Some fans have noted that the cast look a little older than high-schoolers…
There’s a longstanding tradition of 20-something – and sometimes even 30-something – actors playing high school kids on the big screen, and new movie musical Dear Evan Hansen is the latest film to keep that tradition going.
You might have noted from the trailer that lead star Ben Platt – who also originated the role in the stage show from which the film is adapted – looks considerably older than the 17-year-old he’s supposed to be playing, and indeed a quick look at his date of birth reveals that to be completely true.
But Platt isn’t the only cast member whose school days are a few years behind him – read on for everything you need to know about the real ages of the stars playing high school kids in Dear Evan Hansen.
Two of the stars are exactly a decade older than the characters they’re meant to be playing – Platt, and Nik Dodani, who plays Evan’s acquaintance Jared Kalwani. Both actors are 27-years-old, meaning high school is rather a distant memory for the pair of them. Of course, Platt was a little younger when he first played the title role as part of the original Broadway cast in 2016, but even then he was already 22.
Interestingly, Platt previously took aim at those who pointed out the age difference in a now-deleted Tweet, writing “to the randos being jerks about age, read this great article and/or watch Grease”.
Another cast member who has previously been part of the Broadway cast (albeit as an understudy) is Colton Ryan, who takes on the role of Connor Murphy – the character whose tragic suicide occurs at the beginning of the film. Ryan is 25-years-old – meaning he is eight years older than the character he’s playing.
Meanwhile Zoe, Connor’s 16-year-old sister and Evan’s love interest, is played by Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever who is 24-years-old – another eight-year age gap.
One star of the film who left school a little more recently is Amandla Stenberg, who at 22-years-old is just five years older than her character, the high achiever of Evan’s year Alana Beck.