Euphoria is one of the best teen shows I’ve seen in a long time — but let’s face it, it’s not always 100% realistic.
HBO
^Yes, I know the above scene didn’t actually happen, but STILL.
One of the most unrealistic parts? How hot everyone is without a hint of teenage awkwardness (though that’s pretty on par for most teen dramas). This is because, as usual, all the actors are much older than the characters they play.
Here’s what all the actors actually looked like when they were in high school!
First up, we’ve got superstar Zendaya, who plays the main character, Rue. Zendaya is 25 IRL. Here’s what she looks like playing 17-year-old Rue in Season 1…
…and here’s what she looked like as an actual 17-year-old.
Larry Marano / FilmMagic via Getty Images
Let’s take another look. Zendaya playing a 17-year-old in Season 2 of Euphoria…
…And Zendaya as an actual 17-year-old.
Jonathan Leibson/AMA2013 / Getty Images for DCP
Now onto Jules, who is played by 23-year-old Hunter Schafer. Here’s Hunter playing 17-year-old Jules on Euphoria…
Again, here’s Hunter playing 17-year-old Jules…
…and here she is when she was 16.
Twenty-four-year-old Sydney Sweeney plays Cassie. Here’s Sydney playing the 18-year-old Cassie…
…and here’s Sydney at 17.
Michael Bezjian / WireImage via getty Images
Again, here’s Cassie at 18…
…and here’s Sydney at 19.
Freeform
This very possibly could’ve been filmed when Sydney was 18 — sorry y’all, had trouble finding photos of Sydney at 18 exactly!
Maude Apatow is 24. Here she is playing 16-year-old Lexi…
…and here’s Maude when she was actually 16!
Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic via Getty Images
Here’s Lexi at 17 in Season 2…
…and here’s Maude at 17.
Jason Laveris / FilmMagic via Getty Images
Jacob Elordi is also 24. Here he is playing 18-year-old Nate on the show…
…and here’s Jacob Elordi when he was 17.
Graham Denholm / Getty Images for the VRC
Here’s Jacob as an 18-year-old on Euphoria…
…and here’s Jacob as a 20-year-old.
Todd Williamson / Getty Images
Again, no photos of Jacob at 18 exactly, I’m afraid.
Here’s 25-year-old Barbie Ferreira playing 17-year-old Kat…
…and here’s Barbie Ferreira when she was actually 17.
Again, here’s Barbie playing a 17-year-old…
…and here’s Barbie when she was actually 17.
Here’s 18-year-old Storm Reid as 13-year-old Gia on the show…
…and here’s Storm Reid at 13.
Jean Baptiste Lacroix / AFP via Getty Images
Here’s 13-year-old Gia…
…and here’s 13-year-old Storm.
Jason Laveris / FilmMagic via Getty Images
Here’s 27-year-old Algee Smith as 18/19-year-old McKay on Euphoria…
…and here’s Algee Smith at around 19.
Here’s 19-year-old McKay…
…and here’s Algee a bit younger at 17.
Angela Weiss / FilmMagic via Getty Images
Here’s 25-year-old Austin Abrams playing 17-year-old Ethan…
…and here’s Austin Abrams at 16.
Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection
Here’s Austin on the show…
…and here’s Austin again at 16.
James Lemke Jr / Getty Images for R + R
We don’t know Barb’s exact age, but since she’s friends with the main girls, let’s assume she’s about 17. Here is 20-year-old Sophia Rose Wilson as Barb/”Vape Girl”…
…and here is Sophia Rose Wilson at age 17 IRL.
Here’s Sophia as Barb at 17…
…and here’s Sophia Rose Wilson at 17.
Now we’re getting into tricky territory. Here’s 26-year-old Dominic Fike, who plays Elliot on the show. His character is probably about 17.
The earliest photos I could find were from some old music videos — I believe he was in his early 20s here.
Another tough one is Alexa Demie, who plays 17-year-old Maddy. You can see her here…
…but we have absolutely no idea how old Alexa is, because she hasn’t ever spoken about it. It seems like answers range from 25–30. This is the oldest picture we could find of her; it’s from 2016.
And finally, we can’t do this with 23-year-old Angus Cloud, who plays Fez, as he was actually 20 when Euphoria came out — around the same age his character is meant to be (though Fez has never been given an exact age).
HBO
And also, there don’t seem to be any public photos of Angus as a teenager.
What do you think? Were any of these surprising to you? Do you think the age differences will become more obvious as the seasons go on? Do you want Euphoria to continue on past high school? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/euphoria-cast-vs-what-they-looked-like-as-teenagers