They played together in the movie but we had no idea that they aren't just playing! These on-screen families are actually related in real life and shared the screen together. Most of us will never want to work alongside our parents, but in Hollywood, co-starring next to your famous relative, can boost up an acting career and paving the way to an Oscar nomination. For most of the celebrities, playing alongside their real family in the movie or a television show, contributed to their performance, making it more emotional, authentic, and sometimes can even be an opportunity for the actors to say lines from the heart and not only from the script.
1. The Wilson Brothers Played The Wright Brothers In 'Around The World In 80 Days'
Luke and Owen Wilson portrayed Orville and Wilbur Wright. This wasn't the first time the Wilson brothers played together, we have also seen them in 'Bottle Rocket' (1996), 'The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001), and 'Wendell Baker Story' (2005).
Although they played together in some movies, The Wilson's brothers didn't always play brothers. In 'Bottle Rocket' they were just friends, in 'The Royal Tenenbaums' they were neighbors and best friends, and In 'Wendell Baker' they were coworkers.
2. Tom Hanks And Colin Hanks Played Father And Son In 'The Great Buck Howard'
Colin Hanks and his father played together in 'The Thing Yu Do' back in 1996 which was the first movie ever for Colin. In 'The Great Buck Howard' from 2008, Colin got the leading role and Tom was the producer.
In one of his interviews, Colin said that being the son of a famous actor did help to push his career forward, but that also means that people can have a really high expectation that is not always easy to meet.
3. Jake Gyllenhaal And His Sister, Maggie, Played Siblings Donnie And Elizabeth Darko In 'Donnie Darko'
The two incredibly taleted siblings started acting in their youth. They both established their solo career in Hollywood and eventually star in 'Donnie Darko' as siblings. Richard Kelly, 'Donnie Darko' director, said that it wasn't easy to convince Maggie that she wasn't offered the job just because her brother was in it.
Thank god Maggie finally took the part alongside her brother because the chemistry between the brothers on screen is something that no other actors could play.
4. Angelina Jolie And Her Father, Jon Voight, Played Lara And Richard Croft In 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'
The relationship between Angelina Jolie And Her Father Jon Voight is a rocky one. Angelina grew up without her father who also did not support his children financially. It was only around 2000 that these famous fathers and daughter rediscovered their relationship and bonded through Angelina's children.
The first time Angelina and Her Father, Jon Voight, played together was in 1982 in 'Looking To Get Out' when Angelina was just seven years old. In 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' they portrayed a father and daughter again, this time, in a much better place in their relationship.
5. Leslie Mann And Her Daughters, Iris And Maude Apatow, Played Debbie And Her Children In 'Knocked Up'
Not only did Iris and Maud Apatow played Debbie's daughters, their father, Lesslie Mann's husband. Judd Apatow directed the movie. He took his family to another movie he directed in the same role in 'This Is 40' (2012).
When talking about their daughter's acting career, parents Leslie and Judd sound proud and say that their girls are not scared that cameras are around. They feel so natural on set that sometimes they argue or fight without noticing that the camera is rolling.
6. Spouses Emily Blunt And John Krasinski Played Husband And Wife In 'A Quiet Place'
The power couple, Emily Blunt And John Krasinski have never played together before this movie. Romer has it that Emily hesitated before taking this role. She didn't want the focus of the movie to be that she and John are also married in real life.
It was only after both Emily Blunt And John Krasinski read the script, they decided that the fact that they are married will actually help them to portray their relationship and make it feel real to the people who are watching.
7. Sylvester Stallone Played In 'Rocky V' (1990) With His Son Sage
Sylvester Stallone and his son Sage didn't have the perfect father-son relashenship. Sage admitted that some lines in the movie reflected exactly what he felt for his father thous day, for example, You never spend time with me! You never spend time with my mother!'.
After filming 'Rocky' Sage and Stallone they decided to work on their relationship and they were ready to do whatever it takes for one another. Sage passed away at the age of 36, and his father was devastated. Stallone said that there is no greater pain than losing a child.
8. Eugene Levy And Dan Levy Played Father And Son On 'Schitt's Creek'
Eugene And Dan Levy not only played father and son in this series, but they also co-wrote it. It was Dan's that came to his father with the idea for the show and asked him if he would like to work together. Eugene says that he happily agreed because it was the first time that his son came to him for help.
Eugene was impressed by his son's writing and with his work ethic. Dan was able to see his father act which he admitted was a unique experience for him that made him understand better why he chose to do what he does.
9. Wanda Ventham And Timothy Carlton, Benedict Cumberbatch's Parents, Played Sherlock's Mom And Dad On 'Sherlock'
Benedict Cumberbatch's real-life parents are both professional actors and they appeared in the television series as Sherlock's parents. Cumberbatch revealed that they were all quite nervous at first, and it took them some time to manage their stress.
Overall the family is proud of her performance and Cumberbatch said it was super fun working with his parents.
10. Mamie Gummer And Meryl Streep Played Mother And Daughter In Ricki And 'The Flash'
Mamie and her mom Meryl Streep have a totally different relashenship than the one shown in this movie. Mamie even said that it was hard on her to say some of the mean lines in the script to her mom's face.
Maine said that she is probably "one of the five people on earth that is not intimidated to work alongside Meryl Streep" when the other four being the rest of her family.
11. Will Smith And His Son Jaden Played Christopher Gardner Jr. And Chris Gardner In 'The Pursuit Of Happyness'
This was Jaden's first big role and it was a success. Jaden was 8 when the movie was shot and when talking about working together, father Will Smith said that he learned so much from his son especially about making the character real.
Jaden and Will Smith also appeared in After Earth in 2013 together. Jaden also made a brief appearance in 'Men In Black 2'. Smith played with his daughter Willow in the movie 'I Am Legend' in 2007.
12. Ben Stiller And His Dad, Jerry, Played Father And Son In 'The Heartbreak Kid'
The comedic father-son duo appeared in several movies together: Zoolander, Heavyweights, and Hot Pursuit. Sadly, in May 2020, Jerry Stiller passed away at 92 years of age.
Ben Stiller said in an interview that he has only good things to say about his father, that never yelled at him not even once, always protected and supported his career.
13. Ryan O'Neal Played With His Daughter Tatum In The Movie 'Paper Moon'
Ryan O'Neal thought that playing along with his daughter, Tatum, in a movie will make them closer as he was separated from her mother, Joanna Moore. The movie was a success and Tatum won an oscar for it as a supporting actress but it didn't make her and her dad closer. on the contrary.
Tatum said that she could see in her father's eyes the resentment that he felt with her success. She said that instead of feeling happy winning prized for her performance, she mainly felt sad for losing the support she needed from her father.
14. Jennifer Connelly And Her Spouse Paul Bettany Played In 'Creation'
The two actors met back in 2001 on the set of the movie 'A Buetiiful Mind'. Although they were in different relationships then, they finally got married in 2003. Paul Bettany said that it was amazing working with his wife and that he was looking forward to it for quite some time.
The couple said that their performance in 'A Beautiful Mind' did not influence their story because their real relationship was so far from the one in the script.
15. Bruce Willis And His Daughter Rumer Played Jeff And Amanda Talley In 'Hostage'
It was actually Rumer Willis who asked her father to play in 'Hostage'. Supraisenly for her, her father Bruce wanted her to audition for the part as a regular actor and work for the role.
Rumer did the audition and won the part. Bruce admitted that the movie became much more emotional for him due to the fact that his real daughter played his character's child in the movie.
16. The Douglas Family Plays The Gromberg Family In 'It Runs In The Family'
Kirk Douglas alongside his son Michael and his son Camron is playing the three generations of the Gromberg family in the movie 'It Runs In The Family. They play exactly the same family relations they share in real life.
Kirk and Michael wanted to play together in a movie for a while and finally did it. They decided to ask Cameron to join them and even Michael's mom, Diana Douglas, played in this movie as Kirk's character wife.
17. Matthew Perry And John Bennett Perry Played Father And Son In 'Fools Rush In'
John Bennett Perry Played Matthew Perry's dad, in the movie 'Fools Rush In'.They also played father and son in one episode of the sitcom 'Scrubs' back in 2004.
John Bennett Perry also appeared in 'Friends', but this time he played the father of Rachel Green's boyfriend Joshua in the episode 'The One with Rachel's New dress' (1998).
18. Siblings John And Joan Cusack Played Brother And Sister In 'Martian Child'
Brothers John And Joan Cusack shared the screen for the first time with a relatively minor role in Class from 1983. After that, they worked together numerous times. The movie that we all remember most is 'Hight fidelity' from 2000 Although they did not play brother and sister there.
The fun fact is that although this brother-sister duo played in dozens of movies together, they have never played siblings! even in 'Hight fidelity' Joan Cusack played Jhon's best friend and ex-girlfriend.
19. Henry Fonda And His Daughter Jane Shared The Screen In 'On Golden Pond'
Just like the character she is playing in the Pond, Jane Fonda didn't have a close relashenship with her father Henry. In an interview given by Jane, she said that she especially remembers one scene where she tells her father that she wants to be his friend and then touches his arm.
Jane and her father Henry never talked about that emotional scene in the movie, mostly because Henry wasn't interested in sorting their relashenship. Jane admitted that she regrets not saying anything until it was too late.
20. Martin Sheen And Charlie Sheen Played Father And Son In 'Wall Street'
Charlie plays Bud Fox, who gets involved in some illegal business and his father is not approving the path his son has taken. Martin Sheen played Charlie's father in two other movies: No Code Of Contact from 1998 and in two episodes of 'Spin City' from 2002.
This is not the first time Martin Sheen played with his son. His other child, Emilio Estevez, played his son in the movies 'The War At Home', 'In The Custody Of Strangers', and 'The Way' from 2010.
21. Miley Cyrus' Dad Billy Ray Played Her Character's Father In 'Hannah Montana'
Miley Cyrus became a superstar thanks to the Hanna Montana character she played on the Disney channel. She played in the show with her father and on-screen it always looks like they have a wonderful relationship and a way of solving all of their conflicts.
Years later, Miley's father, Billy Ray, admitted that the show nearly destroyed their family. Miley was getting in many scandals, and Billy Ray was blaming himself for it and wished that he would have been a better dad.
22. Michael And Autumn Chiklis Play Father And Daughter In The 'Shield'
Autumn Chiklis said that she felt lucky to have been able to work with her father and that she learned set etiquette from him like how important it is to show up to set on time and be nice to everyone. She said that even though her dad looks like a tough guy, he is really lovely and companionable.
Autumn Chiklis said that she and her father has a great relashenship and she considers her dad to be her best friend. They enjoyed working together and hopes that they will have another chance to do it again soon.
23. Andie MacDowell and Rainey Qualley In 'Mighty Fine'
Rainey Qualley played with her mom, Andie MacDowell, in the movie 'Mighty Fine'. Rainey says that as a child, she used to love visiting her mom on set and that she was always drawn to the performing arts as a child.
Rainey said that she got full support from her mom pursuing her acting career but as expected from her much-experienced mom, Andie MacDowell, she did get the advice about how tough the industry can be.
24. Angelina Jolie And Vivienne Jolie-Pitt In 'Maleficent'
Angelina Jolie's daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt made a brief cameo in her mom's movie 'Maleficent' when she was only four years old. Jolie said that the only reason Vivienne took part in this movie was that she was the only child that wasn't terrified of Jolie in her getup.
Angelina Jolie said in an interview that she prefers that her kids do not pursue an acting career but making a brief cameo and visiting her on set is still fine because it actually allows her to spend more time with her kids while working.
25. Gwyneth Paltrow And Her Mom Blythe Danner In 'Sylvia'
Gwyneth Paltrow was already a big name in Hollywood by the time she starred in the movie 'Sylvia' back in 2003. Paltrow portrayed the poet Sylvia Plath opposite her mom, Blythe Danner.
The movie tells the story of Sylvia and her fellow poet, Ted Hughes, played by Daniel Craig. Blythe players Sylvia's mother, Aurelia.
26. Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd In 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
When Carrie Fisher returned to the Star Wars Sage in 2015, she did so alongside her real-life daughter, Billie Lourd. It was Fisher who encouraged her Laourd to audition, and the two shared the screen in both 'The Force Awakens' and 'The Last Jedi'.
Lourd says that as a child, her parents kept her away from film sets and cautioned her away from becoming an actor, but as she got older she found herself fascinated by her mom's career, and decided to pursue a solo acting career.
27. Diane Ladd and Laura Dern In 'Enlightened,' 'Wild at Heart,' and 'Rambling Rose'
Laura Dern made her film debut alongside Diane Ladd in 'White Lighting', but the role remained uncredited. The most spectacular movie this mother-daughter duo shared was in Davis Lynch's ' 'Wild at Heart'.
Ladd and Dern played together in another famous movie, 'Rambling Rose'. Denn earned an Oscar nomination for best actress for the film, and Ladd earned for best-supporting actress. They were the first mother-daughter duo to earn Oscar nomination for their role in the same movie.
28. Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri In 'The Banger Sisters'
From TV to movies, Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri have shared a lot of screen time together. Their best performance together was in season 7 of the TV series Friend.
In this hilarious scene, Susan's character, Jessica Lockhart, slapped Amurri when they portrayed soap opera stars on 'Days Of Our Lives', opposite Joey Tribbiani.
29. Tina Fey and Alice Zenobia Richmond In '30 Rock'
Tina Fey's real-life mini-me played the young version of her mom's character, Liz Lemon, in '30 Rock'. Definitely. one of the most epic castings of the year.
Alice Zenobia appeared in a flashback scene where Lemon recalled her first wedding experience, as a flower girl. The 7 years old girl showed off a major attitude, complete with an eye roll.
30. Demi Moore and Rumer Willis In 'Striptease'
One of Demi Moore's memorable performances was in the movie 'Striptease'. Moore played with her real-life daughter Rumer, who really wanted to do this role with her mom. After Demi discuss it with her husband, they decided to let her try an audition.
Moore explained that she didn't mind her daughter seeing her character nude and said that she doesn't shame the body and that she encourages the body as something beautiful and natural. She also said that her children bathe with her and are used to seeing her wandering around the house naked.
31. Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson In 'Evening'
The famous stars worked together whenever the opportunity presented itself. Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson starred as mother and daughter in 'Evening', and reunited for a concert production of 'A Little Night Music.
The mother-daughter duo had planned to co-star in the Brodway revival of the show before Richardson's sudden death in a tragic ski accident in 2009. Redgrave said that even today, more than ten years after her mom's death, she is still grieving and missing her every day.
32. Kyra Sedgwick and Sosie Bacon In 'The Closer'
Kyra Sedgwick wasn't wild about having her daughter, Sosie Bacon, getting involved in the acting world. It was the idea of one of the producers of Sedgwick's hit TV show 'The Closer', that finally convinced Sedgwick to give her daughter a chance to audition.
Sosie Bacon starred in a four-episode stint as Brenda Leigh Jonshon's trouble-making niece, Charlie. You may also recognize Bacon as Skye Miller from the successful TV show '13 Reasons Why'.
33. Melanie Griffith, Dakota Johnson and Stella Banderas, 'Crazy in Alabama'
Since Antonio Banderas directed 'Crazy in Alabama', back in 1999, he cast his stepdaughter Dakota Johnson and his biological daughter Stella Banderas, opposite their mother Melanie Griffith.
Since then, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith got divorced, but Bandaras and his ex- stepdaughter stayed good friends despite the fact that they are no longer relative. Dakota Johnson is well known for her role in 'Fifty Shades of Gray'.
34. Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli In 'In the Good Old Summertime'
Acting legend Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli made a brief splash in 'The Good Old Summertime. Minnelli's cameo in the movie was so short that she didn't even get a film credit, but the scene will live on in cinematic history.
Liza Minnelli played Veronica and Andrew's daughter found herself as a small child in 1948 walking around the set with her famous mom. The movie became a huge hit and his final scene that portrayed this mother-daughter duo made every viewer smile.
35. Peggy Lipton and Rashida Jones In 'Angie Tribeca'
Twin Peaks star, Peggy Lipton, starred on Rashida Jones's show 'Angie Tribeca'. In season 3 Lipton guest-starred as detective Tribeca's mother who happens to work in a forensic lab.
Rashida Jones is the daughter of actress Peggy Lipton and legendary musician Quincy Jones. Rashida also directed a documentary movie about her father's career called 'Quincy' that earned her a Grammy for best music film in 2019.
36. Laurie Simmons and Lena Dunham In 'Tiny Furniture'
Famous artist Laurie Simmons dipped her feet in the acting pool by starring in Lena Dunham's first featured film, 'Tiny Furniture. Dunham directed and starred in the movie that came out in 2010. Dunham's real mom and sibling, Cyrus, co-starred with her.
In an interview about the movie, Simmons said that at first, she didn't want to take any part in the movie but later on she realized that Dunham was trying to do something, that the exploration was similar to things that she had done, so she decided to take it seriously.
37. Maureen O'Sullivan and Mia Farrow In 'Hannah and Her Sisters'
Initially, Maureen O'Sullivan did not want to star in 'Hannah and Her Sisters' because she didn't feel like the right fit. In an interview that was given by O'Sullivan, she said that when director Woody Allen offered her the role she felt that she is too old to play Mia's mother.
Mia Farrow said that her mom was the perfect candidate for the role and the fact that they are a real mother and daughter, gave an extra layer to the characters and reflected in the authenticity of the movie.
38. Ingrid Bergman and Isabella Rossellini In 'A Matter of Time'
'A Matter of Time' is the movie that signified Isabella Rossellini's movie debut, and also the first time she collaborated with her mother, legendary actress, Ingrid Bergman, on set.
Isabella Rossellini appears in the movie as a nun, sister Nina Pia, that is sent to countess Lucretia Sanziani's bedside but showed up just as the countess dies.
39. Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith In 'Roar'
Best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's hit movie 'The Birds', Tippi Hedren also starred alongside her famous daughter, Melanie Griffith, in 'Roar' in 1981. The movie was one of the dangerous movies ever made, considering that Griffith was almost mauled to death by an enormous lion.
The Cast of the movie 'Roar', including Hedren and Griffith, faced many dangerous situations and some of them got injured as a result of multiple animal attacks. In the end, Griffith decided to leave the film after a fight between two lions, saying she didn't want to "come out of this movie with half a face".
40. Dakota And Her Sister Elle Fanning In 'I Am Sam'
Sisters Dakota And Her Sister Elle Fanning began their film careers together playing the same character, at different ages in 'I Am Sam'. Dakota, the elder of the sisters, took the lead and wasted no time creating a marquee name for herself.
Younger sister Elle started her career playing the young version of her sister but did get some supporting roles in movies like 'Babel' and Sofia Coppola's hit movie 'Somewhere' from 2010.