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Child stars often surprise us with their performances, not only for the quality of them, but for how young they were at the time. We are so used to seeing 30 year olds playing teens that, when an actual teen shows up on stage, we have a hard time believing it.
The more time passes, the more we let our perception get the best of us. These stars did incredible work as children and teens in the 90s, but we tend to think they were older than reality. These are the most shockingly young actors at the time of their performances.
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Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was only 12 when filming Léon: The Professional and 13 when the movie was released. Given the emotional complexity of her performance as Mathilda, many viewers assumed she was several years older than she actually was.
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Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst was just 11 years old during the production of Interview with the Vampire. Sharing scenes with stars like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt made her mature performance seem far beyond her age.
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Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin was only 11 when she filmed The Piano, a role that earned her an Academy Award. It’s still surprising to remember that one of the youngest Oscar winners ever was barely in middle school.
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Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong was around 13 when he starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. His confidence and screen presence made many audiences forget just how young he really was.
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Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin became one of the biggest stars of the decade through Home Alone, but he was only 10 years old when the film was released. Carrying an entire blockbuster at that age remains remarkable.
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Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci was just 10 during the filming of The Addams Family. Her deadpan portrayal of Wednesday Addams was so iconic that many viewers remember the character as older than she actually was.
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Claire Danes
Claire Danes was only 16 when she played Juliet in Romeo + Juliet. Acting opposite a slightly older Leonardo DiCaprio, she brought a level of maturity that made audiences overlook her age.
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Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio himself was only 21 when Romeo + Juliet hit theaters. Thanks to his leading-man confidence, many people remember him as being much older during his early stardom.
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was only 15 when 3rd Rock from the Sun debuted. Playing the most sensible member of an alien family often made him seem older than the teenager he actually was.
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Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster may have become famous in the 1970s, but she was only 29 when she starred in Contact in 1997. Many viewers assumed she was already a veteran actress in her late thirties.
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Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone was just 18 during the production of Clueless. Her portrayal of Cher feels so effortlessly confident that many fans remember her as being several years older.
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Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood was only 18 when The Faculty was released. Having already built a lengthy film résumé as a child actor gave him the presence of someone much older.
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Thora Birch
Thora Birch was just 16 when she appeared in American Beauty. Considering the film’s mature themes and her central role in the story, many viewers assumed she was already an adult.
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Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was only 13 when he voiced young Simba in The Lion King. His performance became so ingrained in pop culture that it’s easy to forget how young he was.
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Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment was just 11 during the filming of The Sixth Sense. Delivering one of the most acclaimed child performances of the decade, he carried scenes with veteran actors while still in elementary school.
The post 15 ’90s Movie Stars Who Were Younger Than You Thought appeared first on Den of Geek.
