We know that skilled actors and actresses have no trouble playing characters of any age. Additionally, this is something that filmmakers and producers are aware of and take advantage of. It's all because the presence of a talented celebrity in a project is far more significant than a perfect match with the plot.
As a result, it turns out that there are more than a few performers who have played roles that are much older than their actual age. However, when actors with a small age difference portray the roles of parents and children, these nuances are difficult to hide from the eyes of cautious viewers. Some of the cases listed below, ranging from Carla Gugino to
Jennifer Lawrence, are genuinely mind-boggling.
We've compiled a list of 15 actors and actresses that played parents who were either very young or had a really strange age gap between their on-screen children.
#1 Amy Poehler
Source: Paramount/ Courtesy Everett Collection
Amy Poehler (born September 16, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. In "Mean Girls," she portrayed June George, Regina's iconic mother. She was 32 at the time of filming, while Rachel McAdams was 25!
Source: Paramount
#2 Anne Bancroft
Source: Embassy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Anne Bancroft was born on September 17, 1931. She was 36 years old when
"The Graduate" was released. Katharine Ross, who played her daughter, is only nine years younger.
Source: Embassy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
#3 Angelina Jolie
Source: Warner Bros /Courtesy Everett Collection
Angelina Jolie portrayed Queen Olympias, Alexander the Great's mother, in
"Alexander." She was born in 1975, thus she was 29 years old when the film was released. Colin Farrell, who plays her son, is 28 years old.
Source: Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection
#4 Carla Gugino
Source: Dimension Films
Carla Gugino portrayed Ingrid Cortez, Carmen and Juni's mother, in
"Spy Kids." She was only 29 years old when the film was released. Daryl Sabara, who played Juni, was nine years old when the movie was made, and Alexa PenaVega, who played Carmen, was thirteen.
Source: Dimension Films /Courtesy Everett Collection
#5 Elizabeth Rodriguez
Source: Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Elizabeth Rodriguez (born December 27, 1980) played Aleida Diaz (Daya's mother) in
"Orange Is the New Black." She was 32 years old when the show began. Dascha Polanco, who played her daughter, was born in 1982.
Source: Netflix
#6 Janet Hubert
Source: Warner Bros.
For the first three seasons of
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Janet Hubert portrayed Aunt Viv. Janet was 34 when the sitcom began, but her onscreen daughter, Karyn Parsons, was 24.
Source: Warner Bros.
#7 Toni Collette
Source: Searchlight Pictures
In
"Little Miss Sunshine," Toni Collette portrayed Sheryl Hoover (Olive and Dwayne's mother). She was just 32 when filming began, while Paul Dano, who plays her adolescent son, was 21.
Source: Searchlight Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
#8 Charlayne Woodard
Source: Universal / courtesy Everett Collection
Charlayne Woodard played Mrs. Price (Elijah's mom) in
"M. Night Shyamalan's Glass". She was born on December 29, 1953, but her onscreen son - Samuel L. Jackson, was born on December 21, 1948!
Source: Universal / courtesy Everett Collection
#9 Jennifer Lawrence
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
Jennifer Lawrence played Joy Mangano, an inventor with two children, in the film
"Joy." She was just 24 when she filmed the role of a 34-year-old because the real-life Joy was 34 at the time.
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
#10 Belita Moreno
Source: ABC
In the
"George Lopez" sitcom, Belita Moreno portrayed Benny (George's mother). She was just 11 years older than George when the sitcom debuted because she was 52 at the time.
Source: ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection
#11 Jennifer Robertson
Source: Steve Wilkie / CBC/POP / courtesy Everett Collection
In
"Schitt's Creek", Jennifer Robertson played Jocelyn Schitt, the mayor's wife. When the show came out, Jennifer and her onscreen son (played by Tim Rozon) 's age gap was only five.
Source: CBC
#12 Estelle Getty
Source: NBC
In
"Golden Girls," Estelle Getty portrayed Sophia Petrillo. To appear 80, she underwent considerable makeup and sported a white wig. When the show began, she was 62 years old. Bea Arthur, who played Estelle's daughter, was a year younger than Estelle!
Source: NBC
#13 Andrea Navedo
Source: The CW
In
"Jane the Virgin," Andrea Navedo played Xiomara Villanueva. Andrea was 36 years old when the drama starts airing, but she is only seven years older than Gina Rodriguez, who plays Jane.
Source: The CW
#14 Phylicia Rashad
Source: NBC
Clair Huxtable was played by Phylicia Rashad on
"The Cosby Show". She was born on June 19, 1948. That means she was 36 when the sitcom debuted, yet she played a mother of five children, one of whom was a sophomore in college.
Source: Sheldon Secunda / NBC / courtesy Everett Collection / Getty Images
#15 Ann Morgan Guilbert
Source: Spike Nannarello / CBS /Courtesy Everett Collection
Ann Morgan Guilbert portrayed Yetta, Fran's grandmother, and Sylvia's mother, in
"The Nanny." She was just 65 years old when the show premiered. Renée Taylor, who played Sylvia, is around 61 years old.
Source: CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images