20 kids who played younger versions of their parents

Vivian Falcone wanted to get into acting, but her mother and father, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, limited her to school plays. Eventually, she was allowed to audition for McCarthy’s film The Boss, and Vivian got to play a younger version of her mother. Vivian also played a young McCarthy in the film Thunder Force. 

It’s never a bad idea to at least test an actor’s child when casting a younger version of them. It worked out well for C.J. Wallace. The actor played a young version of his father, The Notorious B.I.G., in the rapper’s biopic, Notorious.

Just about everyone in the Hanks family is a talented actor. Truman Hanks, one of Tom Hanks’ kids, played the younger version of his father in A Man Called Otto. 

Not everyone can capture the essence of Liz Lemon the way Tina Fey did, but if there’s one person who came damn close, it was Alice Richmond, Fey’s daughter. Richmond played the younger version of her mother’s iconic character for an episode of 30 Rock, as well as a 2020 reunion special for the show. 

Everyone was excited to see Straight Outta Compton . The film was especially exciting for fans of Ice Cube as his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., played him in the film. It’s not often that someone’s family member gets to be part of their biopic. 

James Gandolfini was so good as Tony Soprano that only one other person in the world could be cast in that role, his son, Michael Gandolfini. Michael played a young Tony Soprano in the 2021 film The Many Saints of Newark. 

Sophia Loren: Her Own Story was quite the acting feat for Sophia Loren. The actress played herself, and she played a younger version of her mother, Romilda Villani. Loren also played Villani in the 2010 miniseries My House Is Full of Mirrors. 

Mark Harmon is NCIS, and his son has gotten in on the work, too. Sean Harmon played his father’s iconic character in NCIS for some important clips of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in his younger days. 

You might not recognize Mamie Gummer by her name, but you definitely know who her mom is: Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep. Gummer is also an actress, and she portrayed the younger version of Streep in the 2007 film Evening. 

After reading about Mamie Gummer, you can probably guess who Grace Gummer is. Yep, it’s another daughter of Meryl Streep. Grace played her mother’s younger counterpart in the 1993 film The House of the Spirits. 

Max Winkler, the son of Henry Winkler, only has two acting credits to his name. One of them is for playing the younger version of Henry’s character, Barry Zuckerkorn, in Arrested Development. (The episodes were part of the show’s Netflix reboot.)

Indio Falconer Downey played the younger version of his father, Robert Downey Jr., in the 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Indio is probably dying to portray a young Tony Stark so he can become part of the Marvel family. 

It certainly helps Michael Consuelos that both of his parents are famous, but it’s perhaps helped even more that he is the spitting image of his father. Michael played the younger version of Mark Consuelos’ character in the teen drama Riverdale.  

Annie Starke got to work with her mother, Glenn Close, on the 2018 film The Wife. Close played the older version of the character Joan while Starke played the younger. 

Zoe Perry is Laurie Metcalf’s daughter, and both have played Mary, Sheldon Cooper’s mother, in different series. Metcalf originated the role in The Big Bang Theory, and Perry put her spin on the role for the prequel spin-off Young Sheldon. 

Dwayne Johnson really played a young version of his father. For an episode of That ‘70s Show, The Rock portrayed his actual father, not a character, Rocky Johnson. 

When Melissa Rivers learned that Hollywood wanted to include her mother, Joan Rivers, as a character in the Joy Mangano biopic Joy, she wanted to make sure they did her mother justice. Melissa played Joan, and she felt the filmmakers did an especially good job when she saw herself in the wig she wore for the film. 

If you thought that young Gloria sounded awfully similar to old Gloria in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa , it’s because the voice actors are from the same bloodline. Jada Pinkett Smith voiced Gloria, and her daughter, Willow Smith, voiced young Gloria. 

There were lots of nepo babies getting their chance in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa . Ben Stiller voiced old Alex while his son, Quinn Dempsey Stiller, voiced young Alex. 

Susan Sarandon’s daughter Eva Amurri is so good at playing the younger version of her mother that she’s been tapped for the job multiple times. Amurri shared a part with Sarandon in Dead Man Walking and That’s My Boy.