The dynamic family depicted in 2001's 'Spy Kids' put other on-screen families to shame, but in real life they'd be more like siblings. Carla Gugino, who plays mother Ingrid Cortez, was 29 years old during filming. Alexa PenaVega, who plays daughter Carmen Cortez, was 13.
Cult classic 'Mean Girls' (2004) was full of memorable characters, but only one iconic mother-daughter duo: Amy Poehler and Rachel McAdams as the Georges. Yet the age difference between the two actresses is only seven years.
Nicole Kidman appears as Aquaman's mother in 2018's 'Aquaman,' but the real age difference between Kidman and Jason Momoa is only 12 years.
Kate Mara appears as Heath Ledger's daughter in the 2005 hit drama 'Brokeback Mountain.' The age difference between these two actors would, however, make that impossible in the real world. At the time of filming, Ledger was 25, and Mara was only four years behind at 21.
The 1990 film rendition of the Shakespeare play 'Hamlet' starred Mel Gibson as the titular Hamlet, and Glenn Close as his mother Gertrude. In real life, there are only nine years between them.
Jennifer Robertson stars as Jocelyn Schitt in the hit TV show 'Schitt's Creek,' and Tim Rozon plays her son, Mutt. In reality, Robertson is only five years older than Rozon.
Drew Barrymore stars in the 2001 biopic 'Driving in Cars with Boys,' as Beverly Donofrio, a teenage mother and writer. Her son is played by Adam Garcia, who in the real world is actually two years older than Barrymore.
'Little Nicky' was a comedy from 2000 starring Adam Sandler as the titular Nicky, and Reese Witherspoon appears as his mother. This is pretty creative casting, considering Sandler is a whole nine years older than Witherspoon.
Kate Winslet stars in the titular role in the TV drama series 'Mildred Pierce,' and Evan Rachel Wood stars as her daughter. But Kate Winslet is only Evan Rachel Wood's senior by 12 years.
Colin Ferrell stars as Alexander the Great in 2004's 'Alexander,' and Angelina Jolie plays his mother, Queen Olympias. But there is actually only a one year difference between the two performers!
Harrison Ford is famous for his performances as Indiana Jones, and Sean Connery appears as the adventurer's father in 1989's 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' While the relationship is believable on screen, there were only 12 years between the two actors in real life.
The emotional story of connection between mother Shelby Corcoran, played by Idina Menzel, and Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, on 'Glee' has gone down as one of the most iconic mother-daughter storylines in recent TV history. In reality, however, there are only 16 years between the two actresses.
Cher and Meryl Streep make an iconic mother-daughter duo in 2018's 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.' But Cher is actually only three years older than Streep.
Lee Pace plays Orlando Bloom's father in 2013's 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.' Away from the fantasy world, however, Pace is actually two years younger than Bloom.
Sally Field plays the mother of the one and only Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks. In reality, there's only a decade's age difference between the two iconic actors.
'Golden Girls' stars Estelle Getty and Bea Arthur starred as mother and daughter on the classic TV show. Even though Getty was actually one year younger than Arthur, it's Getty who snagged the role of the mother.
Frances Fisher and Julianne Moore appear as mother and daughter in the 2004 rom-com 'Laws of Attraction.' This relationship would be impossible in the real world, where Moore is only eight years younger than Fisher.
In the 2008 drama 'Fireflies in the Garden,' Julia Roberts and Ryan Reynolds star as mother and son. In reality, there's only a nine-year age gap between them.
Ray Liotta and Johnny Depp appeared as a complicated father-son duo in the 2001 crime drama 'Blow.' There were only nine years between the two actors.
In the hit show 'Orange Is the New Black,' Elizabeth Rodriguez plays Dascha Polanco's mother, even though the actresses share only a two-year age difference.
Gina Rodriguez stars as Jane in the TV show 'Jane the Virgin,' and Andrea Navedo plays her mother. In the real world, Navedo is only seven years older than Rodriguez.
Jennifer Lopez stars as the iconic titular singer in 1997's 'Selena,' with Constance Marie playing Selena's mother. Despite portraying a mother-daughter relationship, the two stars share only a four-year age difference.
Zachary Quinto appears as the iconic Spock in 2009's 'Star Trek' remake. Winona Ryder also appeared as Amanda Grayson, Spock's human mother. In reality, there are only six years between the stars.
Toni Collette stole the show as the star of 2006's 'Little Miss Sunshine,' supported by Paul Dano, who played her son. Both actors were lauded for their performances, which are doubly impressive considering the small 11-year age difference between them.
Anne Bancroft starred as Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 classic 'The Graduate,' and Katharine Ross appeared as her daughter, despite sharing only a nine-year age difference.
In M. Night Shyamalan's 2019 thriller 'Glass,' Charlayne Woodard plays Samuel L. Jackson's mother. In reality, Woodard is actually a whole five years younger than Jackson.
Frances Conroy plays Peter Krause's mother in the drama series 'Six Feet Under,' even though Krause is only 12 years her junior.
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Glenn Close and Robin Williams starred as an inseparable mother-son duo in 1982's 'The World According to Garp.' Close was only five years older than Williams in real life.
Tom Holland and Emmy Rossum recently starred as a mother and son in the streaming series 'The Crowded Room,' which some fans thought to be a strange choice considering Rossum is only a decade older than Holland.
All the best performers have an uncanny knack for pretending to be something they aren't. Knowing an actor's personality is so different from their character's can add to how impressive the acting is. Other times, it's shocking to find out the real ages of performers based on their characters. Two actors who might be close in age can often pull off captivating performances as people from two different generations.
Curious? Read on to be surprised by the tiny age differences between these famous parent-child performances.
These actors were too young to play their co-stars' parents
These on-screen families were peers in real life
CELEBRITY Roles
All the best performers have an uncanny knack for pretending to be something they aren't. Knowing an actor's personality is so different from their character's can add to how impressive the acting is. Other times, it's shocking to find out the real ages of performers based on their characters. Two actors who might be close in age can often pull off captivating performances as people from two different generations.
Curious? Read on to be surprised by the tiny age differences between these famous parent-child performances.