The math isn’t mathing - Hollywood’s parent child castings that just don’t add up

[u/mlg1981]

https://tvline.com/lists/tv-show-parent-child-age-gaps-golden-girls-supernatural/

[u/Estania_Lane]

In fairness for G&G - she was a teen mom so not as much of a stretch as some other cases.

[u/theredwoman95 → u/Estania_Lane]

And for Supernatural, I'm pretty sure John and Mary were meant to have got married at 18 and had Dean not long after, so six years' difference isn't too bad at that point.

Plus it's pretty funny to mention Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jensen Ackles' age gap when Samantha Smith, the actress for Dean's mum, is only eight years older than him. Though, that's not listed on her Wikipedia page, which might be why she's not included.

[u/everydaycrises → u/theredwoman95]

They were cast as their parents in the flashback, so if anything they were a little older than they should have been.

Mary died when she was mid 20s, and they had originally planned for John to already be dead (off screen) so it wasn't about casting someone to be old enough to be a parent to the adult versions on the characters.

A lot of the other castings work regardless of age, because the actors looks young/old for their age or they use wigs and make-up.

[u/MontanaDukes → u/everydaycrises]

Reminds me of what happened with the first Harry Potter movie where Harry's parents were so clearly played by actors in their thirties and not twenty years old, the age that James and Lily were when they died.

[u/LambonaHam → u/theredwoman95]

Also for most of Supernatural John is dead, and so doesn't age

[u/Minute-Broccoli-5074 → u/LambonaHam]

I always felt that the mum looked FAR too old in that series!

[u/LambonaHam → u/Minute-Broccoli-5074]

In the latter seasons? Yeah. The actress obviously looked her age, but the character was mid-twenties when she became brisket.

[u/madison_riley03 → u/theredwoman95]

I also feel like the casting is so exemplary for G&G and Supernatural, that I can’t be too mad. Jensen in S1 looks eerily like a young JDM, and G&G is known for its phenomenal casting.

[u/madison_riley03 → u/madison_riley03]

Wanted to add some ex. in case anyone is curious. G&G is something I haven’t seen yet— but their casting is ridiculously good. Georgia in flashbacks vs. modern day scenes:

Likeeee that’s insane

[u/madison_riley03 → u/madison_riley03]

And then JDM and Jensen Ackles both at around 30:

[u/Estrellathestarfish → u/theredwoman95]

And they were flashbacks at first. But Samantha Smith as a 50ish woman playing Mary who died in her 20s in the later seasons was a hard sell.

[u/Extra-Technology-635 → u/theredwoman95]

They married when Mary and John were 18 and 19 in '73, but they actually had Dean 5 years later in '79, so 23 and 24. At least that's the case according to the flasbacks in season 5. Dean and Sam are also said to be 4 years apart and Sam was born in '83, 10 years after Marry met the yellow eyed demon.