I often think back to that magical summer when I was 13 years old

January 15, 2010 2:59 PM

Kid Casting is a Tumblr-full of the same movie character as a child and an adult, courtesy of Dave Shumka, co-host of Stop Podcasting Yourself.
posted by Horace Rumpole (28 comments total)

why?
posted by The Whelk at 3:05 PM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button kinda ruined it for everyone.
posted by qvantamon at 3:07 PM on January 15, 2010

Some of those are pretty eerie. Others, not so much (poor Roger Daltrey).

I always wondered about this - when they cast for the child version of a character, do they take old photos of the adult actor and scout out a physical match?
posted by jquinby at 3:13 PM on January 15, 2010

why?

Because sometimes it's hilarious to see a movie makeup artist try to tack a destinctive actor's trait (see, De Niro's mole) on to some kid actor.
posted by piratebowling at 3:15 PM on January 15, 2010

okay then.
posted by The Whelk at 3:21 PM on January 15, 2010

Ah, Stop Podcasting Yourself is one of my favourite podcasts. Dave and his cohost Graham Clark are very funny just shooting the shit and their weekly guests of Canadian stand-up comics just top it off.
posted by beautifulcheese at 3:39 PM on January 15, 2010

Some of them are just vaguely similar, but that kid pretending to be Bruce Willis in "The Kid" has really got something goin' on. It's more the expression than anything else, but I can see him growing up to be Bruce.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:39 PM on January 15, 2010

I sort of wondered "why?" myself. Especially after listening to episode 96 (I think), where Dave talks about all the work he's putting into the site. I suppose that's why I'm not an artist - I can't imaging putting that much work into something weird and useless.

Seconding the recommendation of SPY, btw. It's far and away my favorite humor podcast.
posted by bonecrusher at 3:42 PM on January 15, 2010

This is extremely great.
posted by Greg Nog at 3:44 PM on January 15, 2010

Also, sometimes it's awesome to see how multiple casting director's interpret the younger self.
posted by piratebowling at 3:46 PM on January 15, 2010

On first viewing, I remember being impressed by the older version of Josh Hartnett's Trip Fontaine in The Virgin Suicides. As a disgruntled youth, I guess I was pleased to think of the teen heartthrob growing up to be so pathetic. Having not read the novel at the time, I didn't realize it wasn't just a clever piece of casting.

I guess I was an angry kid.
posted by snapped at 3:55 PM on January 15, 2010

I enjoyed this. I always pay attention to this part of movies, it's nice to see comparisons side to side.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 4:15 PM on January 15, 2010

Maybe Nicolas Cage can be everybody, but it doesn't seem to work in reverse, 'cause the child actor in National Treasure looks nothing like him.
posted by Kevin Street at 4:15 PM on January 15, 2010

You know what's remarkable? Is how much England looks in no way like Southern California.
posted by bpm140 at 4:31 PM on January 15, 2010

The flashback to Clarice Starling's girlhood in 'Silence of the Lambs' features the worst kid version of an adult actor. Everybody knows what Jodie Foster looked like when she was a child, and it wasn't like a cross between Mayim Bialik and Winona Ryder.

Also, why did Keira Knightley play the kid version of Ethan Hawke?
posted by eatyourcellphone at 4:34 PM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Parenthood was dead on. And I thought A League of Their Own did a great job. Fun site!
posted by buzzkillington at 4:40 PM on January 15, 2010

Sometimes it's all about the acting, though. I can't remember Silence of The Lambs that well, but maybe that girl had Jodie Foster's mannerisms or voice down.

The fun thing about this blog, imo, is the way it tests your mental wiring for facial recognition. Kind of like those weird "age progression" photos the authorities do, but totally in the mind.
posted by Kevin Street at 4:42 PM on January 15, 2010

maybe that girl had Jodie Foster's mannerisms or voice down.

It wasn't a speaking part, she's in only one scene (father's funeral), and she looks like Anne Frank. Go figure.
posted by longsleeves at 5:30 PM on January 15, 2010

Maybe two scenes.
posted by longsleeves at 5:32 PM on January 15, 2010

I love Graham and Dave, though I have to admit that I don't get the whole 'casting fascination -- be it Stuntcasting or Kid Casting. In fact, I'm pretty sure I never understood the Stuntcasting bit, even though I must have listened to 15 of them.

But, otherwise, keep up the fine work, gentlemen of the northwest.
posted by Mid at 6:25 PM on January 15, 2010

I can't imaging putting that much work into something weird and useless

MetaFilter: People putting that much work into something weird and useless.
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 7:22 PM on January 15, 2010

The Angelina Jolie one from Gia borders on the creepily uncanny.
posted by Decimask at 7:31 PM on January 15, 2010

This would be better with larger pics. I'm to lazy to click and this isn't that interesting.
posted by delmoi at 9:39 PM on January 15, 2010

The best of the bunch was Tenacious D IMHO.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:58 AM on January 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

This one is just astonishing.
posted by bettafish at 8:15 AM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh man, this is TOTALLY that interesting to me. Lurve.
posted by 23skidoo at 11:11 AM on January 16, 2010

There aren't really words for how insanely adorable I find the baby version of Elijah Wood in Everything Is Illuminated. Seriously, WHAT is that face.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 3:04 PM on January 16, 2010

There aren't really words for how insanely adorable I find the baby version of Elijah Wood in Everything Is Illuminated. Seriously, WHAT is that face.

It seems to be John Hodgman's face.
posted by captnkurt at 8:13 AM on January 17, 2010