Yahoo Lifestyle 13 Young Actors Who Played The Aged-Down Version Of Their Famous Parents (But You Probably Didn't Realize)
Recently, I wrote about actors whose kids played younger versions of them. In the comments, members of the BuzzFeed Community shared so many more examples I didn't know about!
Some comments are also from this post.
So, here are 13 lesser-known times actors played younger versions of their parents and other relatives:
1."I'm surprised you didn't mention Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri when they were in That's My Boy. That one should definitely be on this list!"
Tracy Bennett/©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Susan played present-day Mary McGarricle, and Eva played the younger Mary.
In 2021, they again shared the same role — Dottie Cantrell Roman on Monarch.
2."Glenn Close and her daughter Annie Starke played the same character at different ages in The Wife."
© Sony Pictures Classics /Courtesy Everett Collection, Sony Pictures Classics / Via youtube.com
Glenn played Joan Castleman, and Annie played young Joan.
They worked together closely to develop the character.
In 2018, Glenn told The Jess Cagle Interview, "I actually said, 'You're the one who has to lay down the character. You play the young Joan. So whatever you do in the flashbacks has everything to do with how I am later.'"
3."On Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+), Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell play the same character at different ages."
©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection, Diyah Pera /©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection
"There is one scene where they flashback on their faces (old to young), and they look exactly alike!"
Kurt plays the older version of Lee Shaw who gets involved with Monarch, and Wyatt plays the younger version, who founded the organization.
4."Devaughn Nixon played his father, former NBA player Norm Nixon, on the series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty."
Focus On Sport / Getty Images, HBO / Via youtube.com
In 2022, Devaughn told Variety, "My major thing in taking this role was to bring his legacy to the forefront, to show the world that he was a beast on the court. I definitely turned it up a notch. My dad's a little bit more low-key. So I definitely added a little bit of sauce to it."
5."I remember a movie about atomic testing [Nightbreaker] that starred Martin Sheen. His son, Emilio Estévez, played the same character in flashbacks."
(c)Symphony Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection, ©Symphony Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
In the movie's '80s framing timeline, Martin plays Dr. Alexander Brown, and in the '50s flashback timeline, Emilio plays him.
Emilion again played a younger version of his father on The West Wing Season 4 finale, where he cameoed as a young Josiah Bartlet.
6."Martin and Charlie Sheen have also played the same character [in a 2002 Visa commercial]."
Visa / Via youtube.com
"It's interesting because Emilio and Charlie both look like their dad, but they don't look like each other."
In the 2002 commercial for the Visa check card, Charlie plays himself writing a check at a video rental store, and Martin plays an older version of Charlie, who's been waiting for a long time while the clerk is on the phone with the bank.
You can watch the commercial below:
7.On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bill Paxton's son James Paxton played the young version of his character.
Kelsey Mcneal / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, ABC / Via Disney+
On Season 1, Bill played the antagonistic S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett. In three episodes of Season 12, where the main cast time traveled back to 1983, James played younger Garrett.
Bill died in 2017, but James said his late father "would really be over the moon about" him playing Garrett.
James auditioned for several various roles on the show before this part was offered to him.
In 2020, he told Marvel.com, "[Screenwriter Jed Whedon] said, 'Hey, we've seen your auditions. We really like your work. We've actually got something special in mind, but I can't tell you about that just yet.' Later, he emailed me again and asked me what I would think of taking on the role of young John Garrett.
I think it was their kindness and their remembrance of my dad and wanting to honor him, because he was so fond of everybody involved in that show. I just remember how much fun he would talk about having while shooting."
8."Mark Sheppard has played the same character as his dad, William Morgan Sheppard, on a few occasions. My fave is in Doctor Who!"
BBC via Max
In the two opening episodes of Doctor Who Season 6, William Morgan Sheppard played the older version of Canton Everett Delaware III, and Mark Sheppard played the younger version.
9."Chris Lemmon played a younger version of his father, Jack Lemmon, in the film Dad in a flashback sequence. Quite the resemblance."
Universal / ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection, Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com
Jack starred as Jake Tremont, and Chris played Jake in flashback scenes.
10."How could you forget Ice Cube and his son O'Shea Jackson Jr. in Straight Outta Compton?"
Pool Arnal / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images, Jamie Trueblood/©Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
O'Shea played Ice Cube in the N.W.A. biopic.
It was O'Shea's first role, but his dad wanted to make sure it wasn't just handed to him. So, for two years, he took acting classes and auditioned for other roles.
In 2015, O'Shea told People, "When you haven't acted before, it's a big dish. But I couldn't sit in a theater and think someone is portraying my father the wrong way. If I was thinking, 'Oh, he wouldn't have done that,' it would've nauseated me."
11."Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks have both played Mister Rogers, but in different projects."
Lacey Terrell / © TriStar Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection, Comedy Central / Via youtube.com
Tom played Mister Rogers in the 2019 biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. A year prior, Colin played the iconic children's TV presenter in the Drunk History skit "Mr. Roger's Beautiful Life."
Tom's casting was announced before Colin's episode aired. Retweeting the announcement, Colin posted, "Oh, did someone else get cast in a rival Mr Rogers project? I would hate to be them right now."
12."Geraldine Chaplin played her own grandmother [Hannah Chaplin] in the movie Chaplin."
In real life, Hannah dealt with mental health issues and periodically lived in asylums. Geraldine approached the role with compassion.
In 1993, she told Desert News, "I felt awfully sorry for her, especially when I saw her up on the screen in the film. The worst thing in the world is having your children taken away from you."
13.And finally: "I'm stretching the rules a bit here, but Michael Jackson will be portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson in a biopic [Michael, which is set to be released in 2025]."
Gary Gershoff / Getty Images, Dsanchez/CPR / BACKGRID
In a 2023 Instagram post, Jaafar said, "I'm humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael's story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I'll see you soon."
Can you think of any other lesser-known times actors played the younger (or older!) versions of their famous relatives? Let us know in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
