Tavia wrote:
Men with Tarrant/Pacey's appearance tend to look up to a decade younger than their age. This would fit with a 35-year-old (to fit the back-story) looking around 25.
I don't have any problem fitting Tarrant's backstory to where he matches Steven Pacey's age (I've sent my Tarrant "bio" often enough that I won't bore the list with a repeat now). Which also fits the character for me. Avon refers to Tarrant as "young" in TRAITOR, so he has to be younger enough than Avon that there is a discernible difference. And Tarrant's actions are those of a "young" man who is only within the course of the series recognizing his morality. His energy, his optimism (while living in a dark society), his naivety all seem to me to be more consistent with 20-something than 30-something.
I can see Tarrant as young as 21-22 in Powerplay or as "old" as 24-25, but older than that simply doesn't work with the character as he's presented on the screen (for me).
Which isn't to say that other fans can't interpret Tarrant's age (or any of the characters who aren't tied to a specific age by canon) in a manner that matches their perceptions. I've long noticed that most fans regard Jenna to be older than I do, and Cally and Avon as younger than I do.
Carol