You have to figure that brother and sister actors go through the same sorts of trials and tribulations that all siblings experience.
You know …
Bullying … favoritism … expectations … territorial squabbles … fist fights … crying … punching.
But also the good stuff like …
Sticking up for each other … helping with homework … uniting against mom and dad … propping each other up in times of grief … birthday parties … weddings … and on and on and on.
Typically, though, when kids grow up, they don’t end up working with their siblings on a day-to-day basis, unless there is a family business in play.
Or, you know, they both turn into professional parents’-basement-dwellers.
But it seems that plenty of sibling thespians just can’t quite shake the family ties and end up on the same projects, sometimes over and over.
To prove the point, check out these eight sets of brother and sister actors who found themselves working on the same set — movie, TV, dining room — in one fashion or another.
“Mom! He’s touching me! And he’s in my scene!”
Jake Gyllenhaal (born 12/19/1980) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (b. 11/16/1977)
Even though Jake Gyllenhall is three years younger than sister Maggie, he made his silver screen debut one year earlier, in City Slickers (1991).
Then, the two shared the screen in their respective second film, A Dangerous Woman, in 1993. It starred Laurie Metcalf as an intellectually impaired woman.
Probably didn’t hurt the kids’ case that their father, Stephen, was the director.
That trio was back together in 1998 with Homegrown, a pot-growing vehicle that also boasts Billy Bob Thornton and Hank Azaria.
In 2001’s Donnie Darko, Jake landed the lead role while Maggie was cast as — surprise! — his older sister.
Jason Bateman (b. 01/14/1969) and Justine Bateman (b. 02/19/1966)
The Batemans were another case of younger brother trumping older sister by landing a role sooner — Jason was James in Little House on the Prairie from 1981-82.
Justine, of course, would star as Mallory Keaton on Family Ties from 1982-89, while Jason’s big early role was David Hogan on Valerie from 1986-91.
The popular sibs teamed up on two TV movies …
Right to Kill? (1985), starring Justine as a girl who took down her abusive father, and Jason as … well, as an unnamed character.
… AND …
Can You Feel Me Dancing? (1986), which stars Justine as a young blind woman and Jason as her brother.
Apparently, they would only work on movies involving question marks.
John Cusack (b. 06/28/1966) and Joan Cusack (b. 10/11/1962)
The Cusacks have been part of the American movie landscape since Joan debuted as Shelley in My Bodyguard back in 1980.
Since then, she and younger brother John have gone on to rack up all sorts of credits, and they’re pretty much celluloid royalty at this point.
They’ve also worked together on film projects in a variety of capacities over the years. Here is a list of some of those collabs …
Class (1983)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
Broadcast News (1987)
Say Anything… (1989)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Cradle Will Rock (1999)
High Fidelity (2000)
Martian Child (2007)
War, Inc. (2008)
Oliver Hudson (b. 09/07/1976) and Kate Hudson (b. 04/19/1979)
Considering that they’re the kids of Bill Hudson and Goldie Hawn, it’s not too surprising that both Oliver and Kate Hudson have found success on screens of all sizes for more than 20 years.
But, while you might remember them for more notable titles like Dawson’s Creek (Oliver) and Glee (Kate), the famous siblings came together in a little-remembered TV documentary from 2005.
In particular, the Hudsons joined a cast of stars that included Zach Braff, Ryan Gosling, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood, and others to provide voices for I’m Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust.
David Arquette (b. 09/08/1971) and Patricia Arquette (b. 04/08/1968)
Everybody knows David Arquette — married to Skeletor for a long time, thinks he can wrestle, getting puffy, knows how to heart-attack in the ring.
Everybody knows the Arquette sisters, too, but the problem is … there are like a couple dozen of them, so nobody is really sure which one is in which show.
Either way, between David and Patricia-Alexis-Rosanna (but not so much brother Richmond), odds are about even you’ll get a dose of Arquette whenever you turn on the TV or head to the theater (or stream video, for you whippersnappers).
At least once, David worked with his sis, too, as he and (allegedly) Patricia appeared together on a 2011 episode of Medium.
Eric Roberts (b. 04/18/1956) and Julia Roberts (b. 10/28/1967)
One has a horse face, the other is a renowned pervert, at least on-screen.
I’ll leave it to you to decide which is which.
One thing you can’t really deny, though, is that Eric and Julia Roberts have put together long, sometimes distinguished careers.
I mean, their credits range from the acclaimed Pretty Woman (Julia) to the astoundingly outstanding Stalked by My Doctor series of movies on Lifetime (Eric).
Before Julia broke out in 1990, the siblings starred in 1989’s Blood Red as … well, as siblings.
Warren Beatty (b. 03/30/1937) and Shirley MacLaine (b. 04/24/1934)
It’s not always clear when Shirley MacLaine is there in the room with you and when she is off on some other astral plain.
She’s a lady with a lot going on at any given time.
What is for sure, though, is that both MacLaine and younger brother Warren Beatty have been splashing across big screens for more than 60 years.
Yowsa!
And, while the duo has mostly steered clear of each other in the workplace, their paths did collide when they appeared as themselves in a 1999 documentary called Forever Hollywood.
The film chronicles the rise and rise of the movie industry in America and features tons of interviews, movie clips, newsreel footage, and other goodies from a myriad of stars.
Not self-aggrandizing at all.
Peter Fonda (b. 02/23/1940) and Jane Fonda (b. s12/21/1937)
Peter (younger brother) and Jane (older sister) Fonda have been a lot of things …
Children of Henry Fonda …
Standout actors in their own right …
Aerobics stars (Jane … God, please not Peter) …
Activists.
A decade or so into their acting careers, they added “co-stars” to that list thanks to the 1968 horror anthology, Spirits of the Dead.
Also featuring Brigitte Bardot, among others, the film was tagged on the movie poster as … “Edgar Allan Poe’s Ultimate Orgy!”.
OMG.
Can you imagine all the coughing and cawing????!?!??!!?!?
(The listings below contain affiliate links. If you click them and buy a product, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
3 thoughts on “8 Brother and Sister Actors Who Couldn’t Get Away from Each Other Even on the Set!”
Comments are closed.