16 Side-By-Sides Of The Younger Vs. Older Versions Of Characters, Ranked By How Great The Casting Was

1 year ago 15

Some of these younger and older casting choices are downright spot on.

Often, when two actors are hired to portray a character at different ages, there's a lot of discussion among viewers as to whether the actors look similar enough.

In some cases, it's hard to believe they'd even be in the same family, let alone be the same character.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Via giphy.com

In others, though, the resemblance is downright wild.

So, I decided to rank some of these pairs of actors from least to most similar-looking.

CBS / Via giphy.com

Before I get into it, though, let me say this isn't an indictment of anyone's performances! I'm well-aware that for roles like these, actors are often cast because they're able to embody the character emotionally and mentally as opposed to physically.

All right then, take a look at these and vote on how good you think the casting is:

16. Here's Spencer Breslin as younger Rusty in The Kid (2000):

Here's Bruce Willis as older Rusty:

And here they are side-by-side:

Disney / Via youtube.com

This definitely feels like one of those emotional and mental embodiments I mentioned earlier, because I'm not seeing any resemblance here.

15. Here's James McAvoy as younger Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014):

Here's Patrick Stewart as older Charles:

And here they are side-by-side:

20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

I love both James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart as Professor X, but...yeah, these two look nothing alike.

14. Here's Zac Efron as younger Mike in 17 Again (2009):

Here's Matthew Perry as older Mike:

And here they are side-by-side:

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

This casting choice was always baffling to me, but I guess it doesn't really matter since adult Mike is only in the movie for, like, 10 minutes, if that.

13. Here's Lily James as young Donna in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018):

lily james in mamma mia here we go again

Here's Meryl Streep as older Donna:

meryl streep in mamma mia here we go again

And here they are side-by-side:

Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

Come on now, their eyes aren't even the same color!

12. Here's Kyla Pratt as younger Monica in Love & Basketball (2000):

Here's Sanaa Lathan as older Monica:

And here they are side-by-side:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

This one isn't too bad, but it definitely feels like they were just looking for a talented Black kid actor who was pretty popular at the time.

11. Here's Mila Kunis as younger Gia in Gia (1998):

Here's Angelina Jolie as older Gia:

And here they are side-by-side:

HBO

Mila Kunis might not be a dead ringer for a young Angelina Jolie, but I can definitely see why she was cast.

10. Here's Ewan McGregor as younger Ed in Big Fish (2003):

Here's Albert Finney as older Ed:

And here they are side-by-side:

Sony Pictures / Via youtube.com

If you've ever seen photos or video of a young Albert Finney, you'll totally get this one.

9. Here's Wyatt Oleff as younger Stanley in It: Chapter Two (2019):

Here's Andy Bean as older Stanley:

And here they are side-by-side:

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

I think this is at least partially because of how they styled both actors' hair, but even without it, I think they could pass for father and son.

8. Here's Jack Dylan Grazer as younger Freddy in Shazam! (2019):

Here's Adam Brody as older Freddy:

And here they are side-by-side:

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com, Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

When Adam Brody appeared onscreen in Shazam!, I admittedly lost it a little, because A.) I love Adam Brody, and B.) between Jack Dylan Grazer's looks and his character's love of all things nerdy, I'd spent the whole movie thinking, aww, Freddy's like a little Seth Cohen.

7. Here's Christa B. Allen as younger Jenna in 13 Going on 30 (2004):

Here's Jennifer Garner as older Jenna:

And here they are side-by-side:

Sony Pictures / Via youtube.com

With their dark hair, big brown eyes, cheekbones, and full lips, these two 100% look like they're part of the same gene pool.

6. Here's Samantha Hanratty as Misty in Yellowjackets (2021):

Here's Christina Ricci as adult Misty:

And here they are side-by-side:

Showtime

Of all the teen/adult castings in Yellowjackets, this one feels the most believable looks-wise. Even without the distinct blonde curls and glasses, Samantha Hanratty bears a resemblance to a younger Christina Ricci (especially with the contacts).

5. Here's Ben Savage as younger Gideon in Criminal Minds (2015):

Here's Mandy Patinkin as older Gideon:

And here they are side-by-side:

CBS

As someone who grew up on Boy Meets World, the decision to cast Ben Savage as a young Jason Gideon seemed a little strange to me at first. The more I looked at the two of them (plus photos of a young Mandy Patinkin), though, the more I saw it.

4. Here's Jaidan Jiron as younger Cece in New Girl (2013):

Here's Hannah Simone as older Cece:

And here they are side-by-side:

Fox

It's fair to say the hair is doing some of the work here, but even without the bangs, I would buy these two as sisters.

3. Here's Bailee Madison as younger Snow White in Once Upon a Time (2012):

Here's Ginnifer Goodwin as older Snow White:

And here they are side-by-side:

ABC

After seeing Bailee Madison make her Once Upon a Time debut, had someone told me the show just cast Ginnifer Goodwin's daughter to play a young Snow White, I would have believed it without hesitation. (And yes, I know that like Lily James and Meryl Streep, they have different-colored eyes, but the rest of their features were so similar at the time it wasn't really noticeable.)

2. Here's Chelcie Burgart as younger Paige in Valentine (2001):

Here's Denise Richards as older Paige:

And here they are side-by-side:

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com, Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

I'm assuming that the Valentine filmmakers put out a casting call for "someone who looks identical to Denise Richards" and hit the jackpot, or that someone on the crew happened to know a Richards lookalike, but the first time I saw this movie, I was convinced the young actor playing tween Paige must have been related to the older actor somehow.

1. And finally, here's Mckenna Grace as younger Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018):

Here's Kiernan Shipka as older Sabrina:

And here they are side-by-side:

Netflix

Mckenna Grace has played the younger version of quite a few characters, but this one was the best in my opinion, especially considering people had already called out how similar the actors looked on social media before Mckenna was even cast.

What are some other younger vs. older casting choices you have thoughts about? Sound off in the comments!

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16 Side-By-Sides Of The Younger Vs. Older Versions Of Characters, Ranked By How Great The Casting Was

Often, when two actors are hired to portray a character at different ages, there's a lot of discussion among viewers as to whether the actors look similar enough.

In some cases, it's hard to believe they'd even be in the same family, let alone be the same character.

In others, though, the resemblance is downright wild.

So, I decided to rank some of these pairs of actors from least to most similar-looking.

All right then, take a look at these and vote on how good you think the casting is:

16. Here's Spencer Breslin as younger Rusty in The Kid (2000):

Here's Bruce Willis as older Rusty:

And here they are side-by-side:

15. Here's James McAvoy as younger Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014):

Here's Patrick Stewart as older Charles:

And here they are side-by-side:

14. Here's Zac Efron as younger Mike in 17 Again (2009):

Here's Matthew Perry as older Mike:

And here they are side-by-side:

13. Here's Lily James as young Donna in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018):

Here's Meryl Streep as older Donna:

And here they are side-by-side:

12. Here's Kyla Pratt as younger Monica in Love & Basketball (2000):

Here's Sanaa Lathan as older Monica:

And here they are side-by-side:

11. Here's Mila Kunis as younger Gia in Gia (1998):

Here's Angelina Jolie as older Gia:

And here they are side-by-side:

10. Here's Ewan McGregor as younger Ed in Big Fish (2003):

Here's Albert Finney as older Ed:

And here they are side-by-side:

9. Here's Wyatt Oleff as younger Stanley in It: Chapter Two (2019):

Here's Andy Bean as older Stanley:

And here they are side-by-side:

8. Here's Jack Dylan Grazer as younger Freddy in Shazam! (2019):

Here's Adam Brody as older Freddy:

And here they are side-by-side:

7. Here's Christa B. Allen as younger Jenna in 13 Going on 30 (2004):

Here's Jennifer Garner as older Jenna:

And here they are side-by-side:

6. Here's Samantha Hanratty as Misty in Yellowjackets (2021):

Here's Christina Ricci as adult Misty:

And here they are side-by-side:

5. Here's Ben Savage as younger Gideon in Criminal Minds (2015):

Here's Mandy Patinkin as older Gideon:

And here they are side-by-side:

4. Here's Jaidan Jiron as younger Cece in New Girl (2013):

Here's Hannah Simone as older Cece:

And here they are side-by-side:

3. Here's Bailee Madison as younger Snow White in Once Upon a Time (2012):

Here's Ginnifer Goodwin as older Snow White:

And here they are side-by-side:

2. Here's Chelcie Burgart as younger Paige in Valentine (2001):

Here's Denise Richards as older Paige:

And here they are side-by-side:

1. And finally, here's Mckenna Grace as younger Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018):

Here's Kiernan Shipka as older Sabrina:

And here they are side-by-side:

What are some other younger vs. older casting choices you have thoughts about? Sound off in the comments!

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