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Regardless of whether they were cast based on their talent alone or nepotism, we must admit that it’s a cool surprise to find out that our favorite film is featuring a real-life parent-kid duo. The offspring might be playing the role of the leading actor’s child, a younger version of the character, or simply a cameo appearance as an extra. Either way, this is a fun fact that might slip by, even if we’ve watched the film a million times.

Bright Side has researched and gathered cases of famous parents who shared the screen with their own children. Some of these finds might truly surprise you and make you see the movie in a new light.

1. Indio Falconer Downey and Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Back in 2005, Robert Downey Jr.’s oldest son, Indio, played a 9-year-old version of his dad’s character in this murder mystery. To this day, Indio has appeared in a handful of acting roles, and he’s also a musician who plays in a band.

2. Jaden Smith and Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness

Even though he’s now a rising actor and rapper with many films under his belt, this bio-drama was Jaden’s first serious acting gig. The then 8-year-old starred opposite his megastar dad as his on-screen son.

3. Zoe Perry in Young Sheldon and Laurie Metcalf in The Big Bang Theory

In this prequel spin-off of The Big Bang Theory, casting Zoe Perry to portray her mother’s character in her younger years wasn’t as obvious as it might seem at first. Just like any actress, Zoe revealed that she had to audition and fight for the role.

4. Alfonso Freeman and Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption

The acclaimed Oscar winner’s own son posed for this mugshot, portraying his dad’s character at a younger age. Since then, Alfonso Freeman has also appeared in a few of his dad’s other films, such as Se7en and The Bucket List.

5. Rainey Qualley and Andie MacDowell in Mighty Fine

In her debut role, the then 22-year-old Rainey shared the screen with her mother, the famous model-turned-actress, Andie MacDowell. Since then, the young actress has been featured in several movie and TV roles in productions like Mad Men and Ocean’s Eight.

Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell in Maid

Also Andie, 64 and Margaret, 27, played on-screen mother and daughter in the 2021 miniseries Maid. And it is reported that Margaret herself suggested that her own mom plays this role.

6. Cameron Douglas and Michael Douglas in It Runs in the Family

In this 2003 comedy-drama, Cameron not only shared the screen with his dad but also with his Hollywood golden age star grandfather, the late Kirk Douglas. It definitely is an interesting experience to witness a real-life family acting opposite of each other right before our eyes.

7. Rumer Willis and Demi Moore in Striptease

When your parents are Hollywood heavyweights like Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, you might feel more at ease in front of the camera, especially if you’ll be sharing the screen with one of them. Even though Striptease wasn’t critically acclaimed, it still is adorable to watch 7-year-old Rumer acting opposite her mom.

8. Rumer Willis and Bruce Willis in Hostage

Hostage is a 2005 American thriller directed by Bruce Willis and starring Floran Emilio Siri. Bruce himself starred there with his own daughter, Rumer Willis, who played the daughter of a small-town cop.

9. Sean Harmon and Mark Harmon in NCIS

You might not have noticed that NCIS’s leading actor’s own son appeared in 6 of the current 415 episodes of the series. He was playing none other than the younger version of his dad’s character.

10. Iris and Maude Apatow and Leslie Mann in Knocked Up

The blonde curly locks might have given away that the 2 little daughters of Leslie Mann’s character in Knocked Up were actually her real-life children. The girls were also cast alongside their mom later on in Funny People and This is 40.

11. Michael Consuelos and Mark Consuelos in Riverdale

This father and son pair has appeared together on the silver screen in the Riverdale series. With their charming manners and good looks, this duo looks like 2 peas in a pod.

12. John David Washington and Denzel Washington in Malcolm X

The little boy’s first role ever came in this acclaimed movie that brought his father, a true Hollywood heavyweight, his third Oscar nomination. Since then, John David has appeared in various roles, and it looks like he’s following in his famous dad’s footsteps to stardom.

13. Ever Anderson and Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Acting alongside your mom in a movie directed by your dad must be quite the experience. The fifth and final installment of this action-horror franchise marked Ever’s acting debut, and we can’t wait for what the future will bring her.

Did you find any physical resemblances that gave away the fact that these duos were related? Is it always a positive thing for a child to follow in their parent’s footsteps?

Please note: This article was updated in August 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

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