How old are the characters supposed to be?

[Zuzana]

It always bothers me when actors' ages wildly differ from the books. A slight difference is acceptable, especially when the actor looks younger than their actual age. But it shouldn't be too obvious or distracting.

When I discuss adaptations with other Jaineites ages of the main characters vs. the ages of the main cast very often become a hot topic.

For reference, I will list some of my favorite adaptations and the actors' ages at the time of shooting (usually one year before the release).

[Zuzana]

Emma
Mr Knightley - 37yo , Emma - 21yo, Jane Fairfax - 21yo , Frank Churchill - 23yo, Harriet Smith - 17yo

1/ Emma! (2020)
Mr Knightley - Johnny Flynn - 36yo
Emma - Any Taylor Joy - 23yo
Jane Fairfax - Amber Anderson - 27yo
Frank Churchill - Callum Turner - 29yo
Harriet Smith - Mia Goth - 26yo

2/ Emma (2009)
Mr Knightley - Johnny Lee Miller - 36yo
Emma - Romola Garai - 26yo
Jane Fairfax - Laura Pyper - 28yo
Frank Churchill - Rupert Evans - 31yo
Harriet Smith - Louise Dylan - ?

3/ Emma (1996)
Mr Knightley - Mark Strong - 32yo
Emma - Kate Beckinsale - 22yo
Jane Fairfax - Olivia Williams - 27yo
Frank Churchill - Raymond Coulthard - 27yo
Harriet Smith - Samantha Morton - 18yo

4/ Emma (1996)
Mr Knightley - Jeremy Northam - 34yo
Emma - Gwyneth Paltrow - 23yo
Jane Fairfax - Polly Walker - 29yo
Frank Churchill - Ewan McGregor - 24yo
Harriet Smith - Toni Collette - 23yo

5/ Emma (1972)
Mr Knightley - John Carson - 44yo
Emma - Doran Godwin - 27yo
Jane Fairfax -
Frank Churchill -
Harriet Smith -

[Zuzana]

Sense and Sensibility
Elinor - 19yo, Marianne - 17yo, Edward Ferrars - 23yo(?), Colonel Brandon - 35yo, Willoughby - 25yo

1/ Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Elinor - Emma Thompson - 35yo
Marianne - Kate Winslett - 19yo
Edward - Hugh Grant - 34yo
Brandon - Alan Rickman - 48yo
Willoughby - Greg Wise - 28yo

2/ Sense and Sensibility (2008)
Elinor - Hattie Morahan - 29yo
Marianne - Charity Wakefield - 27yo
Edward - Dan Stevens - 25yo
Brandon - David Morrissey - 43yo
Willoughby - Dominic Cooper - 29yo

[Zuzana]

Persuasion
Anne Elliot - 27yo, Captain Wentworth - 31yo (?) , Mr Elliot - late 20s (?) , Sir Walter Elliot - 53yo, Elizabeth Elliot - 29yo, Mary Musgrove - 25yo , Louisa Musgrove - 19yo (?), Mrs Croft - 38yo, Captain Benwick - late 20s (?)

1/ Persuasion (1995)
Anne - Amanda Root - 31yo
Wentworth - Ciarán Hinds - 41yo
Mr Elliot - Sam West - 28yo
Sir Walter - Corin Redgrave - 55yo
Louisa - Emma Roberts - ?
Benwick - Richard McCabe - 34yo

2/ Persuasion (2007)
Anne - Sally Hawkins - 30yo
Wentworth - Rupert Penry-Jones - 36yo
Mr Elliot - Tobias Menzies - 32yo
Sir Walter - Anthony Head - 52 yo
Louisa - Jennifer Higham - 22yo
Benwick - Finlay Robertson - 31yo

[Zuzana]

Northanger Abbey
Catherine Morland - 17yo, Henry Tilney - 26yo , Isabella Thorpe - 21yo, John Thorpe - early 20s (?)

Northanger Abbey (2007)
Catherine - Felicity Jones - 23yo
Henry Tilney - J. J. Feild - 28yo
Isabella - Carey Mulligan - 21yo
John Thorpe - William Beck - ?

[Zuzana]

Mansfield Park

Fanny Price - 18, Edmund Bertram - 24, Mary Crawford - early 20s (?), Henry Crawford - mid 20s (?)

1/ Mansfield Park (1999)
Fanny - Frances O'Connor - 31
Edmund - Johnny Lee Miller - 26
Mary Crawford - Embeth Davidtz - 33
Henry Crawford - Alessandro Nivola - 26

2/ Mansfield Park (2007)
Fanny - Billie Piper - 24
Edmund - Blake Ritson - 28
Mary Crawford - Hayley Atwell - 24
Henry Crawford - Joseph Beattie - 28

3/ Mansfield Park (1983)
Fanny - Sylvestra Le Touzel - 24
Edmund - Nicholas Farrell - 27
Mary Crawford - Jackie Smith-Wood - 28
Henry Crawford - Robert Burbage - 18 (!)

[Zuzana]

Pride and Prejudice
Bennet sisters: Jane - 22, Elizabeth - 20, Mary - 18, Kitty - 17, Lydia - 15; Mr Darcy - 28, Wickham - 27, Bingley - 23, Caroline Bingley - early 20s (?), Mr Collins - 25, Charlotte - 27

1/ Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Jane - Susannah Harker - 29
Elizabeth - Jennifer Ehle - 25
Mary - Lucy Briers - 27
Kitty - Polly Maberly - 18
Lydia - Julia Sawalha - 26
Darcy - Colin Firth - 34
Wickham - Adrian Lukis - 37
Bingley - Crispin Bonham-Carter - 25
Caroline - Anna Chancellor - 29
Collins - David Bamber - 40
Charlotte - Lucy Scott - 23

[Zuzana]

I love the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, but I've always felt that some of the cast members were too old for their roles. In my opinion, Kate Winslett and Greg Wise were the only ones who looked appropriate for their characters. Emma Thompson, although still a great actress, appeared her age and portrayed her character, Elinor, in a very maternal way. While it's not uncommon for an older sister to act as a caregiver to her younger siblings, in the book, it should seem a bit odd considering the age difference between the two sisters is only two years. But in this version it seemed natural because of the big age difference. I also loved Alan Rickman's performance, but I thought he was too old to play Colonel Brandon, especially when paired with Kate Winslett.