Some completely missed the mark
When it comes to casting for a film, there needs to be a certain chemistry between the actors, and that includes when a family context is key. The audience needs to feel that bond between family members; that mutual understanding that exists even in cases where perhaps a relationship isn't that great. Who better, then, to play an on-screen family than an actual, real-life family? Many directors have taken this position over the years. Check out this gallery to find out which iconic film families were played by real-life families.
Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan Penn star side by side in the movie 'Flag Day.' They play the roles of a real-life father and daughter, John Vogel and his daughter Jennifer. Vogel was a famous counterfeiter and his daughter later wrote a book about his life. Sean Penn is directing the film, and his son, Hopper Penn, also has a role. He shares his two children with ex-wife Robin Wright.
The Fresh Prince and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith share two children together, Willow and Jaden. His daughter, Willow, appeared alongside him in the 2007 movie 'I Am Legend.'
Will Smith also did a film with his son, Jaden. The two appeared together in the 2006 biographical drama 'The Pursuit of Happyness.'
Will Smith plays struggling salesman Chris Gardner, who has to navigate unemployment and homelessness all while taking care of his son, Christopher Jr., who is played by Jaden.
Brother and sister Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal starred alongside each other in the 2001 sci-fi thriller 'Donnie Darko.' The film also starred Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, among others.
In the movie, Jake plays troubled teenager Donnie Darko, whose hallucinations lead a doctor to diagnose him with schizophrenia. Donnie's older sister Elizabeth is played by Jake's real-life older sister, Maggie.
Father and daughter Jon Voigt and Angelina Jolie came together for the film that became arguably Jolie's most famous work, 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' (2001).
Jolie's character is the athletic and daring archaeologist, Lara Croft, and Voigt's character is her missing father around whom much of the storyline revolves.
With four children who are actors, it was bound to happen that Martin Sheen would end up in a film with one of them. It happened in 1987 with the film 'Wall Street.'
The movie's stars are Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas. Charlie plays a young stockbroker who gets mixed up with Douglas' character, a corporate raider. Martin Sheen plays the father of his son's character.
Actor Henry Fonda's final theatrical film was 'On Golden Pond' (1981). He starred in it alongside his daughter, Jane Fonda, as well as Katharine Hepburn.
Henry Fonda's character is Norman Thayer Jr., an elderly father who is estranged from his daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda). He and his wife (Katharine Hepburn) nonetheless agree to take in and look after the son of their daughter's boyfriend.
The father-daughter duo consisting of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal starred in the 1973 black and white film 'Paper Moon.' They play on-screen father and daughter Moze and Addie.
Tatum O'Neal garnered wide praise for her performance and went on to become the youngest person to ever win a competitive Academy Award.
Emma Thompson and her mother Phyllida Law co-starred in Alan Rickman's 1997 film 'The Winter Guest.' The independent film was well-received and won an award at the Venice Film Festival.
The story follows daughter Frances (Emma Thompson) and mother Elspeth (Phyllida Law) as they navigate through a difficult period of their lives.
The fifth instalment in the 'Rocky' film franchise stars Sylvester Stallone alongside his real-life son, Sage. Sylvester Stallone plays heavyweight boxing champion Robert "Rocky" Balboa Sr., and Sage plays his son, Rocky Balboa Jr.
The film also stars real-life boxing champion Tommy Morrison as Tommy "The Machine" Gun. The Machine is an underdog boxer who is trained by and then defeated by Rocky Sr.
Western film icon John Wayne was joined by his son Patrick for the 1971 film 'Big Jake.' John Wayne plays Jacob McCandles, whose grandson is kidnapped by a gang. Patrick Wayne plays one of McCandles's sons, James.
And Jacob McCandles kidnapped grandson is played by his real grandson, John Ethan Wayne.
Father and daughter duo John and Hayley Mills starred alongside each other in the 1965 rom-com 'The Truth About Spring.' Their characters, Captain Tyler and Spring Tyler, are also father and daughter.
The movie tells the story of daughter Spring who lives a simple but isolated existence in the Florida Keys, until one day Harvard Law School graduate William Ashton arrives and everything changes.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been a couple since 1983. According to a December 2020 interview with People, they never felt the need to marry.
Hawn and Russell appeared together in the 1987 film 'Overboard.' They play on-screen (pretend) couple Dean and Annie Proffitt.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman co-starred in two major movies during their 11-year marriage: 'Far and Away' (1992) and 'Eyes Wide Shut' (1992).
In Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut,' Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) reveals to her husband (Tom Cruise) that she has been unfaithful to him, setting him up for a long night of psychological turmoil.
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have been married since 2010 and are often photographed looking the picture of happiness. In 2018, they co-starred in a film with a rather different vibe.
In the horror film 'A Quiet Place,' Krasinski and Blunt depict the married couple Lee and Evelyn Abbott, as they fight to survive and raise their children in a harsh post-apocalyptic world.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor were married in 2000 and a year later they appeared together in the action comedy, 'Zoolander.' Although not a married couple, their characters do fall in love.
A lot of the cast of 'Zoolander' returned for its 2016 sequel 'Zoolander 2,' but by that point in the story Taylor's character Matilda had died and she played her ghost instead.
Sources: (Ranker)
See also: Actors who don't watch their own movies
Fictional film families played by real-life families
The on-screen relatives who are actually related in real life
MOVIES Family
When it comes to casting for a film, there needs to be a certain chemistry between the actors, and that includes when a family context is key. The audience needs to feel that bond between family members; that mutual understanding that exists even in cases where perhaps a relationship isn't that great. Who better, then, to play an on-screen family than an actual, real-life family? Many directors have taken this position over the years.
Check out this gallery to find out which iconic film families were played by real-life families.