Some Family-Member Co-Stars Collected A Bigger Paycheck For the Same Project

As Seen In: Tomb Raider
Relationship: Daughter/Father
Biggest Earner: Angelina Jolie

Not many people are aware that Angelina Jolie’s father is a screen legend, Jon Voight. Voight left Jolie and her family before she had even celebrated her first birthday, and the time spent together over the subsequent twenty-five years was sporadic at best.

Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight - Tomb Raider @Movieclips / Youtube.com

However, in 2001 after being cast as the lead in the film adaptation of the popular video game, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Jolie asked that Voight be cast as Lara’s father, Lord Richard Croft in the film. As the lead actress, Jolie took home around $7 million, while Voight would have made a vastly smaller amount for his efforts.

As Seen In: The Great Buck Howard
Relationship: Father/Son
Biggest Earner: Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks and his eldest son Colin have historically had a fantastic relationship both on and offset. The two first worked together on the set of That Thing You Do (1996), which the senior Hanks wrote, directed, and acted in. A few years later, Colin got a small role in father Tom’s critically acclaimed HBO series, Band of Brothers.

Tom and Colin Hanks - The Great Buck Howard @parentsdome / Pinterest.com

As Colin evolved into a more mature actor, as did his roles change from co-starring in teen comedies to leading roles in Sundance Film Festival entries. After appearing in so many of his father’s productions, the 2008 comedy-drama The Great Buck Howard, was the first time that the Hanks’ had appeared on camera, as a father and son not named Tom and Colin. 

As Seen In: Paper Moon
Relationship: Father/Daughter
Biggest Earner: Ryan O’Neal

When she was just eight years old, Tatum O’Neal became the youngest Oscar recipient, when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as an on-screen daughter, to her off-screen father Ryan, in Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon (1973). 

Ryan and Tatum O'Neal - Paper Moon @ryanoneal @dailymail / Pinterest.com

Tatum and her father have had their fair share of troubles over the years as a result of Ryan and his wife Joanna’s alcoholism and drug addictions. Over the past year, however, the two have begun to reconcile and are having more active roles in each other’s lives.

As Seen In: Ricki and the Flash
Relationship: Mother/Daughter
Biggest Earner: Meryl Streep

There is no denying that Meryl Streep is a film legend. She is a multi-academy award-winning actress whose work ethic is matched by few others. Meryl Streep has even had the pleasure of working with her daughter on more than one occasion. The two have had an on-screen relationship that dates back to when Mamie was just a toddler. Two decades later, in the 2007 drama Evening, due to her uncanny resemblance to her mother, Mamie played a younger version of Meryl.

Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer - Ricki and the Flash

It was not until the musical comedy Ricki and the Flash in 2015, that Meryl and Mamie first got to act as though they were mother and daughter on film. Acting opposite a parent or child can be quite a nerve-wracking experience for those who draw from real-life experiences in order to perform. Mamie has admitted that at times she was nervous about hurting her mother’s feelings through her performance of certain scenes.

As Seen In: Sister, Sister
Relationship: Twin Sisters
Biggest Earner: N/A

From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, twins were a coveted discovery for network executives. Following the Olsen twins’ popularity boom in the mid-90s, twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry got the leading roles as separated at birth, identical twins on ABC’s aptly named sitcom Sister, Sister. 

Tia and Tamara Mowry - Sister, Sister ©Jeff Kravitz/Getty images

Some people are caught by surprise when they find out that the twin sisters are not the only actors in the family. Their younger brother Tahj had a recurring role on Full House as Michelle’s friend Teddy, and later he played Tia and Tamera’s cousin on Sister, Sister. The sisters have remained close throughout their lives even though they have now gone on to start families of their own. During the pandemic, Tamera had spoken of how the six months apart had been the longest they had gone without seeing each other in person.

As Seen In: A Quiet Place
Relationship: Partners
Biggest Earner: John Krasinski

Less than a year after meeting through a mutual friend, The Office’s John Krasinski announced his engagement to Emily Blunt in 2009. The engagement would last only a year, as the couple exchanged vows at a private ceremony in Lake Como, Italy, on July 10th, 2010, and have since become one of Hollywood’s most darling couples.

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski - A Quiet Place @TracyHamming / Twitter.com

Written and directed by John Krasinki, 2018’s A Quiet Place starred the married couple as husband and wife who were attempting to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with their three children, while being hunted by blind monsters who could hear even the slightest of sounds. Their on-screen chemistry is almost as enjoyable to watch as their real-life interactions with each other and their own two daughters, Hazel Grace and Violet.

As Seen In: Heartbreak Kid
Relationship: Son/Father
Biggest Earner: Ben Stiller

Comedy has been part of the Stiller family identity for more than sixty years. The late Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were one of America’s most beloved comedy duos throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It is no wonder that their son, Ben, developed into the comedian he is today.

Ben and Jerry Stiller - The Heartbreak Kid @ramonug256 / Facebook.com

Ben Stiller was fortunate enough to have the chance to work on films with both of his parents on multiple occasions throughout his career, however, it was alongside his father in The Heartbreak Kid (2007), that Ben was first given the chance to play his father’s son on the big screen. Although the younger Stiller was the star of the film, the elder always had a way of stealing the spotlight, no matter how small a role he was given.

As Seen In: Knocked Up
Relationship: Mother/Daughters 
Biggest Earner: Leslie Mann

Leslie Mann has been married to comedy writer/director Judd Apatow for almost 25 years, and although audiences will most likely not see the two playing the parts of husband and wife in one of Judd’s future film endeavors, there are other members of the Apatow clan who have already made their appearances. If motherhood was not difficult enough as it is, Leslie also got to play mother to her daughters Maude and Iris on the big screen.

Leslie Mann, Maude and Iris Apatow - Knocked Up @Josh Busfield aka bitterphase / Youtube.com

With the presence of daughters Maude and Iris, in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, the world was given a glimpse into the Mann/Apatow family’s household. The breakfast scene, in which the senior of the two girls is discussing with the adults where she believes children come from, was actually taken from a real-life experience. One of the downsides to having parents who make movies is that hilarious and embarrassing childhood moments are never safe from the public.

As Seen In: The Pursuit of Happyness
Relationship: Father/Son
Biggest Earner: Will Smith

To an outsider, Will and Jaden appear to share a very unique bond as father and son. From early on, the two were not just family, they were coworkers as well. To date, they have portrayed their real-life roles of father and son, on two occasions, with the more recent of the two coming in 2013’s American post-apocalyptic film After Earth. It was their first film, seven years earlier, however, which showed just how cohesive of a unit the two could be.

Will and Jaden Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness @Insider / Pinteresy.com

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), was not simply the first time that Will had shared the silver screen with his son, but also marked the first time that Jaden had appeared in a feature film. Their unique connection was made evident through the ease at which they were able to deliver their power performances as real-life father and son, Chris Gardner Sr. and Jr.

As Seen In: Donnie Darko
Relationship: Brother/Sister
Biggest Earner: Jake Gyllenhaal

The Gyllenhaal siblings are not the first generation of Hollywood types to come out of this talented film family. Both of their birth parents worked as directors in the industry, and their mother was even nominated for an Academy Award in 1988 for best original screenplay, for which she won the Golden Globe. Due to their parent’s statuses in Hollywood, the Gyllenhaal siblings have been surrounded by celebrities for a large part of their lives and as a result of this, Jake’s godparents are screen legends Jamie Lee Curtis and Paul Newman.

Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal - Donnie Darko @ReelBrew / Twitter.com

Portraying siblings on screen is an honor that few real-life brothers and sisters have had the opportunity of being blessed with. Jake and Maggie were fortunate enough to do so in such a film as 2001’s psychological thriller Donnie Darko. After grossing just $7.5 million at the worldwide box office, the film has become a cult classic and has been listed by Empire as the second greatest independent film of all-time.

As Seen In: Stranger Things
Relationship: Partners
Biggest Earner: Equal

As seen so many times before, when actors of similar age and mindset portray love-interests on camera they inevitably become love interests in real-life as well. In season 1 of the Netflix science fiction-horror series Stranger Things, Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer were so convincing as boyfriend/girlfriend, that they even had themselves convinced.

Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer - Stranger Things @daniealbarranr / Pinterest.com

Over the past few years, the couple has been occupied with other projects, most notably Charlie Heaton’s role in New Mutants. With season 4 of Stranger Things set to premiere, Natalia and Charlie’s on-screen relationship has only helped to solidify their commitment to one another offscreen as well.

As Seen In: 30 Rock
Relationship: Mother/Daughter
Biggest Earner: Tina Fey

Tina Fey has gained fame across North America and the world for her films and TV shows that accurately depict real-life situations in hilarious ways. From Mean Girls to 30 Rock Tina’s list of entertainment accolades is only surpassed by her accomplishments as a mother of two wonderful daughters, Alice and Penelope Athena (16, 10).

Tina Fey and Alice Richmond - 30 Rock @snow angel / Youtube.com

When Alice was only 7 years old, she was already playing a smaller version of her mother, not just at home, but on the hit show 30 Rock as well. Her comedic timing and ability to eye-roll with the best of them, has gained Alice compliments from her mother Tina, who has been known to say that Alice is the funniest person in her family. Coming from an individual with a comic IQ like Tina, that is quite the compliment.

As Seen In: Hannah Montana
Relationship: Daughter/Father
Biggest Earner: Billy Ray Cyrus

In 1992, when Billy Ray first serenaded the world about his Achy Breaky Heart, Miley was not yet born, and Billy Ray was already more than twice the age Miley was when she first achieved popularity on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana (2006-2011). While on the show, Billy Ray played Miley’s overprotective father Robby Ray, a role with which he was already quite familiar.

Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus - Hannah Montana @Gymnastcarrie / Pinterest.com

The stardom that Miley achieved from the Hannah Montana was far larger than anything her father had experienced, and neither of them was ready for what was to follow. It has now been ten years since the last episode of Hannah Montana aired and although the father and daughter duo have had a bit of a bumpy ride, the two are better friends than they have been in years, and Miley is now giving daughterly career advice to the man who helped her career get started.

As Seen In: Schitt’s Creek
Relationship: Father/Son
Biggest Earner: Eugene Levy

Eugene Levy has been entertaining audiences since his days on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV (1976-1984) with his dry sense of humor and impeccable comedic timing. Growing up in Toronto, Eugene’s son Dan began his career as a host on MTV Canada. After falling out of the public eye for a few years, in the late-90s the elder statesman in the Levy family leaped back into the public eye with his performance as “Jim’s dad” in the American Pie series.

Eugene and Dan Levy - Schitt's Creek @cinemAddikt / Twitter.com

In 2015 Eugene and Dan put their heads together in order to create Schitt’s Creek, a series about a wealthy family’s fall from grace. The show is filmed in a single-camera set-up and is similar to Arrested Development, in theme, but executed with the unique Levy wit. The two play father and son Johnny and David Rose and are joined on the show by fellow SCTV alumni and Home Alone mother, Catherine O’Hara.