Baby-faced

It is no secret that in the entertainment industry that there are thirty-something year old actors and actresses taking up roles for characters aged sixteen to twenty. But how beneficial is it for an actor/actress to look younger than they are?

We as a society try to look as young as possible to try and hold onto our youth, but eventually, biology gets the better of us, yet there are that lucky few that stay looking young well into their thirties. 

Production companies obviously prefer actors who look younger than they are; minors can only work for a certain amount of hours per day, education must be supplied for them and they must have someone to look after them on set. Getting an actor who looks young, but is legally an adult, save the production company a lot of time and money.

It is also a major convenience if you employed an actor that as they grew up, stayed relatively young so you could drag out the storyline and make a year span a couple of years in a series.

However, does being baby-faced give you more opportunities to be an actor? I don't think so. Yes, production companies prefer it if you look younger than you are so they can use you for younger characters, but you still have to fit the bill. Instead of giving you an advantage of getting more acting jobs, you're just put into a separate category, i.e. adults that look like teens, adults, old people, children. 

So, it is helpful if you look younger than you are (for production companies) but you still have to burden of being asked for ID everytime you go to a wrap party! :)

I'm sure there are people who have a different opinion, so please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Here are a few trivia about actors that are older than they look! :D

• Luke Perry was 24 when he started playing 16-year-old Dylan McKay (Beverly Hills, 90210)
• Michael J. Fox was 24-29 when playing 17-year-old Marty McFly (Back to the Future)
• Cory Monteith is currently 29, playing 18 year old Finn Hudson (Glee)

:D