Netflix’s Forever ‘Stayed True’ to Judy Blume’s Original Book—But Are the Cast Members Teenagers in Real Life?

Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark

Age: 26
Birthday: November 29, 1998

Lovie Simone started out her career in the OWN show Greenleaf playing the role of Zora Greenleaf. When she first got the script, she told Us Weekly, “I read it in one sitting and I was obsessed with it afterward. So the book made me want to get the role even more. But I am not too hip to the Judy Blume world. I only read Forever — but I wouldn’t put it past me to read all of her books. I like authors and reading all of their bodies of work so I see that in my near future.”

She also talked about how the time frame of the show was very nostalgic for her. “If you graduated high school in 2018 or 2019, this might be very nostalgic for you,” she told the site. “And 2018 or 2019 was a very nostalgic time. It was right before the pandemic and the emotions were at an all time high. So it was really fun to play with.”

Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards

Age: 23
Birthday: 2001

Like Simonie, Michael Cooper Jr. felt compelled to his character through the reliability.
“I read over my sides and there’s something really interesting that drew me to Justin, he told WWD. “Mara wrote a line that said, ‘He [Justin] had one foot in insecurity and one foot in confidence.’ And I thought that was something that we really don’t get to see all the time in its truest form, especially with males on television.”

Niles Fitch as Darius

Age: 23 
Birthday: July 12, 2001

Niles Fitch plays Darius, Justin’s best friend.

E’myri Crutchfield as Tammy

Age: 24 
Birthday: July 7, 2000

E’myri Crutchfield plays Tammy, Keisha’s track rival.

Ali Gallo as Chloe

Age: 26
Birthday: September 16, 1998

Ali Gallo plays Keisha’s best friend Chloe.

Barry Shabaka Henley as George

Age: 70
Birthday: September 15, 1954

Barry Shabaka Henley plays George, Keisha’s grandfather.

Xosha Roquemore as Shelly

Age: 40 years
Birthday: December 11, 1984

Xosha Roquemore plays Shelly, Keisha’s mother.

Karen Pittman as Dawn

Age: 38
Birthday: May 12, 1986

Karen Pittman plays Dawn, Justin’s mom.

Wood Harris as Eric

Age: 55
Birthday: October 17, 1969

Wood Harris plays Eric, Justin’s dad.

Paigion Walker as Tiffany

Age: 38
Birthday: September 27, 1986

Paigion Walker plays Tiffany, Keisha’s cousin.

Marvin Lawrence Winans III as Jaden

Age: 15
Birthday: 2011

Marvin Lawrence Winans III plays Jaden, Justin’s younger brother.