# Actors and Actresses that look(ed) better at 30 than 20 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983 "2009-07-05T16:19:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/1 "2009-07-05T16:19:39Z")
In this culture, it’s not unusual to hear people proclaim that folks are their most attractive in their 20s, but a lot of people, including actors and actresses simply don’t look complete that young. I thought of this while watching **Haunted** a few days ago - compare how Kate Beckinsale looks in **[Much Ado About Nothing](http://www.movieactors.com/freezeframes5/muchado984.jpeg)** to how she looks in **[Underworld](http://www.independentcritics.com/images/underworld%20evolution%20SPLASH.jpg)**. IMHO she’s far prettier now than when she was in her early twenties. This happens with the gents too. Joshua Jackson as [Pacey Witter](http://c9.img.v4.skyrock.net/c97/fan2series01/pics/191722416_small.jpg) vs Joshua Jackson as [Peter Bishop](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wUEhxHGCVs8/SAT6HBdjP_I/AAAAAAAAAJk/3c-ZK3IRKL4/joshua-jackson-fringe-05.jpg). Alexander Skarsgard in [Zoolander](http://gfx.aftonbladet-cdn.se/multimedia/archive/00021/NOJE-04s32-film-34_3_21338w.jpg) (sorry, can’t find a better pic from this movie) vs [True Blood](http://truebloodnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/eric2.jpg). Peter Facinelli in [Foxfire](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3163396352/nm0004906) (also hard to find pics from) vs [Fastlane](http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/021002/12505__fastlane_l.jpg)… I’m not the only one to have this opinion about some actors and actresses, right? So who else? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/2 "2009-07-05T16:44:36Z")
Jennifer Connelly looks much better now than she did 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/3 "2009-07-05T18:06:36Z")
Carey Lowell looked better at [35](http://media.photobucket.com/image/carey%20lowell/Frido97/CareyLowell.jpg) ( **Law and Order** ) than at [28](http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Courtyard/1652/Media/Carey.jpg) ( **License to Kill** ). And Tina Fey sure looks better [now](http://indistinctunion.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/tina_fey.jpg) than she did in her [early 20s](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2008/11/1110_tina_fey_side_by_side_fm.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/4 "2009-07-05T18:07:37Z")
Michelle Phillips ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/5 "2009-07-05T18:11:13Z")
I was just watching a movie the other day and thought this very thing about an actress… the only problem, is that now I can’t remember who it was? Ohh… it was Holly Hunter! Definitely a fine wine that has much improved. Other actresses that I think this applies to, although they are probably out of their thirties- Liz Hurley and Helen Hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/6 "2009-07-05T18:15:17Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I was just watching a movie the other day and thought this very thing about an actress… the only problem, is that now I can’t remember who it was? > > Ohh… it was Holly Hunter! Definitely a fine wine that has much improved. > > Other actresses that I think this applies to, although they are probably out of their thirties- Liz Hurley and Helen Hunt. I agree that Holly Hunter looks great. However, my husband said she’s scary thin. I think Leo DiCaprio is better looking now than he was 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/7 "2009-07-05T18:26:11Z")
Johnny Depp looks better as he ages. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/8 "2009-07-05T18:26:43Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Jennifer Connelly looks much better now than she did 10 years ago. Surely you’re joking! 🙂 She looked much better (and healthier) before she went with the Hollywood emaciated look. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/9 "2009-07-05T18:27:17Z")
I’d recommend caution in assuming that an actor’s appearance in any particular movie or photograph is characteristic of his/her “real” looks. Makeup, lighting, and wardrobe can do a great deal to make someone look better, worse, or even more immature, as I suspect is the case with the OP’s first picture of Beckinsale. Although there’s about 13 years between the two pictures, that’s not to say you couldn’t find a picture of her in 1993 that makes her look a lot better than a current photo. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/10 "2009-07-05T19:39:57Z")
Connelly looked very good in A Beautiful Mind, maybe she doesn’t look as good now. She looked very young in the Rocketeer when she was about 20. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/11 "2009-07-05T19:41:58Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Surely you’re joking! 🙂 > > She looked much better (and healthier) before she went with the Hollywood emaciated look. Jennifer Connelly’s “emaciated” phase kinda peaked between **Mulholland Falls** (1996) and **A Beautiful Mind** (2001). I was first aware of her in 1991 ( **Career Opportunities** , age 21), when she was unparallelledly stunning, and she’s looking terrific again now. Lea Thompson (b. 1961) sure looked better in **Beverly Hillbillies** (1993) than in **Some Kind of Wonderful** (1987). ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/12 "2009-07-05T19:43:05Z")
Most men hit their attractive peak in their late 20’s, imo. The first person who popped into my head was Jensen Ackles. [Jensen at 20ish](http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/1198/LAUREN2.JPG) [Jensen at 30ish](http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/3/38390/32_2008/MM4.preview.jpg) Come to think of it, he also qualifies for the “famous people with stupid names” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/13 "2009-07-05T19:43:43Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Johnny Depp looks better as he ages. But the man doesn’t age at all! (Well, maybe a little since Jump Street, but after that he had that “special portrait” painted). ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/14 "2009-07-05T20:38:41Z")
I don’t find women in their early twenties particularly attractive ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/15 "2009-07-05T21:02:40Z")
I think another note of caution is needed here - pictures taken now will be with a “look” that is fashionable now … pictures taken ten years ago have ten-year-old fashions, and will probably automatically look “worse” to a lot of people. There’s also the effect of extra care being taken as the person gets more famous. The Tina Fey shots upthread are a perfect example … you’re comparing a grainy high school snap to a profesionally styled/lit/posed shot of today - not apples to apples. I don’t think women tend to change much in underlying looks between 20 and 30. Guys are a bit different - I agree some of the “young” shots of guys in this thread have them looking not fully adult, which means not so good in a guy. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/16 "2009-07-05T21:34:12Z")
Sarah Palin ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/17 "2009-07-05T21:56:19Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > There’s also the effect of extra care being taken as the person gets more famous. The Tina Fey shots upthread are a perfect example … you’re comparing a grainy high school snap to a profesionally styled/lit/posed shot of today - not apples to apples. My Google-Fu is weak today, but all the photos I’ve seen of her from college until she joined the SNL performing cast did not look glamorous. Feel free to prove me wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/18 "2009-07-05T22:45:50Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Johnny Depp looks better as he ages. …if that’s even possible! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/19 "2009-07-05T22:53:53Z")
Back when she was a young actress, in the mid-80s, I knew folks who thought Diane Lane was very hot…but she just didn’t do it for me. These days, OTOH, I find her to be _very_ attractive. To me, at least, she’s definitely gotten better-looking as she’s gotten older. And, I’ll second elfkin477’s nod to Kate Beckinsale…she was cute in Much Ado, but smokin’ in Underworld and Van Helsing. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983/20 "2009-07-05T23:01:19Z")
Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She was kind of plain and doughy when she was on Saturday Night Live but she was very hot on Seinfeld. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-that-look-ed-better-at-30-than-20/501983.md?page=2)