We always see the same faces representing the book-to-screen adaptations of YA books.  Are there only three teenagers in Hollywood?  It inspired me to do a fun blog post – because why not procrastinate during Nanowrimo? – comparing the different actors who Hollywood decides is the teenager of the day.  I’ll be averaging out the Rotten Tomatoes critics scores for all their movies and declaring a winner!

My rules for inclusion: Unless the actor is the star of a franchise, they must have starred in more than one adaptation. I include a few movies based on middle-grade books, but only if the actor has been in one movie based on a YA book.  I also include adult titles with YA appeal, but also only if the actor has been in one movie based on a YA book.  I did not include comic books.  Also, all the images are from IMDB.

Ladies first!

Alexis Bledell (67.666)

• Tuck Everlasting (61)
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (77)
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (65)

 

Olivia Cooke (76.5)

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (81)
• Ready Player One (72)

 

Zoey Deutsch (64)

• Beautiful Creatures (47)
• Vampire Academy (17)
• Before I Fall (64)

Anne Hathaway (43.25)

• The Princess Diaries (47)
• Ella Enchanted (50)
• The Princess Diaries 2 : Royal Engagement (25)
• Alice in Wonderland (51)

Jennifer Lawrence (77.75)

• The Hunger Games (84)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (89)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (68)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 (70)

Mandy Moore (37)

• The Princess Diaries (47)
• How to Deal (combines 2 Sarah Dessen books) (27)

 

Chloe Grace Moretz (56.6)

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (53)
• Hugo (93)
• If I Stay (35)
• The 5th Wave (16)
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post (86)

Sophie Nelisse (55.5)

• The Book Thief (46)
• The Great Gilly Hopkins (65)

 

Angourie Rice (69.5)

• Jasper Jones (76)
• Every Day (63)

 

AnnaSophia Robb (66.833)

• Because of Winn-Dixie (55)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (82)
• Bridge to Terabithia (85)
• Soul Surfer (46)
• The Carrie Diaries (TV series) (81)
• Down a Dark Hall (52)

Saoirse Ronan (40.75)

• City of Ember (54)
• The Lovely Bones (32)
• The Host (9)
• How I Live Now (68)
• Little Women (in production)

Amandla Stenberg (60.75)

• The Hunger Games (84)
• Everything, Everything (46)
• The Darkest Minds (17)
• The Hate U Give (96)

Kristen Stewart (39.6)

• Speak (no score)
• Twilight (49)
• Twilight: New Moon (28)
• Twilight: Eclipse (48)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (24)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (49)

Emma Watson (94)

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (80)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (82)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (90)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (88)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (77)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (84)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (78)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (96)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (85)
• Little Women (in production)

Mae Whitman (78)

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (85)
• The DUFF (71)

 

Shailene Woodley (50.8)

• The Spectacular Now (92)
• Divergent (41)
• The Fault in Our Stars (80)
• Insurgent (29)
• Allegiant (12)

The winner is: Emma Watson!  She had both the most movies based on YA books, and the highest average rating.

In the men’s category:

Jamie Campbell Bower (38.4)

• Twilight: New Moon (28)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (78)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (24)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (49)
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (13)
• Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald

Matt Dillon (73.666)

• Tex (85)
• The Outsiders (64)
• Rumble Fish (72)

 

Ansel Elgort (43.8)

• Divergent (41)
• The Fault in Our Stars (80)
• Insurgent (29)
• Paper Towns (57)
• Allegiant (12)

Josh Hutcherson (74.285)

• Howl’s Moving Castle (voice) (87)
• Bridge to Terabithia (85)
• Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (37)
• The Hunger Games (84)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (89)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (68)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 (70)

Logan Lerman (50.75)

• Hoot (26)
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (49)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (85)
• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (43)

 

Thomas Mann (62)

• It’s Kind of a Funny Story (58)
• Beautiful Creatures (47)
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (81)

 

Dylan O’Brien (51.333)

• The Maze Runner (65)
• Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (46)
• Maze Runner: The Death Cure (43)

 

Robert Pattinson (47.666)

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (88)
• Twilight (49)
• Twilight: New Moon (28)
• Twilight: Eclipse (48)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (24)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (49)

Alex Pettyfer (29.333)

• Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (35)
• I Am Number Four (33)
• Beastly (20)

 

Nick Robinson (51.333)

• The 5th Wave (16)
• Everything, Everything (46)
• Love, Simon (92)
• Weetzie Bat (pre-production)

 

Justice Smith (60)

• Paper Towns (57)
• Every Day (63)
• All the Bright Places (in production)

 

Miles Teller (43.5)

• The Spectacular Now (92)
• Divergent (41)
• Insurgent (29)
• Allegiant (12)

 

Nat Wolff (68.5)

• The Fault in Our Stars (80)
• Paper Towns (57)

 

 

And the winner is: Josh Hutcherson!  He very narrowly beat out Matt Dillon in critics’ scores, and had just one more movie than both Robert Pattinson and Jame Campbell Bower.

This was a fun little procrastination activity.  I learned that the actors who I thought were over-representing YA in the movies are even more represented!  Did I miss anyone?