# Which (unrelated) actors could plausibly play close relatives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2002, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020 "2002-11-16T13:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/21 "2002-11-16T23:01:50Z")
Helen Hunt and Leelee Sobieski-- or however you spell her name. I swear they must be related. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/22 "2002-11-16T23:18:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by marinwood \* > \*\*Matthew MacConaughey and Woody Harrelson have played brothers, in the film _Ed TV_, but I guess no one but me saw it. > \*\* LOL! I _did_ see this movie. I don’t remember Harrelson being in it at all. In fact, I don’t remember Martin Landau, Ellen Degeneres, Rob Reiner or Dennis Hopper in it either, but according to the IMDB they all were! (In other words, not really a memorable flick.) ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/23 "2002-11-16T23:26:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alias \* > \*\*Sarah Polley and Uma Thurman could play sisters or cousins or something. Also, Helen Hunt and Leelee Sobieski are startlingly similar. \*\* Too funny, these are the first two that immediately came to mind before I opened the thread. Also Redford and Pitt. ---
**Author:** ![Sakura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Sakura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakura)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/24 "2002-11-16T23:41:40Z")
What about Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi? In Branagh’s _Hamlet_ they look like they’re more closely related than just uncle and nephew. We’ve been watching the movie in class for a week or so now and I still can’t get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/25 "2002-11-17T01:36:25Z")
A young actress named Isis Carmen Jones played younger versions of two Whoopi Goldberg characters. She played the young Deloris in “Sister Act” and a younger Guinan in the episode “Rascals” from Star Trek-TNG ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/26 "2002-11-17T01:58:39Z")
Ashley Judd and Charlize Theron could easily play sisters. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/27 "2002-11-17T02:14:29Z")
Julia Stiles and Erika Christensen resemble each other (so much so that many people seemed to think Stiles played the daughter in _Traffic_, when it was actually Christensen). I could easily imagine them playing sisters. I prefer to imagine them in other ways, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/28 "2002-11-17T02:55:59Z")
**Janeane Garofalo** and **Jeremy Black** , the boy who played the cloned Hitler-child in “The Boys from Brazil.” ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/29 "2002-11-17T03:37:32Z")
> [@](#): > > There was a scene in “To Die For” where Nicole Kidman looked exactly like Meg Ryan. > I think I’m the only person who thinks this, though. Not necessarily. Meg Ryan was originally cast in Kidman’s role in “To Die For”. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/30 "2002-11-17T04:15:06Z")
Not in the close relative sense, but does anyone else think that **Kelsey Grammer** would be the best choice to play **Bob Hope** in a biographical movie? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/31 "2002-11-17T04:59:04Z")
Jesse Bradford and Nicholas Brendon could easily play brothers. Kelly Rutherford and Elizabeth Mitchell look extrodinarily alike (although the imdb photo of Kelly looks nothing like her, go figure) so they could easily play sisters, twins even. If you don’t know who they are here are some pics: [Kelly Rutherford](http://www.brntwdmagazine.com/winter99/graphics/kellyFu-s.jpg) and [Elizabeth Mitchell](http://us.imdb.com/EGallery?source=ss&group=0304669&photo=CT-1842_R.jpg&path=pgallery&path_key=Mitchell,+Elizabeth+(I)) ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/32 "2002-11-17T06:26:03Z")
My husband is of the firm belief that [David James Elliott](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Elliott,%20David%20James) from JAG and [Kyle Secor](http://kylephiles.tripod.com/pictures.htm) (warning - popups!) formerly of Homicide could play brothers. I’m not sure, but I’m willing to give it more consideration. Also, [Brittany Murphy](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Murphy,+Brittany) and [Mena Suvari](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Suvari,%20Mena) could pull off sister roles very believably, and [Jeremy Northam](http://us.imdb.com/EGallery?source=granitz&group=1384&photo=JeremyNort_Grani_385639_400.jpg&path=pgallery&path_key=Northam,+Jeremy) and [Colin Firth](http://www.maketradefair.com/stylesheet.asp?file=16092002202047) could be brothers, or maybe, uh, cousins. I have to agree about Leelee Sobieski and Helen Hunt – but oddly, I can find no evidence that eithr of them has ever addressed their uncanny similarities but everyone I know who knows movies has mentioned it and I can’t believe that no interviewer has ever asked either of them about it. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/33 "2002-11-17T06:37:09Z")
Bette Midler and Mayim Bialik - Mayim played Bette’s character as a young girl in Beaches. Jordana Brewster and Demi Moore ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/34 "2002-11-17T06:45:12Z")
I always thought the blonde headed “leader” of the desert people in “The Road Warrior” looked remarkably like Mick Jagger. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/35 "2002-11-17T06:58:46Z")
David Hyde Pierce looks enough like Kelsey Grammar to be his brother. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/36 "2002-11-17T08:15:56Z")
Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger Julia Roberts and Monica Potter Nicole Kidman and Robin Wright Penn (maybe) Hugh Jackman and Matthew Broderick Renee Zellweger and Cate Blanchett (maybe) Anne Bancroft and Diane Wiest Meg Ryan and Sarah Jessica Parker ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/37 "2002-11-18T14:13:16Z")
One great disappointment in my life is that **John Candy** died before he could play a father and son role with **John Madden**. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/38 "2002-11-18T14:22:57Z")
Forgot the Jodie Foster/Helen Hunt/Leelee Sobieski connection. And they don’t really look the same, but I think of Matthew Perry as being a young Tom Hanks (ouch - sorry Tom!). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/39 "2002-11-18T14:44:46Z")
William Shatner (if he could act) and William L. Peterson (Grissom on CSI). Michael Jackson and E.T. ---
**Author:** ![knarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@knarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knarf)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020/40 "2002-11-18T18:12:14Z")
I’ve got to mention how much Chris Klein resembles a younger Keanu Reeves. When a friend and I first saw the DVD case for **Here On Earth** , we joked about it being an older Keanu Reeves/Helen Hunt movie. My best example of poor casting by appearance is **Family Business** with Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick as three generations. They even had a discussion about the ethnicity/background of Sean and Dustin’s wives to try to explain it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-unrelated-actors-could-plausibly-play-close-relatives/137020.md?page=3)