The real ages of Netflix’s The Body cast compared to their teenage characters

If you think you know what The Body is about, you don’t. The genre-bending new series has just landed on Netflix and it’s addictive TV. Plus, it’s got a seriously exciting cast of rising stars.

Created by Quinn Shephard, the eight-part series follows a group of Catholic schoolgirls whose dance team initiation goes horribly wrong. Soon, they’re experiencing strange visions, and what starts as a teenage secret spirals into mass hysteria across their town.

It’s honestly giving horror Euphoria, with plenty of dark mystery. Oh, and it’s also set in 2004, so it’s packed with noughties nostalgia.

Given the cast are playing high schoolers, you might be wondering how old they actually are in real life. So, here are the ages of The Body cast compared to their characters. (Just a heads-up: The show doesn’t confirm everyone’s exact age, so we’ve estimated how old the characters are based on their school year where possible.)

Kristina Bogic as Anya Butler

• Kristina Bogic: 19
• Anya Butler: 17-18

We’re used to people pushing 30 playing teenagers. But at just 19, Kristina Bogic is actually pretty close in age to her The Body character, Anya Butler. Even though this is one of her first major international roles, she absolutely nails it.

Anya is in her senior year and the popular captain of the Lions dance team. From the outside, her life seems pretty perfect. She’s got a boyfriend, plenty of friends and a reputation to maintain. But beneath all that, she’s struggling with her feelings for her best friend Elise. And things only get worse after the disastrous Halloween initiation.

As for Kristina, she previously appeared in Playing Gracie Darling and Howl. She’s also a singer and dancer, having won the Wyndham Rising Stars Competition when she was just 12.

Sara Boustany as Elise Zakaria

• Sara Boustany: 23
• Elise Zakaria: 17-18

Sara Boustany might be 23 in real life, but she’s back in high school for The Body, playing Anya’s best friend Elise Zakaria.

Elise is one of the coolest girls on the dance team, although there’s a lot more going on beneath her tough exterior. She’s secretly in love with Anya, who isn’t quite ready to acknowledge her own feelings. And this makes their already complicated friendship even messier.

And if Sara looks familiar, you might recognise her from the comedy series Pen15, where she played Miranda. She’s also appeared in Hello, Beautiful and Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings.

Oh, and here’s a fun little casting detail. Sara actually auditioned to play Anya before the casting team decided she’d be better suited to Elise. Given how central their relationship is to the Netflix show, it’s hard to imagine her playing anyone else now.

Geena Meszaros as Lisbeth Anderson

• Geena Meszaros: Not publicly confirmed
• Lisbeth Anderson: 17-18

Sorry to leave her entry blank, but even though Geena Meszaros is one of The Body’s main stars, her age quite literally isn’t anywhere online. In this show, she plays Lisbeth Anderson, the new girl at school who desperately wants to become part of the Lions dance team.

Lisbeth has already been through quite enough before the series even begins. Her father has died under mysterious circumstances, her mother is struggling and she’s questioning the religious beliefs she grew up with.

Joining the dance team seems like the perfect opportunity to make some friends and start over. But you’ll soon realise there’s more to her beneath the surface.

Even though her exact age isn’t known, Geena has been acting for a long time, having first appeared in the short film Big O in 2015. Since then, she’s gone on to star in Netflix’s Wayward, where she played Oatmeal Beth. She’s also appeared in High School, The Order and In Cold Light.

Jackson Kelly as Leo Anderson

• Jackson Kelly: 23
• Leo Anderson: 16–17

At 23, Jackson Kelly is around six or seven years older than his The Body character, Leo Anderson, who’s still navigating the horrors of high school. And that’s before all the genuinely terrifying stuff begins.

Leo is Lisbeth’s younger brother, a quiet, anxious teenager with a scarily intense crush on Grace Franklin. Unfortunately, the events surrounding her initiation turn his life upside down, and he soon finds himself tangled up in the mystery.

As for Jackson, you might recognise him as David Saunders in HBO’s The Pitt. He’s also appeared in the horror series Chucky, as well as Imperfect Women.

Interestingly, Jackson revealed that he’d written about wanting to become a series regular on a Netflix show in his diary before landing The Body. It’s quite the manifestation.

Sofia Wylie as Grace Franklin

• Sofia Wylie: 22
• Grace Franklin: 16–17

At 22, Sofia Wylie is around five or six years older than her The Body character. But she’s so convincing as Grace Franklin that you’d never guess.

Grace is a talented dancer who’s desperate to join the Lions. But what should be an exciting opportunity quickly turns into a nightmare when her initiation goes horribly wrong. And it’s Grace’s fate that sets much of the series’ increasingly disturbing events in motion.

Of course, Sofia is probably one of the most recognisable younger faces in the cast. Disney fans will know her as Gina in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She also played Buffy Driscoll in Andi Mack.

Outside of Disney, she starred as Agatha in Netflix’s fantasy film The School for Good and Evil. And given that Sofia started out as a dancer before becoming an actress, playing an aspiring Lions member is a perfect fit.

Shirley Chen as Maddie Delaney

• Shirley Chen: Around 26
• Maddie Delaney: 17-18

Shirley Chen’s exact age hasn’t been confirmed. But she graduated from Harvard University in 2022, suggesting she’s now around 25 or 26. That would make her roughly eight or nine years older than her The Body character, Maddie Delaney.

Maddie is another member of the Lions dance team. However, she’s temporarily sidelined after suffering an injury, leaving the girls searching for someone to take her place. And that’s where Grace comes in.

If Shirley looks familiar, there’s a good chance you’ve seen her in Dìdi, the acclaimed coming-of-age film in which she played Vivian Wang. Some of her other acting credits include Slanted, Beast Beast, Quiz Lady and The Resident.

Nnamdi Asomugha as Father Franklin

• Nnamdi Asomugha: 45
• Father Franklin: Around 40

At 45, Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the more established members of The Body cast. And unlike the younger actors, he isn’t having to pretend he’s still in high school. We’ve estimated his character’s age, but it’s unconfirmed in the show.

Nnamdi plays Father Franklin – or “Daddy Franklin” as he’s known by the students. He’s the school’s religious leader and Grace’s uncle. When the girls begin experiencing strange visions, he’s left trying to make sense of what’s happening while keeping his frightened community together.

Of course, Nnamdi had a successful career long before he started acting. He spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, and was widely regarded as one of the league’s best cornerbacks.

Since retiring from American football, he’s built an impressive acting career, appearing in films including Crown Heights, Sylvie’s Love and The Knife.

Louisa Krause as Catherine Anderson

• Louisa Krause: 40
• Catherine Anderson: Around 40

Louisa Krause is 40 years old, and much like Daddy Franklin, we’re guessing her character Catherine Anderson’s age based on her backstory, as it’s not confirmed.

Catherine is Lisbeth and Leo’s deeply religious mother, who’s struggling with chronic illness and the aftermath of her husband’s death. But as the strange events at the school unfold, we soon learn she’s hiding some pretty disturbing secrets of her own.

As for Louisa, she’s probably best known for playing Anna Garner in The Girlfriend Experience. You might also recognise her as Lu in Billions, or from films including Martha Marcy May Marlene, Young Adult and Maggie Moore(s).

Kyra Pierce as Bailey Bradley

• Kyra Pierce: 19
• Bailey Bradley: 16-18

The Lions’ exact ages aren’t confirmed, so we’re estimating that the girls are between 16 and 18. That means 19-year-old Kyra Pierce is actually pretty close in age to her character Bailey Bradley, one of Anya’s fellow dancers.

And here’s something pretty cool: Kyra is a professional dancer in real life too. She’s part of the Detroit Pistons’ NBA dance team alongside her identical twin sister Phallon. The pair are also studying biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan. Talk about talent!

Phallon Pierce as Brit Bradley

• Phallon Pierce: 19
• Brit Bradley: 16-18

Yep, Bailey and Brit really are twins! Phallon Pierce plays Brit Bradley, another member of the Lions. And she’s 19 in real life, just like her sister Kyra.

The twins have both appeared in Chicago Fire and South Side, so The Body isn’t their first time on TV. Away from the screen, Phallon and Kyra are the founders of Positive Change Charities, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting representation in literature for young readers.

Bella Neuspiel as Katie

• Bella Neuspiel: Not publicly confirmed
• Katie: 16-18

Bella Neuspiel plays Katie, another of the Lions caught up in the increasingly bizarre events surrounding Grace’s initiation.

Her exact age isn’t publicly confirmed, so we can’t say how much older she is than her teenage character. What we do know is Bella has previously appeared in the horror film Spirit in the Blood, meaning she’s already got some experience with creepy stories. Very handy for a show like this.

Sarah Abbott as Olivia

• Sarah Abbott: 20
• Olivia: 16-18

At 20, Sarah Abbott is only a few years older than Olivia, another member of the dance team who finds herself caught up in the chaos at St. Mark’s Catholic School.

Sarah has been acting since she was young, and she’s no stranger to Netflix shows. Her many credits include Black Mirror, V-Wars and Ginny & Georgia.

Emily Roman as Claire

• Emily Roman: 23
• Claire: 16-18

Emily Roman is 23 in real life, making her at least five years older than her character Claire, one of the Lions dancers alongside Anya, Elise and the Bradley twins.

And she’s certainly no stranger to dance-focused shows. Emily previously appeared in The Next Step, the Canadian teen drama about a competitive dance studio. She’s also starred in The Lake and Anne With an E.

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Featured image credit: Netflix