16 on-screen families that were actually played by real-life relatives
There's something exciting about discovering onscreen families related in real life. No matter how many times we may come across it, it blows our minds a little bit when we realise that some of our favourite acting duos are real-life spouses, mother-and-daughter duos, or siblings.
It's not uncommon for Hollywood stars to describe the cast and crew of a movie as “family” but sometimes, they mean it literally. In fact, it has happened a lot more than you may think. It's not always as obvious as Will Smith and a little Jaden in The Pursuit of Happiness or Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray in Hannah Montana. Often, the real-life relationship of some famous co-stars go completely over our heads, which is why we're here to highlight when onscreen worlds have aligned with reality.
Just recently, popular Netflix series Maid surprised fans (us, included) when they realised that the show's lead, Margaret Qualley, who plays Alex, a single mother trying to make ends meet for her daughter after leaving her abusive ex, is the real life daughter of Andie MacDowell, who plays her mother on the show. The chemistry between the two was so natural that it doesn't come a shock, but the majority of viewers were unaware of that the two were related in real life, according to reactions on Twitter.
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This isn't the first time the internet has been pleasantly surprised like this. Here are some of the most mind-blowing onscreen families related in real life…
Paramount PicturesAngelina Jolie and Jon Voight in Lara Croft
Angelina starred alongside her real-life father Jon Voight in her version of Lara Croft, the original 2002 screen adaption later remade with Alicia Vikander. Their collaboration didn't go quite to plan as an interview Voight did to promote the movie added fuel to the fire that was their already turbulent father-daughter relationship. At the time, Voight gave an interview to Access Hollywood and claimed that Jolie had “serious mental problems.” Jolie responded by legally dropping “Voight” from her name. The two have since been working on their relationship, with Aneglina revealing in 2017: “Jon and I have gotten to know each other — through grandchildren now — [and] we’re finding a new relationship."
MiramaxBruce Willis and Rumer in Hostage
Bruce Willis and his real life daughter Rumer played Jeff Talley and his daughter Amanda in 2005 film, Hostage, but it wasn't just a little nepotism that landed Rumer the role. In an interview with the BBC, Bruce said that he made his daughter audition after she expressed her interest in the role. "I'm not going to give you this part, you have to earn it," he told her.
CBCEugene, Dan and Sarah Levy in Schitt's Creek
Schitt's Creek is one of the best TV shows in the last decade, there's no disputing that. True fans will know that Eugene Levy and his son, Dan Levy, play on-screen father and son on the show. But did you know that his daughter, Sarah Levy, also stars in the show? Yep, the Canadian actor plays Twyla Sands, joining her father and brother in the cast. Talk about a family affair!
RICARDO HUBBS/NETFLIXAndie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley in Maid
Netflix series Maid became an instant hit among viewers when it dropped on the streaming service in October 2021, thanks to its poignant storytelling and relatability. Fans were pleasantly surprised when they learned that Margaret Qualley who plays main character Alex, is the real life daughter of her on-screen mother, Andie MacDowell.
According to an interview with Collider, Qualley had been cast as Alex relatively early on and suggested her mother MacDowell to be cast as Alex's mum, Paula. She has described her experience of working with her mother as “a real dream." Meanwhile, MacDowell felt the same, telling USA Today: “Every moment was precious for me. I really wanted to do a good job because it meant everything to me because I was scared it would never happen again.”
Universal PicturesLeslie Mann with Iris and Maude Apatow in Knocked Up
Leslie Mann is the queen of romcoms. She pretty much makes an appearance in most of our favourites and in 2007's Knocked Up, she brought her kids along too. Yep, we bet you didn't know that Mann's on-screen character Debbie's children, are actually her real-life daughters Iris and Maude Apatow. The film was directed by Mann's husband, Judd Apatow, so it was a whole family affair. Plus, their daughters went onto reprise their roles in their parents' next movie, This Is 40, once again playing Mann's on-screen kids while their dad was behind the camera.
DisneyMiley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus in Hannah Montana
Miley and her dad Billy Ray Cyrus are one of our favourite daddy-daughter duos in real life and on screen. The two starred alongside each other in the show that made Miley who she is today: Hannah Montana. The show is still one of the best things to ever come out of Disney Channel, much of which is due to Miley and Billy's organic chemistry.
Tom and Colin Hanks in The Great Buck Howard.
Tom Hanks acted alongside his son Colin Hanks in 2008's The Great Buck Howard. In the film, Colin plays Troy Gable, an aspiring writer who drops out of law school much to his father's dismay - the father being played by his real life dad, Tom, who was also a producer on the movie.
©Sony Pictures ReleasingWill and Jaden Smith in Pursuit of Happiness
Anyone who has watched Pursuit of Happiness knows that it's a real tear-jerker and what makes it even more special is that Will Smith (who plays the lead, Chris) stars alongside his son, Jaden Smith, who is very young and adorable in the 2006 film. Chris is a struggling professional trying to make ends meet for himself and his son after his wife decides to separate, leaving him financially broke with an unpaid internship in a brokerage firm and his son's custody to deal with.
Courtesy of Sony PicturesMeryl Streep and Mamie Gummer in Ricki and the Flash
Meryl Streep plays rockstar Ricki in Ricki and the Flash, which is a sight we hadn't got to see before this 2015 release. In the film, she is forced to return home to her estranged family, who she left behind to pursue her career - including her daughter, Julie Brummel, who is played by her real life offspring, Mamie Gummer.
TM & ©Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.Sylvester and Sage Stallone in Rocky V
Sylvester Stallone's late son, Sage, who tragically died from a heart attack in 2012 aged 36, starred alongside his father in Rocky V. He played his on-screen son, Rocky Balboa Jr. At the time, Sage told People magazine: "After the film, everything changed. We’d do anything for each other."
Arrow FilmsJake and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko
Maggie Gyllenhaal acted alongside her brother Jake in sci-fi flick Donnie Darko back in 2001 after landing a role as his on-screen sister. Unlike most, however, Maggie wasn't keen on the idea of nepotism coming into play for the gig, with director Richard Kelly, revealing that he had to convince her that they weren't offering her the part just because she was Jake's big sister. “ She was already trying to talk me out of casting her, in a very selfless way. And I was just really impressed by that, and by how strong-willed and determined [she was],” he said at the time.
Photo Credit: Zade RosenthalBen and Jerry Stiller in The Heartbreak Kid
Ben Stiller and his dad Jerry have been in a few films together, including Zoolander, but it was The heartbreak Kid that really showed off their chemistry as they played father and son, Eddie and Doc Cantrow.
Photo Credit: Jonny CournoyerEmily Blunt and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are one of our favourite Hollywood couples ever, so you can imagine our excitement when it was announced that they'd be starring alongside one another in 2018 horror, A Quiet Place. The two played on-screen spouses in the original movie and its sequel, which only featured Krasinski's character in flashbacks.
