Sometimes, a TV show or movie casts the *perfect* younger or older version of a character.
But sometimes, the casting falls short, and the new actor looks nothing like the old one. Here are 25 serious missteps in casting that I can’t forgive.
4.
You really expect me to believe that this kid grows up to be Don Draper on Mad Men? No way.
5.
Young Shawn on Psych is a realllll stretch for me.
6.
I feel like they didn’t even TRY to get a young actor to play the younger version of Sherlock on Sherlock.
7.
Remember that flashback episode of Gossip Girl that showed young Carol and Lily? Well, Carol has changed a LOT over the years.
8.
Younger and older Giuseppe Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries don’t even look related.
9.
Young Damon also wasn’t very good.
10.
I know kids’ hair can darken with age, but I still feel like for recognizability, they should’ve at least found an actor with the same hair color for young Nick on New Girl.
11.
Or at least the same eye color. I mean, really. The show constantly talks about Jess’ light blue eyes.
12.
Next is younger Harry in Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again, and older Harry in the same film.
13.
And also younger and older Sam from the same film.
14.
Aaaand Donna, too, tbh.
15.
I hate to say it, but…the new Aegon in House of the Dragon doesn’t even look much older than the last one, and they look like entirely different people.
16.
And his younger brother not only looks 20 years older, but he looks totally different from what he used to look like.
17.
Orange is the New Black had SUCH good casting for most of its younger versions of characters, so it was a disappointment when we finally met Red’s younger self.
18.
Same with Nicky. The kid version of her was decent, but I just have a hard time believing these are the same person.
19.
Young Locke on Lost was a real stretch, tbh.
20.
They also did Sayid dirty, honestly.
21.
Ian McKellan has such a distinct look…and it’s not one that matches Michael Fassbender. Only one of these men is Magneto to me.
22.
Young Han Solo in Solo and older Han in A New Hope are both ruggedly handsome, but they are definitely not the same person.
23.
I was honestly kind of always frustrated with young Hope in The Originals/Legacies, because she looks nothing like her parents. The older version is better on that front, but…then she looks nothing like her younger self.
24.
I have a real hard time believing that this little version of Kaitlyn Cooper turned into the version on the right in just a year and a half on The O.C.
25.
And finally, this isn’t to say the actor did a bad job, but I really don’t see this kid as a younger Ryan Reynolds in The Adam Project. I just don’t.