Most of the television series and movies we see on the screen use adult actors to play teenagers. The question is why? Why aren't they using teen actors to play teen roles? Well, there are several reasons for this.

First, it is difficult to find teen actors with the experience and skills necessary to act in major productions. Second, it is difficult to work with teenage actors due to the legal and employment restrictions that exist in the entertainment industry. And third, it's easier to work with adult actors who can work longer hours and can play teenage characters more convincingly.

Over the years, we have seen many television series that have used adult actors to play teenagers. Some of the most popular shows that have used this approach are "Beverly Hills 90210," "Glee," "Pretty Little Liars," and "Riverdale."

But what were these actors really like when they were the age of the characters they played? Here is a list of some celebrities who acted as teenagers and what they were really like at that age.

Luke Perry - Dylan McKay in "Beverly Hills 90210"

Actual age: 24 years

Character age: 16 years old

Luke Perry was one of the most popular actors of the 90s thanks to his role in "Beverly Hills 90210". But actually, Perry was 24 when he started playing Dylan McKay, a 16-year-old character.

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy Summers in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Actual age: 20 years

Character age: 16 years old

Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers in the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Although Buffy's character was 16 years old, Gellar was 20 when she began playing the role.

Cole Sprouse - Jughead Jones in "Riverdale"

Actual age: 24 years

Character age: 16 years old

Cole Sprouse rose to fame on the Disney Channel series "Zack & Cody: Twins in Action." But now, he is known for his role as Jughead Jones in "Riverdale." Although Jughead is 16 years old on the series, Sprouse was 24 when he began playing the role.

Lucy Hale - Aria Montgomery in "Pretty Little Liars"

Actual age: 21 years old

Character age: 16 years old

Lucy Hale played Aria Montgomery in the television series "Pretty Little Liars." Although Aria was 16 years old on the series, Hale was 21 when she began playing the role.

Chad Michael Murray - Lucas Scott in "One Tree Hill"

Actual age: 23 years

Character age: 16 years old

Chad Michael Murray rose to fame on the television series "One Tree Hill" playing Lucas Scott. Although Lucas was 16 years old on the series, Murray was 23 years old when he began playing the role.

Ian Somerhalder - Damon Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries"

Actual age: 31 years

Character age: 17 years old

Ian Somerhalder played Damon Salvatore in the popular television series "The Vampire Diaries." Although Damon was 17 years old on the series, Somerhalder was 31 when he began playing the role.

Ben McKenzie - Ryan Atwood in "The O.C."

Actual age: 24 years

Character age: 16 years old

Ben McKenzie rose to fame on the television series "The O.C." playing Ryan Atwood. Although Ryan was 16 on the series, McKenzie was 24 when he began playing the role.

Rachel McAdams - Regina George in "Mean Girls"

Actual age: 26 years

Character age: 16 years old

Rachel McAdams played Regina George in the popular movie "Mean Girls." Although Regina was 16 in the film, McAdams was 26 when she began playing the role.

Olivia Newton-John - Sandy Olsson in "Grease"

Actual age: 29 years

Character age: 18 years old

Olivia Newton-John played Sandy Olsson in the musical movie "Grease." Although Sandy was 18 in the film, Newton-John was 29 when she began playing the role.

Ncuti Gatwa - Eric Effiong in "Sex Education"

Actual age: 27 years

Character age: 16 years old

Ncuti Gatwa plays Eric Effiong in the TV series "Sex Education". Although Eric is 16 years old in the series, Gatwa was 27 years old when he began playing the role.

Audrey Hepburn - Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Actual age: 32 years

Character age: 19 years old

Audrey Hepburn played Holly Golightly in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Although Holly was 19 in the film, Hepburn was 32 when the film was released in the United States.

Stacey Dash - Dionne Davenport in "Clueless"

Actual age: 28 years

Character age: 16 years old

Stacey Dash played Dionne Davenport in the movie "Clueless." Although Dionne was 16 in the film, Dash was 28 when she began playing the role.

Troian Bellisario - Spencer Hastings in "Pretty Little Liars"

Actual age: 24 years

Character age: 16 years old

Troian Bellisario played Spencer Hastings in the television series "Pretty Little Liars." Although Spencer was 16 on the series, Bellisario was 24 when he began playing the role.

Andrew Garfield - Peter Parker/Spider-Man in "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Actual age: 29 years

Character age: 17 years old

Andrew Garfield played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man." Although Peter was 17 in the film, Garfield was 29 when he began playing the role.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Frank Abagnale Jr. in "Catch Me If You Can"

Actual age: 28 years

Character age: 16 years old

Leonardo DiCaprio played Frank Abagnale Jr. in the movie "Catch Me If You Can." Although Frank was 16 in the film, DiCaprio was 28 when he began playing the film's title character.

It is surprising to know that many of the world's most recognized and successful personalities have faced and overcome great obstacles in their lives. From facing extreme poverty and emotional and physical abuse to enduring family tragedies and battling disease, these celebrities have shown incredible resilience and determination to achieve their goals.

Instead of letting their circumstances define them, these celebrities have become true role models, proving that success doesn't always come easily, but often requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. perseverance. They faced their challenges and fought for their dreams with an impressive tenacity and passion.

The fact that these celebrities have been able to overcome great difficulties and obstacles, and still achieve success, serves as a great inspiration for many of us. It shows us that it is possible to overcome any obstacle, no matter how big, if we focus on our goals and work hard to achieve them.

Which celebrities had a difficult childhood?

There are many celebrities who managed to overcome the adversity of a difficult childhood, below we will show you some of the most recognized.

Oprah Winfrey

Born into extreme poverty in Mississippi, Winfrey suffered sexual and emotional abuse from her family members during her childhood. Despite all this, she became one of the most influential and successful women in the world.

While in a detention center, she became pregnant at the age of 14, and then had a premature birth where the newborn died. Rather than let her past define her, Oprah used her pain as motivation to succeed and become an advocate for women's and minority rights.

Demi Moore

Her father had a problem with alcoholism and her mother had mental health problems. In her teens, she suffered abuse from an older man. But Moore didn't let her past stop her. Instead, she focused on her own career and went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful actresses, starring in movies like Ghost and A Few Good Men.

Tom Cruise

Due to the separation of her parents and a troubled relationship with her father, her childhood was not easy. In addition to her, she suffered from dyslexia and the continuous displacements of her family, divided and nomadic, from one side of the United States and Canada to the other, left her mark on him. She got to be in 14 different schools.

But despite these obstacles, Cruise managed to find success in Hollywood and became one of the most recognizable actors of his generation, starring in movies like Top Gun and Mission: Impossible.

Mariah Carey

He grew up in a dysfunctional home and experienced emotional and physical abuse from her older brother. She herself recounts that when she was 12 years old, her sister drugged her with Valium, offered her a pinkie nail full of cocaine, gave her third degree burns and tried to sell her to a pimp.

But despite these challenges, she went on to become one of the most successful singers of all time, selling more than 200 million records worldwide.

Charlize Theron

She suffered a tragedy as a teenager, when her mother killed her father in her own defense. Also, she grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era. On the other hand, an illness caused her to have no teeth until she was 11 years old, for which she received a lot of teasing at school.

But despite these obstacles, Theron went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful actresses, winning an Academy Award for her role in Monster.

Eminem

She had a difficult childhood in which she suffered abuse and neglect from her mother. She also grew up in absence of the father, who left home when he was six months old, and whom he refused to meet once he achieved fame.

But instead of letting his past get the better of him, he went on to become one of the most successful and respected rappers of all time, selling more than 150 million albums worldwide.

Jennifer Lawrence

He grew up in a dysfunctional family and had to work from an early age to help support his family. From a very young age, she suffered indifference from her schoolmates and she felt very lonely. In turn, her parents had not had a good attitude towards her, to the point of telling her that they did not want to have her, since they were not expecting more children.

But despite these challenges, she went on to become one of the most successful actresses of her generation, winning an Academy Award for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.

Jim Carrey

She grew up in a poor family in Canada and had to work from a young age to help her family make ends meet. When she was 12 years old, she lost her house due to financial problems. Young Jim moved into a trailer with his parents and his two older brothers, having to work as a security guard to help his family.

He also received bullying from her schoolmates when they found out that he lived in a trailer.

But instead of letting his situation get the better of him, he focused on his career and became one of the most successful comedians of all time.

Leonardo Dicaprio

During her childhood, she suffered the divorce of her parents, so she lived with her mother for most of her childhood. He and his mother lived in the area of Hollywood taken over by prostitutes.

He began working from the age of 5 to financially support his family, in addition to which he was stopped on the street by a crack addict, who put him against the wall and threatened to stick a needle into him.

He even slept between boxes when he visited his father since his father did not provide him with a bed.

Despite the difficulties, DiCaprio persevered and managed to become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. In addition to his film work, he is also an environmental activist and has worked on campaigns to combat climate change and protect wildlife.

Angelina Jolie

Actress and director Angelina Jolie also had a difficult childhood due to her parents' divorce and her troubled relationship with her father. Jolie also struggled with mental health issues and addiction issues in her teens. In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, she talked about her experience and how she managed to overcome her childhood difficulties.

"My teenage years were a very dark time for me," Jolie said. "I've struggled with depression and self-harm, and I've also struggled with addiction." However, Jolie managed to overcome these difficulties and become one of the most recognized actresses in Hollywood. She is also known for her humanitarian work, having worked as a UN goodwill ambassador and as a human rights advocate.

Throughout history there have always been cases in which great artists are backed by fame or money from their families. The upper classes and aristocrats, in ancient times, were the ones who financed a large part of the cultural treasures that we can appreciate today in large museums or that exist in private collections.

This has carried over to the world of film and television, in which the careers of young artists are driven by fame and/or money from their families, and in some cases despite not having great talent.

What is nepotism?

A practical and simple way to explain the meaning of nepotism is when a person obtains a job thanks to having relatives or friends in positions of power, without taking into account the skills or aptitudes of that person.

What are nepo babies?

Hollywood nepo babies are a group of young talents who have grown up in the public eye due to their influential families in the entertainment industry. Oftentimes, the children of successful actors, directors, producers, and other professionals in Hollywood have an advantage compared to other aspiring actors or artists who don't have those same connections. However, there are also many examples of talented nepobabies who have achieved legitimate success in the industry due to their own talent and hard work.

In many cases, these young people have been exposed to the entertainment industry from an early age, surrounded by successful family members, and surrounded by unique resources and opportunities. In addition, the influence of their families often gives them access to opportunities to develop their talents and build their careers, either through industry connections or through financial and emotional support.

However, this advantage can also be a disadvantage for some nepobabies, as there is also a strong expectation for them to meet the expectations of their families and achieve the same level of success. Also, they are often accused of not having to work as hard as others to achieve their goals.

How did the nepo baby controversy arise?

The problem arises since these artists receive opportunities simply because of the family name, so equal opportunities do not exist and those who build their career through years of effort are not as recognized as these so-called nepo babies.

This trend has always existed in Hollywood, but an article from New York Magazine refers to the new generation of artists driven by family fame and how thanks to this they are appearing in many movies and series, and at the same time thanks to this maybe they took an opportunity from a talented unknown.

To give another dimension to this problem, a study by the British newspaper The Guardian points out that the presence of the lower classes within the creative professions within the United Kingdom reaches only 7.9% of the total, that is, out of 100 people in professions such as plastic artists. , poets, painters, playwrights only 8 come from a low social stratum.

Who are the most famous nepo babies?

Here is a list of the children of artists who are taking the Hollywood scene by storm and are called nepo babies.

Tom Holland

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He is the son of photographer Nicola Frost and British comedian and screenwriter Dominic Holland.

Kaia Gerber

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She is the daughter of Cindy Crawford.

Zöe Kravitz

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She is the daughter of Lenny Kravitz.

Maya Hawke

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She is the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.

Lili-Rose Depp

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She is the daughter of Johnny Depp.

Brooklyn Beckham

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Son of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham

Jaden Smith and Willow Smith

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Children of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett

Jack Quaid

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Son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan

Maude Apatow

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She is the daughter of Judd Apatow, the writer and producer of Girls, and Leslie Mann, an actress who has a producer.

Timothée Chalamet

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He is the son of Marc Chalamet, UNICEF editor and New York correspondent for Le Parisien; In addition, the protagonist of Call me by your name is the nephew of the filmmakers and producers Rodman Flender and Amy Lippman and his grandfather was the screenwriter Harold Flender.

Margaret Qualley

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She is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell.

What do you think about the new artists who have a family legacy in the history of important cinema or have millionaire families? Do you think it's fair that they reach stardom? Do they all have talent?

Tell us what you think about this topic in the comments.​