patrick Thomas had that in spades during Save The Last Dance.

There wasn't a single person in the film who touched how good he could move, and his chemistry with Julia Stiles helped carry the entire movie. It didn't matter that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the film since he was 30 years old.

1 Napolean Dynamite Was A dumb Movie For More Reasons Than Jon Heder Being A 26-Year-Old High Schooler

napolean and pedro in napolean dynamite

Napolean Dynamite is a dumb movie, no matter how one slices it. That's not always a bad thing. Plenty of dumb films are enjoyable to watch, and the movie certainly has a number of fans.

There were so many moments in the movie that either made viewers laugh or do a double-take at how silly it was. It's why the fact Jon Heder playing a high schooler barely registered. The big geeky glasses and general awkwardness of the character tried to cover it as best it could.

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