Top 10 Celebrity Children Who Were Cast to Play a Younger Version of Their Parents

On some level, the “Fast & Furious” franchise has always been about fathers and sons, so we shouldn’t be surprised when that comes to its inevitable conclusion. Vin Diesel has always been private about his personal life, so you’d be forgiven for not knowing he had a son to play the younger version of him in a movie. But Vincent Sinclair made an appearance playing a very young, very small Dom Toretto in 2021’s “F9.” We don’t see much of Dom at this tender age, so a different actor gets to carry most of the movie’s flashback scenes, but it’s fun to see Vincent living up to his dad’s “Fast & Furious” legacy.

Meryl Streep’s daughters may not share her last name, but they certainly share her looks. Louisa Jacobson, Grace Gummer, and Mamie Gummer all look so much like their mother, but it was Mamie who got the honor of sharing the screen with her in the 2007 drama “Evening.” Meryl plays the character of Lila in the present day, while Mamie plays the same character in the 1950s. The film didn’t get amazing reviews – quite the opposite, in fact – and perhaps it didn’t take advantage of this amazing pairing and the rest of the astounding cast, but it’s still fun to see mother and daughter on screen.

When your parents are Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, that’s a lot of comedic royalty to live up to. Seriously, have you seen “Bridesmaids?” The two are absolute gold. But Ben and Melissa must have felt that their daughter, Vivian Falcone, was up to the challenge. The comedy couple cast Vivian to play a young version of Melissa’s character in the 2021 superhero comedy “Thunder Force.” The film didn’t receive the best reviews upon release, but Vivian totally nails playing a younger version of her mother. It makes sense – when you live with someone, you’ll probably get to know their tics and gestures pretty darn well.

Over the years, Liz Lemon has become one of the iconic comedy characters of TV, and much of that is due to the hilarious performance of Tina Fey. Luckily, casting directors were able to find a young actress with Tina’s impeccable comedic timing to play a young version of Liz. You might wonder where this wonder kid came from… and might be surprised to learn it’s Tina’s daughter, Alice Richmond. Whether she’s getting married to her stuffed teddy bear, or cultivating a love of television from a young age, Alice matches her mom’s knack for comedy with ease.

Remember “The Wife?” You’d be forgiven if you didn’t – when it came to award shows, it seemed like nobody had actually seen this Glenn Close drama. Well, if you still haven’t seen “The Wife,” we’ve got one more surprise for you. The movie follows Glenn Close as Joan, a woman who begins to question the choices that have led her to marry her husband. This premise involves a lot of flashbacks to Joan’s earlier life, and in those flashbacks, Glenn’s own daughter Annie Starke plays the younger version of Joan. We didn’t even know Glenn Close had a daughter who acted, so imagine our surprise when this Glenn look-a-like showed up!

Sometimes, mothers and daughters like working together so much, they do it more than once. Such is the case with Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri. They played the same character at different ages in the 2012 Adam Sandler vehicle “That’s My Boy,” (xref) but in this list we wanted to focus on a movie that centers the women a bit more than that one. In 1995’s crime thriller “Dead Man Walking,” Susan Sarandon plays a nun who is advising a death row inmate through his final days. In a flashback scene, her then very young daughter Eva plays a 9-year-old Helen. Even that young, you can see the similarities.

It must be pretty cool when your dad is Iron Man, but it’s probably even cooler to get to star in a movie with him. And in 2005, Robert Downey Jr.’s son, Indio Falconer Downey, got to do just that. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” follows the exploits of criminal Harry Lockhart, played by Downey Jr. In flashbacks, a 9-year-old Harry is played by Indio. Around the time, Downey Jr. was struggling with very public addiction issues and an impending divorce, which we know couldn’t have been easy for anyone involved. But it seems like Indio and his father have a good relationship, and who knows – maybe we’ll see them in another film together some day!

Tony Soprano – the man, the myth, the legend. James Gandolfini is the actor who brought life to this complex, brutal criminal in the wildly popular TV show “The Sopranos,” and it’s difficult to think of anyone else playing the complicated, magnetic Tony. But, if anyone could do it, it’s his son Michael. Michael stars as a young Tony Soprano in the film “The Many Saints of Newark,” released in October of 2021. Unfortunately, James tragically passed away in 2013, and won’t get to see his son take up the mantle. But we know Michael makes his father proud.

Sharing the screen with Laurie Metcalf is intimidating in itself, so we can’t imagine having to take on a character she originated – never mind being her daughter while doing it. But that’s exactly what Zoe Perry did when she took on the role of Mary Cooper, Sheldon Cooper’s mom, in the hit series “Young Sheldon.” Fans of course know Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory,” and know that Metcalf herself originated the role of Sheldon’s mom. Luckily for us, Zoe is an accomplished actress, just like her mother, and plays the role superbly.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ever Anderson, “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” (2016)
Keeping Evil in the Family

Michael Consuelos, “Riverdale” (2017-)
Might as Well be Mark Consuelos’s Twin

Melissa Rivers, “Joy” (2015)
No One Could Play Joan Like Her Daughter

C.J. Wallace, “Notorious” (2009)
A Smaller Biggie Smalls

Sean Harmon, “NCIS” (2003-)
Sean More Than Lives Up to His Father’s Legacy

When watching 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton,” you’d be forgiven for thinking they used some “Irishman”-esque de-aging technology on Ice Cube and stuck him in the movie. But, that Ice Cube look-a-like is actually Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr. “Straight Outta Compton” dramatizes the creation of the hip-hop group N.W.A, of which Ice Cube was a crucial member. O’Shea Jackson Jr. is amazing in the role of his father – nailing Ice Cube’s body language, cadence, and rapping skills, and it’s truly something amazing to see.