The real ages of the Carrie cast vs their characters, with multiple surprising age gaps

Carrie has been given a Gen Z makeover thanks to Mike Flanagan’s new Prime Video series, featuring a brand new cast filled with rising stars.

Released back in 1974, Carrie is Stephen King’s first ever published novel, and it helped launch his career as one of the biggest names in horror. Its story of a bullied teenage girl with terrifying telekinetic powers has since become a genre classic, and it didn’t take long for Hollywood to come knocking.

Just two years later, Brian De Palma brought the book to the big screen, with Sissy Spacek’s portrayal of Carrie White proving to be iconic in its own right. In other words, those are some mighty big (and bloody) boots to fill.

Now, it’s the turn of Flanagan – best known for his Netflix Haunting series – to tell the story. Carrie landed on Prime Video this week, and though it’s proving divisive among critics, it’s well worth a watch if you’re willing to embrace something a little different.

And with so many young faces taking on the roles of King’s teenage characters, you might be wondering just who the actors are. So, here’s how the real ages of the Carrie cast compare to the characters they’re playing, as well as where you might recognise them from.

Summer H. Howell as Carrie White

Summer H. Howell: 22
Carrie White: 16

She might look like she fits right in at Ewen High School, but believe it or not, Summer H. Howell is actually six years older than Carrie White, who is just 16 in King’s original novel. And at 22, she’s taking on one of the most iconic roles in horror history. No pressure.

Of course, Carrie isn’t your average high school student. Relentless bullying by her classmates, a deeply religious conspiracy theorist mother, and newfound telekinetic powers are just a few of the things she has to deal with.

And while Howell has some seriously big shoes to fill following Sissy Spacek and Chloë Grace Moretz, she’s certainly no stranger to horror. In fact, she made her film debut aged just eight in Curse of Chucky, before returning for Cult of Chucky.

You might also recognise her from Hunter Hunter, Netflix’s Time Cut or the horror film All Fun and Games.

Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White

Samantha Sloyan: 47
Margaret White: 47

This might be the first time I’ve ever written an age comparison where the actor is the same age as the character they’re playing. Yes, Samantha Sloyan and Margaret White are both 47.

Margaret is hardly your average mum. Much like the source material, she’s deeply religious and has spent Carrie’s entire life sheltering her from the outside world. But Flanagan’s given her a modern update, making her seriously suspicious of the deep state, chemtrails and government surveillance.

If Samantha looks familiar, that’s probably because this is far from her first Mike Flanagan rodeo. Before Carrie, she played the absolutely insufferable Bev Keane in Midnight Mass, Leigh Crain in The Haunting of Hill House, Shasta in The Midnight Club and Tamerlane Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher. She also appeared in his 2016 horror film Hush.

So, basically, if you’ve watched anything remotely terrifying on Netflix in the past decade, there’s a good chance you’ve already seen her.

Outside of horror, you might recognise her as Dr Penelope Blake in Grey’s Anatomy, or Lily Bradley in HBO’s The Pitt. She’s also appeared in Scandal and The Morning Show.

Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen

Alison Thornton: 27
Chris Hargensen: 18

It might be hard to believe given how convincing she is, but Alison Thornton is nearly a decade older than her Carrie counterpart, Chris Hargensen.

Chris is essentially the school’s resident mean girl, and one of Carrie’s biggest tormentors. But Flanagan’s version gives her a little more depth than your typical high school bully, even if some of her behaviour is still absolutely vile. And with social media thrown into the mix, she’s got a whole new way of making Carrie’s life miserable.

As for where you’ve seen Alison before, she’s probably best known for playing Zooey Hernandez Frumpkis in Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and Lydia Spring in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. She’s also appeared in Dare Me, Nancy Drew and Elle.

Siena Agudong as Sue Snell

Siena Agudong: 22
Sue Snell: 17

The age gap isn’t quite as notable in this case, with Siena Agudong being just five years older than Sue Snell, another of Carrie’s classmates at Ewen High School.

Unlike her bestie Chris, Sue has something of a conscience. After initially joining in with the bullying, she starts to feel guilty about how Carrie has been treated and tries to make things right. But given this is Carrie, good intentions don’t always mean things are going to end well.

And if Siena looks familiar, you might have seen her in Netflix’s No Good Nick, where she played the titular Nick, or the Resident Evil series, in which she portrayed a younger Billie Wesker.

She’s also appeared in Disney’s Upside-Down Magic, Star Falls and the romance film Sidelined: The QB and Me.

Josie Totah as Tina Blake

Josie Totah: 25
Tina Blake: 17

Another actress who’s left her teenage years behind is Josie Totah, who’s eight years older than her Carrie character, Tina Blake.

Tina is part of the popular crowd at Ewen, and she’s certainly not innocent when it comes to the bullying Carrie faces. Basically, she’s another person making an already miserable high school experience even worse.

As for Josie, she’s no stranger to playing a high school student, having taken on the role of Lexi Haddad-DeFabrizio in the Saved by the Bell reboot. Some of her other acting credits include The Buccaneers, Champions, Glee and No Good Nick.

Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross

Joel Oulette: 24
Tommy Ross: 18

Joel Oulette is six years older than Tommy Ross, the 18-year-old high school student he plays in the new series. And thankfully, Tommy is one of the few people at Ewen High School who actually seems to have a decent bone in his body.

He’s Sue Snell’s boyfriend, who agrees to take Carrie to prom after Sue starts feeling guilty about the way she’s been treated. It’s a genuinely sweet gesture, although anyone familiar with Carrie will know that prom night doesn’t exactly go to plan.

Before landing the role, Joel was best known for playing Jared in the Canadian supernatural drama Trickster. He’s also appeared in Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Arthur Conti as Billy Nolan

Arthur Conti: 22
Billy Nolan: 19

At just 22, Arthur Conti is only three years older than Billy Nolan, making this one of the smaller age gaps among the cast.

Billy is Chris Hargensen’s boyfriend, and let’s just say the pair aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. He’s earned a reputation as the bad boy at Ewen, and despite no longer attending the school, he’s heavily involved in the cruel plot against Carrie.

If Arthur looks familiar, it’s probably because he played Jeremy Frazier in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, opposite Jenna Ortega. He’s still relatively new to the screen, but between Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Carrie, he’s already building quite the horror résumé.

Thalía Dudek as Emaline West

Thalía Dudek: 27
Emaline West: Around 16–18 (exact age unconfirmed)

At 27, Thalía Dudek is around a decade older than the teenager they appear to be playing. Given how mysterious Emaline West is, it’s probably best not to make too many assumptions about the character.

You see, Emaline doesn’t actually appear in King’s original novel. She’s a brand new addition created for Flanagan’s adaptation, arriving at Ewen High School and quickly becoming one of Carrie’s only friends. But there’s definitely more to her than meets the eye.

As for Thalía, you might recognise them from The Running Man, Better Man or an appearance in Doctor Who. They’ve also worked extensively in theatre, having co-founded the Three Fates Theatre Company.

Matthew Lillard as Henry Grayle

Matthew Lillard: 56
Henry Grayle: 50s (exact age unconfirmed)

Here’s another actor who seems pretty close in age to his character, although Henry Grayle’s exact age isn’t revealed in the series. Given that he’s an experienced school principal, it’s believed he’s in his 50s.

Henry is the principal of Ewen High School, meaning he’s got the unenviable job of dealing with Carrie’s difficult classmates and their even more difficult parents.

Of course, Matthew Lillard needs very little introduction. He’s best known for playing Stu Macher in Scream and Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, and more recently he appeared in Five Nights at Freddy’s.

And this isn’t his first Mike Flanagan project either, having previously appeared in The Life of Chuck.

Amber Midthunder as Rita Desjardin

Amber Midthunder: 29
Rita Desjardin: 20s (exact age unconfirmed)

At 29, Amber Midthunder is another actor playing a younger character, although Rita Desjardin’s exact age is a little harder to pin down. She’s a new teacher at Ewen High School, having only started working there a few months before the events of the series.

Thankfully, Rita is one of the adults who actually seems to care about Carrie. As the school’s gym teacher, she’s horrified by the bullying Carrie experiences and does her best to stand up for her.

As for Amber, she’s known for her starring role as Naru in Prey, the critically acclaimed Predator prequel. You might also recognise her from Legion, Roswell, New Mexico and Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which she plays Princess Yue.

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Featured image credit: Prime Video