10 Hollywood Actors Who Played On-Screen Parents to Their Children in Movies and TV Shows
Hollywood Parents and Their Children Shared the Screen Space
It's mostly the norm that kids follow in their parent's footsteps. And for these Hollywood actors, this proved to be true. Renowned names like Meryl Streep, Robin Williams, Billy Ray Cyrus, and many more have had the chance to share the screen space with their little ones. Call it an opportunity or an easy ticket to the entertainment industry, these star kids didn't disappoint with their impressive performances. Here are 10 Hollywood stars whose family collaboration on-screen proved worthwhile.
1. Robin Williams and Zelda Williams
Before the legendary actor Robin Williams passed away, he shared the screen with his daughter Zelda in the 2004 film House of D. Williams' "Not-so-little" daughter shared the "handy" advice her father gave her on set. "He always said, 'Don't wear your mic pack to the bathroom.'" Don't do that, ever. If you're mic'd, don't go anywhere or say anything that you don't want other people to hear because there's probably, like, 30 people with headsets on listening."
2. Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer
Meryl Streep is one Hollywood actor who has worked with her daughter Mamie Gummer on multiple occasions- the first one would be when Mammie was an infant. She played Meryl's daughter in Heartburn when she was just a year old. The mother-daughter duo later reunited for Ricki and the Flash in 2015. Mamie recalled the experience of working with her mother, "It was a wonderful experience. Honestly, it was, it was profound and one that I will treasure."
3. Sean Penn and Dylan Penn
Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan starred in Flag Day in 2021, and they played the role of a father-daughter duo in the film. Dylan revealed her father asked her for the role when she was 16 years old, but she declined it then. "My mom was the one who told me that working with my dad as the director was the best experience she's ever had, which was what propelled me into this project," Dylan told Vogue. "It just felt right."
4. Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks
Tom Hanks is also among the actors who worked with his son Colin multiple times. However, in 2018, they got to play the real-life father-son on screen in the film The Great Buck Howard. Colin said, "This was a scenario in which I knew that I was going to be in safe hands and have a relative amount of -- not control, but say in the matter," per Female.co.au. "The bottom line is, you know, I want to do good work."
5. Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus starred in Disney's iconic sitcom Hannah Montana as a father-daughter duo. Although the fans enjoyed their chemistry and the show went on to become a hit, Daddy Cyrus doesn't have fond memories of working alongside his daughter. The country singer recalled, "The damn show destroyed my family. I'd take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just everybody be okay, safe and sound and happy and normal would have been fantastic."
6. Sylvester Stallone and Sage Stallone
The sudden demise of Sylvester Stallone's son Sage, the father-son duo worked together in a film called Rocky V in 1990. They had a strained relationship because of their opposite personalities, which ticked off his father, but before passing, Sage revealed the film changed everything for the better. In a 1996 interview, he said, "It was three wonderful months in which we became what we were pretending to be," per Total Rocky. "We've remained close ever since."
7. Eugene Levy and Dan Levy
Some kids don't mind working under their parents, while others want to carve their niche. Dan Levy was among the latter as he avoided working with Eugene Levy. However, when he got involved in Schitt's Creek, he knew he'd be needing his dad. And he admitted to having learned a lot across all six show seasons. "I think what I learned from him, just from a comedy standpoint, is that there's so much generosity," reported TODAY.
8. Demi Moore and Rumer Willis
The mother-daughter duo starred together in the film Striptease when Rumer Willis was just a little girl. Although Demi admitted she was hesitant about her daughter's debut at such a young age, her then-husband and father to Rumer, Bruce Willis reassured her. "Well, she asked to have the opportunity to audition, so after much discussion with my husband, I went and asked them if they would be willing to let her try because she wanted it so badly," reported CNN.
9. Tilda Swinton and Honor Swinton Byrne
Tilda Swinton's daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, made her Hollywood debut in 2019 alongside her mom in the movie The Souvenir. Although it was Honor's first film, Tilda, who played her daughter's on-screen mom, said she was a pro already. "As far as giving Honor any advice at all about being a fully realized human being in front of a camera, she needed absolutely nothing," Tilda revealed in a press conference. She added that she was "thrilled" to work alongside Honor.
10. Will Smith and Jaden Smith
Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, starred alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006. That's not all. The father-son duo also worked together in After Earth in 2013. Will Smith recalled the fond memory of working with his son, "I guess what it taught me was interesting. On camera and off camera with Jaden, the bottom line is time." He added, "[because of the time they spent] our bonds took off in a way that I never imagined."
