17 Actors Who Look So Much Like Their Famous Parents They Were Cast To Play Them
Plenty of people grow up being told they look just like their parents, and plenty of parents constantly hear that, wow, their child looks just like them. While most of us wouldn't give it much of a thought, many actors have used their generational resemblance to share roles with their closest relatives.
NBC / Via giphy.com
Here are 17 times actors played the younger version of their parents:
1.Ever Anderson played the younger version of Alicia Marcus, her mother Mila Jovovich's character, in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
It was directed by Ever's dad, Paul W.S. Anderson.
2.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson played his wrestler father, Rocky, on a 1999 episode of That ‘70s Show.
It was The Rock's first acting role.
3.In Evening, Mamie Gummer played the 1950s version of Lila Wittenborn Ross, while her mother Meryl Streep played the present-day version.
Meryl and Mamie teamed up again when they played mother and daughter in Ricki and the Flash eight years later in 2015. They previously played similar roles in Heartburn in 1986.
4.O'Shea Jackson Jr. played his dad Ice Cube in the biopic Straight Outta Compton.
O'Shea told News Corp Australia Network, "[Director F. Gary Gray] knew that this movie had to be authentic and nobody is going to handle this role as passionately as I would because it’s my family’s legacy."
5.Michael Gandolfini reprised his dad James's role as Tony Soprano in the upcoming The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark.
Michael watched The Sopranos for the first time while preparing for the role, which helped him feel connected to his late father. He told Esquire, "[There's a scene where Tony] yells at A.J., and he gets a pizza to apologize, and he sits by his son's bed and says, ‘I couldn't ask for a better son.' I just knew he was talking to me in that scene."
6.Michael Consuelos played the teenage version of Hiram Lodge, who's usually played by his dad Mark, in a flashback episode of Riverdale.
It was Michael's first audition. On Live with Kelly & Ryan — his mom's show — he said, "There were a bunch of people who could’ve been brothers or cousins…it looked like a bunch of Michaels in the audition room. "
7.Melissa Rivers played her mom Joan in Joy, a biopic about inventor Joy Mangano.
Melissa told the Hollywood Reporter, "I wanted to make sure it looked right. I wanted to make sure that it was respectful. And honestly, once the wig was on I stopped looking in a mirror — it was too bizarre."
8.Mario Van Peebles wrote, produced, directed, and starred as his filmmaker father Melvin in the biopic Baadasssss!
The film is based on Melvin's experience creating his 1971 indie film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, in which he also played the lead. Mario had a minor role as well, playing the younger iteration of Sweetback.
9.Former Phillies GM Rubén Amaro Jr. played his dad, former MLB player Rubén Amaro Sr., on two episodes of The Goldbergs.
A teenage version of Rubén Amaro Jr. is also a recurring character on the show because he went to high school with Adam F. Goldberg, the semi-autobiographical show's creator, in real life.
10.On the wedding episode of 30 Rock, Tina Fey's daughter Alice Richmond played Liz Lemon in a childhood flashback.
Alice also appeared on the 2020 30 Rock reunion special, A One-Time Special.
11.In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Willow Smith voiced the younger version of her mom Jada Pinkett Smith's character Gloria.
The experience inspired 7-year-old Willow to pursue acting, just like her mom.
12.C.J. Wallace played his father, rapper The Notorious B.I.G., as a child in Notorious.
C.J. told the Columbus Telegram, "Other people may look like him and dress in the same exact way, but I did well because I know how to react because my grandmother...told me about him and his actions and other things."
13.Sophia Loren played both her mother Romilda Villani and herself in Sophia Loren: Her Own Story.
Sophia played Romilda again in the miniseries My House Is Full of Mirrors (2010).
14.On an episode of Orange Is the New Black, Dasany Kristal Gonzalez played 14-year-old Daya, who's played by her mom Dascha Polanco as an adult, in a flashback.
Dascha told Latina, "[Dasany's] a blessing, a miracle baby."
15.Quinn Dempsey Stiller voiced the younger version of Alex the lion, who's played by his dad Ben, in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Ben and Quinn played father and son in Locked Down (2021), and they both had minor voice roles in Megamind (2010).
16.In Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Indio Falconer Downey played the 9-year-old version of his dad Robert Downey Jr.'s character Harry Lockhart.
Indio's stepmom Susan Downey produced the film.
17.And finally, Zoe Perry plays Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mom, on Young Sheldon, a role her mom Laurie Metcalf originated on The Big Bang Theory.
Zoe previously played a younger version of her mother's character Jackie on Roseanne.
