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A type of body swap!
Aug. 20th, 2020 06:49 pmA friend and I were talking about a very interesting trope in SF/F: an older character inhabiting the body of a younger person, or vice-versa.
Examples we could think of are:
-Five in the Umbrella Academy, who is an older man in the body of a teenager.
-Trevor Holden in Travelers, a very old man in the body of a teenager (the actor is somewhat older than the character though).
-Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in "Third Rock from the Sun," which I barely remember and did not watch regularly.
-Freaky Friday films, which involve a kid/adult body swap.
-Big, in which Tom Hanks plays a kid in the body of a grown-up.
-13 going on 30, which I don't think I ever watched, or maybe did and forgot it.
I love Five and Trevor especially, and the actors do such a great job portraying these characters. There is a kind of confidence in movement and action that suggests these people are at ease with themselves, in a way that young people often are not. The trope touches on a fantasy of having a young body that has energy and health, paired with an older, wiser, soul; or conversely, having an adult body with its associated freedoms and respect, but with a sense of child-like wonder and play, as in "Big."
Five is in his own younger body due to time travel. His personality is that of a grumpy old man: he's caustic and impatient, and focused on getting things done. The actor is 16-year old Aiden Gallagher.
Trevor Holden is, in contrast, gentle and kind, willing to break rules to help other people, firm in setting boundaries. The body he's occupying is that of a popular high-school athlete. The actor, Jared Abramson, was about 30 when the show aired.
What do you think about this trope? Do you know of other examples?
Examples we could think of are:
-Five in the Umbrella Academy, who is an older man in the body of a teenager.
-Trevor Holden in Travelers, a very old man in the body of a teenager (the actor is somewhat older than the character though).
-Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in "Third Rock from the Sun," which I barely remember and did not watch regularly.
-Freaky Friday films, which involve a kid/adult body swap.
-Big, in which Tom Hanks plays a kid in the body of a grown-up.
-13 going on 30, which I don't think I ever watched, or maybe did and forgot it.
I love Five and Trevor especially, and the actors do such a great job portraying these characters. There is a kind of confidence in movement and action that suggests these people are at ease with themselves, in a way that young people often are not. The trope touches on a fantasy of having a young body that has energy and health, paired with an older, wiser, soul; or conversely, having an adult body with its associated freedoms and respect, but with a sense of child-like wonder and play, as in "Big."
Five is in his own younger body due to time travel. His personality is that of a grumpy old man: he's caustic and impatient, and focused on getting things done. The actor is 16-year old Aiden Gallagher.
Trevor Holden is, in contrast, gentle and kind, willing to break rules to help other people, firm in setting boundaries. The body he's occupying is that of a popular high-school athlete. The actor, Jared Abramson, was about 30 when the show aired.
What do you think about this trope? Do you know of other examples?
