You know that saying, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? Often people realize that when somebody follows in their parents' footsteps. And it's even more true when it comes to celebrity kids who also become actors. Sometimes they even get roles because of their famous parents.
However, there is one instance where that works to the kids' advantage, and it's when they get to play their parents as children on the silver screen. Here are a few cool examples of that. Check it out.
I actually had no idea that Kate Beckinsale's daughter Lily got to share the screen with mom twice. And the funniest thing is that she played mom's character as a child both times. First, she played young Selene in Underworld: Revolution and then Amy in Everybody's Fine. Oh, wow!
If you ever watched the movie Joy about the inventor Joy Mangano, you might have caught that Melissa Rivers played her mom, Joan Rivers, blonde wig and all. Apparently, once she put the wig on, the resemblance was pretty uncanny.
I have to admit I still haven't watched Straight Outta Compton. So I had no idea that Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. played his dad in the biopic. How cool is that? I bet dad was so proud of his baby boy, huh?
If you were a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, where Bill Paxton played John Garrett, you know that a few years after the actor's death, the show brought back a younger version of the character. This time, Paxton's real-life son, James Paxton, got to play the character.
Here's another instance of a son playing his father on the same TV show. Mark Harmon is famous for playing Gibbs on NCIS. But did you know that his son, Sean, played a younger Gibbs in flashbacks in six episodes? I didn't know that.
Ben Stiller voiced Alex the lion in the animated movie Madagascar. Then later in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa his son Quinn Dempsey Stiller voiced the younger version of Alex the lion. Ah, I bet the kid got such a kick out of that.
Speaking of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, it wasn't the only time a child voiced the younger version of a character. In fact, Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter Willow played her mom's character Gloria in the same movie. Was that a coincidence or what?
Did you know that Christopher Jordan Wallace played his father, rapper The Notorious B.I.G., as a child in Notorious? That must've been such a neat experience for him. I'm sure his father would have been very proud.
Who's a fan of the show 30 Rock? Well, I'm sure you know that on the wedding episode of 30 Rock Tina Fey's daughter, Alice Richmond, played Liz Lemon in a childhood flashback. Oh my goodness, ha, ha.
Melissa McCarthy played Lydia in Thunder Force, and then her daughter, Vivian Falcone, played the same character at 12-years-old. Even though McCarthy and her husband, movie director Ben Falcone, have kept Vivian out of acting, they needed somebody to play young Lydia, and Vivian fit the bill. She looks so much like her mom when she was younger.
I recently got into watching the Young Rock about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. And that's how I found out his dad was also a wrestler. In fact, Johnson played his wrestler father, Rocky, on a 1999 episode of That '70s Show. Ah, that's nice.
If you're a fan of Arrested Development, you know that Henry Winkler played the character Barry Zuckerkorn. But in the fourth season, his son, Max Winkler, played the younger Barry. Did you catch that? I hope you did.
Actress Milla Jovovich is known for her fearless character Alicia Marcus in the Resident Evil movies. But did you know that her daughter Ever Anderson played the younger version of the character in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter? Oh, yeah!
I have to admit I've never watched Orange Is the New Black, so I had no idea that Dascha Polanco's daughter Dasany Kristal Gonzalez played her mom's character Daya as a 14-year-old in a flashback episode. How neat is that?
Did you realize that Mario Van Peebles wrote, produced, directed, and starred as his filmmaker father Melvin in the biopic Baadasssss!? Oh, I had no idea. The film was based on Melvin's experience creating his 1971 indie film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. And guess what, Mario had a small role in that movie as the younger version of Sweetback. Aha!
Mamie Gummer has the most famous mom in the world. I'm talking about Meryl Streep, of course. The two acted in movies together on several occasions. But In Evening, Mamie played the 1950s version of Lila Wittenborn Ross while mom played the present-day version.
I am yet to see The Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark. So I didn't realize that James Gandolfini's son Michael reprised his dad's role as Tony Soprano in the movie version. Did you see that?
I'm a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr., so I already knew that his son Indio Falconer played a younger version of Harry Lockhart's character in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. It's pretty amazing how much Indio resembles his dad when he was little, huh?
I wonder what it was like for these kids to play the younger versions of their parents? They definitely have an insight into the private lives of these famous actors, a lot more than if a stranger would have played the same role. Do you think that was an advantage or disadvantage for them?
