Actors Who Were Way Too Old for Their Roles

Teen movies and TV shows are notorious for casting actors who haven’t set foot inside of a high school in years.

It’s easy to imagine why they might do it: older actors have more experience and spare us from watching the awkward teenagers on screen, but sometimes these casting choices pushed the limits of our suspension of disbelief.

This list is nowhere near complete, but it does include some of the most egregiously over-aged actors from the 1970s to today.

Patrick Swayze in ‘The Outsiders’

The teen gang drama “The Outsiders” was chock full of some of the hottest actors of the 80’s (and today), and most of them were actually close to age-appropriate. The notable exception was Patrick Swayze as Ponyboy’s older brother and guardian, Darry.

At 30, Swayze was a full ten years older than S. E. Hinton’s novel called for, and almost old enough to be the 14-year-old Ponyboy’s father.

Brian Backer in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’

“Fast Times” was inspired by director Cameron Crowe’s experiences going undercover as a high schooler at age 22, so in a way it makes sense that most of the actors were also older than they should have been.

None stand out quite so much as Brian Backer, who at 25 was not only way too old to play shy sophomore Mark, but even older than Phoebe Cates, Sean Penn, and Judge Reinhold, all of whom played upperclassmen.

Judd Nelson in ‘The Breakfast Club’

Judd Nelson was a total scene stealer as “the Criminal” John Bender in “The Breakfast Club,” and his movie-ending fist pump is nothing short of iconic, but what hasn’t aged as well is John’s romantic connection with Molly Ringwald’s Claire after he spends the whole movie belittling her.

It gets even skeevier when you realize that Nelson was 25 at the time, playing opposite Ringwald at only 16.

Alan Ruck in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’

Alan Ruck was pushing 30 and looked every bit of it when he played Ferris Bueller’s uptight best friend Cameron in the 1986 film.

This is obviously way too old for a high school senior, but you could make the case that Ruck’s age was actually an asset to his character, since a 30-year-old who’s afraid to stand up to his father is so much more pathetic than an 18-year-old.