9 times casting directors totally nailed the younger versions of characters

CASTING directors are the unsung heroes of the filmmaking industry, especially when it comes to casting the same character at different stages of their lives. It’s not just about finding actors of different ages who resemble the character, it also has to feel right. 

You’ve probably felt thrown off midway through a show because the younger version of the character is nothing like the one you know and love. But on the flip side, there have also been moments where you can’t believe your eyes because the younger actor is an almost identical doppelgänger. Here are just some of the stellar casting choices that made us do a double take and, in some cases, actually question reality. 

Walker Scobell and Ryan Reynolds as Adam Reed in The Adam Project (pictured above)

Ever wondered what it’d be like to meet your younger self? Ryan Reynolds does. 

“[Walker Scobell is] such a little punk in the best way,” the actor mused about his co-star. “He watched Deadpool 2 600,000 times. He knows every word to both movies. So, Walker just came in and didn't need to do anything. All we needed to do was slap a couple of coloured contact lenses in his eyes and off we went.”

On top of the duo’s amusing yet heartwarming camaraderie, Scobell – in his first ever professional acting gig, mind you – absolutely nails Reynolds’ wide-eyed look (see above) and mannerisms. You’ll get it when you see it for yourself when The Adam Project premieres on Netflix this Friday, March 11.

McKenna Grace and Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 

You might have seen Mckenna Grace as the younger version of several well-known characters in the past few years. Her impressive résumé includes Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, Theo Crain in The Haunting of Hill House, and Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, but it’s her brief appearance as Li’l Sabrina that made us consider the plausibility of magic in this dimension. 

Combined with the character’s signature blonde bob and red coat, Grace is a dead ringer for Kiernan Shipka, who plays the titular character in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And no, they’re not related, but Shipka reportedly handpicked the young actress for the role after noticing how similar they look. 

Michael Consuelos and Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge in Riverdale

Who better to play a younger version of you than your own son, amirite? 

Micheal Consuelos – who bears a striking resemblance to his dad – made his first but brief appearance as a teenage Hiram Lodge, in the ‘Midnight Club’ episode from Season 3 of Riverdale. The younger Consuelos would later reprise the role in the Season 5 flashback episode ‘Citizen Lodge’, which chronicles the character’s rise as Riverdale’s infamous kingpin. 

Dasany Kristal Gonzalez and Dascha Polanco as Dayanara 'Daya' Diaz in Orange Is the New Black 

This mother-daughter duo could almost pass off as twins.

In yet another instance of strong resemblance in the family, Dasany Kristal Gonzales was cast as a younger version of Daya, played by her mother Dascha Polanco for several flashback sequences in the Season 5 episode ‘Tied to the Tracks’. 

Lulu Wilson and Elizabeth Reaser as Shirley Crain in The Haunting of Hill House

The young cast portraying the Crain siblings as children definitely held their own and complemented their adult counterparts perfectly. However, if we had to pick a pair who are most similar to each other, we’d have to say that both actresses playing Shirley were absolutely spot on, from their similar facial features to Shirley’s serious and restrained demeanour. 

Here’s another fun fact – Lulu Wilson played Elizabeth Reaser’s daughter in the 2016 horror film Ouija: Origin of Evil. 

Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K in Men In Black 3

Before he became a Mad Titan hellbent on eradicating half of the universe, Josh Brolin played an uncanny version of a younger Agent K, who is portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in the film series’ present day. 

Not only did Brolin bear a resemblance to Jones at the same age, the former also picked up the elder Agent’s military-like mannerisms perfectly.

Adam Kolkin and Kurt Hummel in Glee 

Considering it was for a brief montage during Kurt’s rendition of ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ in the Season 2 episode ‘Grilled Cheesus’, we gotta give props to the casting department for this one. From his cherubic cheeks to the way he swept his hair to the side, Adam Kolkin – who plays the younger version of Kurt Hummel – is pretty much a carbon copy of Chris Colfer. 

He definitely made an impression on his older counterpart too, as Kolkin would later play a younger version of yet another character of Colfer’s in the 2012 coming-of-age film Struck by Lightning.

Jack Dylan Grazer and James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two

Both the kids and grown-ups of the It film series complement each other amazingly, but these two are almost identical in every way. 

Similar hairline and facial features aside, James Ransone absolutely kept up with Jack Dylan Grazer’s portrayal of the fast-talking germaphobe Eddie Kaspbrak 27 years in the future. 

Also, can we take a minute to talk about how even their eyebrows resemble each other’s, uncanny. 

Pretty much the entire cast of Dark

The casting department of the German sci-fi series definitely had their hands full, what with all the time-travelling and multiversal shenanigans going on in the show. Here are just some of the standouts, where both the young and old versions of the characters could totally pass off as each other in different stages of their lives IRL. 

 Catch these films and TV shows to see the resemblances for yourself. – The Vibes, March 8, 2022