On The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Maddie Fitzpatrick is a high school student who works at the Tipton Hotel as a candy counter girl.  In High School Musical, Sharpay Evans is a ruthless high school student who will stop at nothing to be the queen bee.  In real life, the girl who originated these roles, Ashley Tisdale, is actually 22 years old.  Her classmate frienemy on Suite Life, London Tipton, is played by Brenda Strong, who is 20 years old.  Casting older than the character's real age is something Disney has become famous for over the years.

Lucas Grabeel, better known as Ryan Evans, is 22 years old, attempting to pass for a junior in high school the in megahit High School Musical.  Monique Coleman, who plays Taylor McKessie, is actually 26 years old.  Raven Symone of That's So Raven is 22 years old and Jason Earles, who plays Miley's older brother on Hannah Montana, is a whopping 30 years old!

What can be the reason for casting so much older?  The obvious answer is that legally and professionally, life is a lot easier for Disney to work with adults who are over the age of 18.  They are able to work longer hours and do not have to have any supervision.  Let's not forget pesky stage moms and dads.  Once these teens hit adulthood, provided they have that young, fresh look, Disney wants to keep them around as long as possible.

Such is not the case for their rival network, Nickelodeon, who has prided itself on casting real kids to play their teenage counterparts.  Emma Roberts, star of Unfabulous, is 16 years old as is Devon Werkheiser, star of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Jamie Lynn Spears of Zoey 101.  Miranda Cosgrove, who plays little sister Megan on Drake and Josh and the title character of her own show, iCarly, is 14 years old.

A rare example of Disney's age appropriate casting comes from one of their biggest shows, Hannah Montana.  Miley Cyrus, who plays the title character, is just 15 years old and Emily Osment, who plays her best friend on the show, is also the same age.  So the next time you're watching a show about teenagers, just know that the actors who play them probably own their own houses, pay their own taxes, and don't have their mothers tuck them in at night!


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of IMDB)