28 Spring 2020 BY LINDSEY WILKINSON
W hen we think about our onscreen crushes, we usually think of characters like Zach Dempsey from 13 Reasons Why, Regina George from Mean Girls, Sandy from Grease, or even Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. All these characters have one thing in common, something shocking: They’re all played by people who are at least ten years older than the character they are playing. These famous characters who run the halls of their respective schools aren’t plagued with frizzy hair or acne; they are sporting post-puberty bodies, chiseled chins and an aura of confidence. The fantasy of perfection is not limited to recent popular movies. In fact, even some of Hollywood’s classics warped viewers’ sense of age. Audrey Hepburn was 31 when she played 19-year-old Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Leonardo Dicaprio was 28 when he played 16-year-old Frank Abagnale in the movie Catch Me If You Can. The aging process is one that is not usually a topic of discussion when it comes to representation in media, but it is important. According to Forbes, in 2015, teens consumed nine hours of media a day. While most of what was watched was fictional, onscreen images can shape our views of reality. Even when we are aware that what is on-screen is not a true representation, it still alters our perceptions. By and large this is due to many elements of a show or movie being accurate in style. Characters have iPhones, classroom set ups and part-time jobs. Tina Turner, a senior journalism major at The University of Alabama, said, “Representation matters in media. It’s not good whenever you have a group of adults playing high schoolers who look like they fell from heaven. There are plenty of beautiful kids in high school, but in reality, we aren’t dressing to the nines every day. You know some people don’t have the time, some people don’t have the money and some people just don’t care.” Another issue is the ethical dilemma of having adults portraying sexualized teenagers such as on Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, or The Vampire Diaries. Chris Roberts, an associate professor at UA who researches media ethics said, “I have always struggled with people representing their own age doing things that would be bad for people that age.” The New York Times highlighted the concerns that Roberts presents in a 2019 article, in which the comedy Good Boys is used in conjunction with Superbad, Sandlot, American Pie, and Kick- Ass. All of these films employed younger actors using curse words for comedic effect. Chloë Grace Moretz was only 11 years old when she was portrayed slicing and dicing drug dealers and uttering obscenities in Kick-Ass. Many critics and viewers criticized Moretz’s role because of her age. Examples like these, along with many other factors, could be used to promote the usage of older actors. “If it’s a television show with teenagers, often older actors play the teens for a variety of reasons, not limited to the kinds of content the show would be interested in showing.” said Kristin Warner, associate professor at UA.“Hiring actors under a certain age has major restrictions regarding what they can do onscreen and rightly so. But, the more pertinent question is probably much more about what the producers have in mind for the characters, and what would an older actor allow them to do versus a minor.” As an audience, we may question what we can do to fight the stereotype of looking extraordinarily perfect on any given day or what a studio’s responsibility is if they do choose to hire adults to play teenagers. “But why not have people who just look normal?” Warner wondered. “Maybe it is up to makeup teams to be like ‘Let’s not make this person look extra glammed up walking around to class,’ or ‘Let’s not hide all your blemishes today.’ These actors are still normal people. I’m sure they have insecurities, and I think if they share that then maybe the world will be more accepting of others’ insecurities.” In an industry of fantasy and fiction, it is not surprising that age is veiled in mystery like much else. This systematic casting actors and actresses allows studios to have more flexibility in content, production, and hours. Even so, on-screen material has and will shape our society’s view of aging and perfection. Whether this is morally acceptable or not is up to viewers. Spring 2020 29
- Page 1 and 2: 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SUFFRAGE Th
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