Age Is Nothing but a Number

Some of your favorite theater and television characters are played by actors who are much older or much younger then the characters that they are portraying. When actors are casted for roles, their age is often overlooked if they have the right look for the part/ the skill for the job. Jason Earles, known for playing Hannah Montana's brother on the hit Disney show, was actually in his thirties when his character was supposed to be eighteen years old! Theater actors play characters who are not their age more often than television actors do. Students in school plays, and actors on broadway alike, play characters who are nowhere near their actual age. According to the Huffington Post, "child labor laws cause studios to hire adult young folks to escape the necessity of shorter working hours and having a teacher on the set to conduct required schoolwork." Next time you're watching your favorite television show, or enjoying an excellent play, don't be fooled by great acting, most of the actors are no where near the age of the characters that they are playing!