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15 Movie And TV Age Gaps Between Actors That Are Really, Really Messed Up

Emmy Rossum being 17 and making out with 33-year-old Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera is just wrong, tbh.

Spencer Althouse
by Spencer Althouse

BuzzFeed Staff

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which age gaps between actors truly made their jaws drop. Here are the wild results.

1. In The Phantom of the Opera, Emmy Rossum turned 17 a couple days before shooting began, while Gerard Butler was 33 and Patrick Wilson was 30.

Emmy Rossum kissing both Patrick Wilson and Gerard Butler in "The Phantom of the Opera"
Warner Bros. Pictures

Butler was two months shy of his 34th birthday when production started on the movie in September of 2003.

—kelenl2

2. In Never Have I Ever, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was 17 when she was cast as Devi. By the time the show premiered, she was 18 and love interest Darren Barnet was 29.

Devi and Paxton about to hook up in "Never Have I Ever"
Netflix

Maitreyi was born in 2001, and Darren Barnet was born in 1991.

—savannah51

3. In Singin' in the Rain, Debbie Reynolds was cast when she was 19 years old. Her onscreen love interest, Gene Kelly, was 40.

Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly kissing in Singin' in the Rain
MGM

Debbie Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932, and Gene Kelly was born on Aug. 23, 1912.

—amandamariej3

4. In Magic in the Moonlight, there was a 28-year age gap between onscreen lovers Emma Stone and Colin Firth.

Emma Stone and Colin Firth kissing in "Magic in the Moonlight"
Sony Pictures Classics

Emma Stone was born in 1988, and Colin Firth was born in 1960.

—kbd0190

5. In That '70s Show, Mila Kunis was only 14 when she was cast and 15 when the pilot aired. Ashton Kutcher was 20.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher in "That '70s Show"
Fox

Kunis lied about her age in order to get cast. Ashton Kutcher recounted how awkward and inappropriate it was when it came time to shoot their first kiss: "It was really weird. I was like, 'Isn't this illegal? Like, am I allowed?'...She was 14! She was like my little sister."

—ijenn0802

6. In White Christmas, Bing Crosby was nearly twice the age of Rosemary Clooney. He was 51 when the movie came out, and she was 26.

Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney singing in White Christmas
Paramount Pictures

Rosemary Clooney also played Vera-Ellen's older sister in the movie, even though Clooney was actually seven years younger than her.

—rachelg44

7. In Boy Meets World, Trina McGee (Angela) was 28 when she first appeared on the show. Her love interest, Rider Strong (Shawn), was 17.

Shawn and Angela together in "Boy Meets World"
ABC

McGee was born in September of 1969, Rider was born in December of 1979, and their first episode together ("Boy Meets Real World") aired in October of 1997.

—csmith526

8. In Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn was 27 when the movie was released, and Fred Astaire was a few days shy of his 58th birthday.

Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face"
Paramount Pictures

Audrey Hepburn was born in 1929, and Fred Astaire was born in 1899.

—kaylayandoli

9. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Keira Knightley was 17 when she shot the movie, and Orlando Bloom was 25.

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom kissing in "The Curse of the Black Pearl"
Disney

The movie started shooting in 2002 and was released in July of 2003, a few months after Keira Knightley turned 18.

—johnmichaelw

10. In Focus, there was a 22-year age gap between Will Smith and Margot Robbie when the movie was released.

Will Smith and Margot Robbie in "Focus"
Warner Bros.

Will Smith was born in September of 1968, and Margot Robbie was born in July of 1990.

—laurengarafano

11. In The Greatest Showman, Zendaya just turned 20 when the movie started shooting, and Zac Efron was 29.

Zendaya and Zac Efron kissing in "The Greatest Showman"
20th Century Fox

—madisonn

12. In As Good As It Gets, Helen Hunt was 34 and Jack Nicholson was only a couple years older...plus or minus an extra 25 years.

Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson kissing in "As Good as It Gets"
Sony Pictures Releasing

Helen Hunt was born in 1963, and Jack Nicholson was born in 1937.

—spenceralthouse

13. In Riverdale, KJ Apa and Ashleigh Murray's characters started dating when there was an 11-year age difference between the actors.

Josie and Archie together in "Riverdale"
The CW

Their characters started dating in the episode "Bizarrodale," which aired in February of 2019. KJ was 21 (born in June of 1997), and Ashleigh was 32 (born in January of 1988).

—nicole-d

14. In Entrapment, Sean Connery was more than double the age of love interest Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery kissing in "Entrapment"
20th Century Fox

Catherine Zeta-Jones (born in 1969) was 29 when the movie was released, and Sean Connery (born in 1930) was 68.

—mariset

15. And in Another Cinderella Story, Selena Gomez had just turned 16 when the movie was released, and Drew Seeley was 26.

Selena Gomez and Drew Seely kissing in "Another Cinderella Story"
Disney

—valeriec44