10 Movies Starred By Family Members

Making a film must be a lot of hard work. From developing the story to casting, there are many things to take into consideration. Finding actors who have chemistry in front of the camera and can convincingly portray the relationship of their characters is also a big challenge. That’s why, there are production companies that take the risk of putting actors who already have some kind of relationship in the same movie, and in some cases, the result is quite successful.

1. Brad Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

In the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, we could briefly see little Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, at about two years, old playing the role of the daughter of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). This was her first time in the acting business. Then in 2016, Shiloh was the voice of the character Shuai Shuai in the movie Kung Fu Panda 3.

2. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko

The film Donnie Darko, which was released in 2008, stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the main role and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal. Writer and director Richard Kelly was interested in Maggie because he believed the two siblings would be able to portray more easily the healthy rivalry that often exists between family members.

3. Kirk, Cameron, and Michael Douglas in It Runs in the Family

The film It Runs in the Family features three generations of actors who belong to the same family. Kirk Douglas plays Mitchell Gromberg, the father of Alex Gromberg (Michael Douglas), who is his own son outside of fiction. Like Kirk, Michael brings to life the father of his own son Cameron Douglas, who plays the character of Asher Gromberg.

4. Leslie Mann and her daughters in Knocked Up

In the movie Knocked Up, we could see actress Leslie Mann playing Debbie, a married woman with two daughters. However, for the choice of actresses to play the two little girls, the director and husband of Leslie in the real world, Judd Apatow, preferred to incorporate their two daughters.

5. John and Joan Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank

Actor John Cusack is the protagonist of the film Grosse Pointe Blank, in which several members of his family participate. His sister, the also popular actress Joan Cusack, was chosen for the role of Marcella.

6. Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen in Cadence

Martin and Charlie Sheen have appeared together in several films, such as No Code of Conduct and Wall Street, among others. One of their most remembered works is Cadence, where Charlie had the leading role. In one scene of the movie, McKinney (Martin Sheen) says to Bean (Charlie Sheen), “I have a son the same age as you.” This was true in real life because these two actors are father and son outside of fiction.

7. Ben and Casey Affleck in Good Will Hunting

The film Good Will Hunting was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, both friends in real life. To be part of the group of friends, Ben’s brother, Casey Affleck, was chosen to play the role of Morgan. Casey improvised most of the script, and according to various comments, it was much funnier than the lines he was supposed to say.

8. Luke and Owen Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums

This wacky and funny movie features brothers Luke and Owen Wilson in the roles of Richie and Eli. Both were so excited to work on The Royal Tenenbaums that they turned down an offer to appear in Ocean’s Eleven.

9. Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

In the mythical movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Angelina Jolie and her father Jon Voight recreated in fiction their father-daughter relationship. Angelina decided to work on this film also because of the exotic places they would visit. This is how she fell in love with Cambodia and ended up adopting there her first son Maddox.

10. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place

In the silent but magnificent film A Quiet Place, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt were cast to play the married couple, Evelyn and Lee Abbott. The actors, who were already a couple before working on this production, got married in 2010 and have two daughters, Hazel and Violet Krasinski. This was the first movie that the two played together, as they did not share scenes in The Muppets.

What other film do you know of family members acting alongside? Which member of your family would you like to star in a film with? What would it be about?