Ben Platt Is Playing a High Schooler in “Dear Evan Hansen” and the Internet Has Thoughts

The first trailer just dropped.

We have come to accept that high school students in movies and television shows are rarely portrayed by actual teenagers.

Just look at Gossip Girl. Majority of the main cast including Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford were all aged 20 or older during Season 1, despite playing high scoolers. 

The fact that teens aren't usually cast in popular films or series about school students (*cough* Riverdale *cough*) lives rent-free in our minds.

However, the internet appears to have drawn the line following the arrival of the first Dear Evan Hansen trailer. 

After the trailer landed earlier today, it quickly came to everyone's attention that leading actor Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect) simply looks way too old to play the titular high schooler.

Platt—who is 27-years-old—stars as the socially anxious Evan. His therapist encourages him to write letters to himself detailing what will be good about each day to help him cope. 

Except, one of his letters falls into the hands of fellow student Connor (Colton Ryan), who tragically commits suicide. When Connor's friends and family find the letter, they assume it's a suicide note addressed to Evan.

When Evan is asked about his friendship with Connor, he exaggerates their closeness. Naturally, this leads to a whole lot of drama.

Oh, and did we mention that it's a musical? Yep, get ready for some singing because the flick is an adaptation of the six-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that Platt also starred in. 

While Platt's Broadway performance as Evan was undeniably great, there's absolutely no getting around the fact that he doesn't look like a teen in the trailer. 

If you haven't seen it yet, check it out below and decide for yourself. 

Personally, I can't envisage Platt rocking up to an English Literature class or lining up at the canteen for a recess snack. 

From the looks of it, Twitter is having a hard time coming to terms with the casting decision too.

The Dear Evan Hansen trailer looked so good! pic.twitter.com/W7E6tLosBM

— Robert Manion (@robertmanion) May 18, 2021

Ben Platt in the Dear Evan Hansen trailer: pic.twitter.com/hSEfk28IEd

— caitlin (@caitlinhberg) May 18, 2021

The film also stars Amy Adams, Amandla Stenberg, Kaitlyn Dever and Julianne Moore. 

You can watch it in Aussie cinemas in September 2021 (if you can get over Platt looking like a fully-grown man). 

Header Image: Universal Pictures Australia