We asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what age gap between actors who played parent and child surprised them. Here are some of their eye-opening answers:
In the series, she played his mother, despite only being 10 years older.
Angela Lansbury was 35 when she filmed the movie.
Angela played his mother in the film, despite only being nine years older.
3.
Michael J. Fox was 23 when he starred in Back to the Future.
Crispin Glover was 20 years old in the film.
In the film, Cripsin plays the father of Michael’s character in both the past and present, despite being three years YOUNGER than Michael.
4.
Kate Mara was 25 during the filming of Brokeback Mountain.
Heath Ledger was 25 during filming.
In the movie, they played father and daughter, despite Heath only being four years older.
5.
Adam Garcia was 28 when Riding in Cars with Boys came out.
Drew Barrymore was 26 when the film came out.
So Adam Garcia was two years older than Drew Barrymore when he played her son in the film.
6.
Elizabeth Rodriguez was born in 1980.
Dascha Polanco was born in 1982.
In Orange Is the New Black, Elizabeth Rodriguez played Dascha Polanco’s mother even though they have a two-year age gap.
7.
Gina Rodriguez was 29 when Jane the Virgin started filming.
Andrea Navedo was 36 when it started filming.
In Jane the Virgin, Andrea Navedo and Gina Rodriguez played mother and daughter, despite having only a seven-year age gap.
8.
Taron Egerton was 28 when Rocketman, started filming.
Bryce Dallas Howard was 37 during filming.
They played mother and son in the film, despite only having a nine-year age gap.
9.
Rachel McAdams was 26 years old during the filming of Mean Girls.
Amy Poehler was 33 during the filming of the movie.
In the movie, Rachel McAdams plays Regina and Amy Poehler plays Regina’s mom, despite them only having a seven-year age gap.
10.
Tom Selleck is currently 77 years old.
Len Cariou is currently 82 years old.
In Blue Bloods, Len Cariou plays Tom Selleck’s father, despite them only having a five-year age gap.
11.
Colin Farrell was 28 in Alexander.
Angelina Jolie was 29 in the film.
She played his mother in the movie, despite her only being one year older than him.
12.
Orlando Bloom was 35 during filming of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Lee Pace was 33 years old during the filming of the movie.
Even though Lee Pace is two years younger than Orlando Bloom, Lee played Orlando’s father in the movie. But I guess we can let this slide since Orlando was playing a nearly 3,000-year-old elf.
13.
Zachary Quinto was 30 when the 2009 Star Trek movie started filming.
Winona Ryder was 36 when the movie started filming.
In the movie, she played his mother, despite only being six years older than him.
14.
George Lopez was 41 at the start of The George Lopez Show.
Belita Moreno was 52 at the start of the series.
Belita played George’s mother on the show, despite only being 11 years older than him.
15.
Monique was born in 1967.
Countess Vaughn was born in 1978.
For five years, Countess Vaughn played Monique’s daughter on The Parkers, despite them only having a 5-year age gap.
16.
Meryl Streep was 69 in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Cher was 72 during filming.
In the movie, Cher played Meryl Streep’s mom, despite them only having a three-year age gap.
17.
Janet Hubert was born in 1956.
Karyn Parsons was born in 1966.
In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Janet Hubert and Karyn Parsons played mother and daughter, despite having a 10-year age gap.
18.
Tom Hanks was 37 during the filming of Forrest Gump.
Sally Field was 47 during filming of the movie.
Sally Field played Tom Hanks’s mom in the movie, despite her only being 10 years older than him.
19.
Essence Atkins was 25 when the first season of Smart Guy aired.
John Marshall was 35 during the first season.
They played father and daughter on the show, despite only having a 10-year age gap.
20.
Harrison Ford was 46 during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Sean Connery was 58 during filming of the movie.
Sean played Harrison’s father despite only being 12 years older than him.
21.
Jennifer Lopez was 27 years old when she starred in Selena.
Constance Marie was 31 years old when she was in the movie.
They played mother and daughter in the movie with only a four-year age difference.
22.
Mandy Moore is currently 40 years old.
Sterling K. Brown is currently 48 years old.
Justin Hartley is also currently 47 years old.
Chrissy Metz is 41 years old.
In This Is Us, Mandy Moore plays Sterling, Justin, and Christina’s mother despite being younger than all of them
23.
Bellamy Young was 50 in the first season of Prodigal Son.
Michael Sheen was 51 during the first season.
Tom Payne was 38 during the first season.
In the show, Bellamy Young and Michael Sheen play Tom Payne’s parents, despite their small age gaps.
24.
Peter Krause was born in 1965.
Frances Conroy was born in 1953.
In Six Feet Under, Frances Conroy and Peter Krause play mother and son, even though they’re only separated by 12 years.
25.
And lastly, Estelle Getty was 62 when Golden Girls started.
Bea Arthur was 63 when the show started.
Despite Estelle Getty being one year younger than Bea Arthur, Estelle played Bea’s mother on the show.
What age gap between actors who played parent and child shocked you? Let us know in the comments!
