The Gyllenhaals, The Culkins, And 16 Other Acting Siblings Who've Worked Together

No sibling rivalry here!

1. Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Pandora Cinema / Newmarket Films

Maggie and Jake are the children of two Hollywood filmmakers, so it's no surprise that these two joined the family business – both started their careers doing small parts in their dad’s films.

In 2001, the pair brought their sibling chemistry to the silver screen, where they played brother and sister in Donnie Darko. Jake was cast as the title character first, but Maggie had to be convinced to take on the role of Elizabeth. The film’s director said that when he met with Maggie, she tried to talk him out of casting her, but obviously, she ended up changing her mind.

2. Ilana and Eliot Glazer.

Comedy Central

Ilana and her Broad City co-creator Abbi Jacobson have said that they wrote characters with specific actors in mind, so it only makes sense that Ilana's actual brother played Eliot Wexler.

As well as performing, Eliot's also a writer and producer, and served as a consulting producer on the show.

3. Jason and Justine Bateman.

Fox / Netflix

If it wasn't for the shared surname, I never would have guessed these two were brother and sister.

Both are stars in their own right, but the pair jointed forces when Justine guest-starred on her young brother's show, Arrested Development. She played Nellie Bluth, a sex worker who Michael (Jason) mistakenly thought was his sister.

4. Brandy and Ray J.

UPN

Some of us know Ray J from music, some of us know him from Kim K fame, but real '90s kids know him as Dorian – the long lost brother on Moesha.

This isn't the only time the siblings worked together – they also had their own family reality show on VH1.

5. Macaulay and Kieran Culkin.

20th Century Fox

We all know Mac was the face of Home Alone (and the '90s, pretty much), but remember Fuller – Kevin's bedwetting cousin? He was played by young Kieran.

Unlike Macaulay, who took a little step back from Hollywood, Kieran has continued to act, and he was even nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Succession.

6. Luke and Chris Hemsworth.

Marvel

You know Liam, you know Chris, but if you don't watch Westworld, you might not have known that Luke is the eldest Hemsworth brother.

Naturally, all of them were on Neighbours, but eagle-eyed Marvel fans will know that Luke actually played Chris's character in Thor: Ragnarok. Well, kind of – in the movie, there's a play which reenacts Loki's "death" with Luke playing fake-Thor. I think we can all agree that he was clearly the best person for the job.

7. Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

Fox

These two have very different vibes, so I think it's safe to say that their fanbase might not have the biggest crossover. But back in 2009, before Zooey had New Girl, she appeared in Bones, where she played the second cousin of her sister's character.

8. Hilary and Haylie Duff.

MGM Distribution Co.

These two look like they could be twins, so it made perfect sense that they played the spoilt sisters in Material Girls.

And that’s not the only time the pair joined forces. Remember Isabella from the Lizzie McGuire movie? Well, she was played by Hilary, but Haylie provided her singing voice – a perfect family affair if you ask me!

9. James and Dave Franco.

Warner Bros.

Ah, the Franco brothers – two guys that prove genes play a part when it comes to a sense of humour.

Although they’ve long worked on similar projects and had a few small roles alongside each other it wasn’t until 2017 that they both starred in the same film. James and Dave played Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau in the biographical movie The Disaster Artist, which tells the story of the two guys who created what’s considered one of the worst films ever made.

10. Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estévez.

CBS

You may not have realised that these two are bros, on account of the fact that Charlie changed his name from Carlos Estévez before he shot to fame. But when it comes to work, these two like to keep it in the family – they’ve both worked on projects with their dad, Martin Sheen.

The brothers teamed up for the Western film Young Guns, and Two and a Half Men fans will know that Emilio guest starred along his brother as Andy, one of Charlie’s old partners.

11. Elle and Dakota Fanning.

New Line Cinema

Separately, the Fanning sisters have starred in some pretty great films, but they’ve never actually played characters alongside each other.

But the makers of I Am Sam cleverly utilised their likeness when it came to showing time progression in the movie – Dakota played Lucy for the majority of the film, and baby Elle played her at two years old.

12. Demi Lovato and Madison De La Garza.

Disney Channel

Another example of how siblings playing the same character here – Little Madi played Demi’s character in a flashback in an episode of Sonny with a Chance, and naturally, she was super cute!

13. Sarah and Dan Levy.

CBC

The Levy’s are clearly all about keeping it in the family – Schitt’s Creek is a whole family affair! Dan’s onscreen dad is the pair’s real-life dad, and although Sarah’s character isn’t in the Rose family, the sibling chemistry on the show is unmissable.

14. Donald and Stephen Glover.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Okay, so the Glover’s are one talented family. We all know that Donald’s a triple threat, but his younger brother Stephen has some serious skill.

These two are always collaborating – Stephen is the head story editor and a writer for Atlanta, and he co-wrote Guava Island with Donald.

15. Penélope and Monica Cruz.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

These two are pretty much the spitting image of each other, so it would just be a missed opportunity if they didn’t use that to their advantage.

Penélope was pregnant during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and so her little sis Monica stepped up and was her body double. Genius.

16. Zach and Adam Braff.

Frederic J. Brown / Getty Images

We all know Zach from Scrubs fame, but writer Adam has kept a lower profile. The two of them pooled their talents in 2014, where they co-wrote the comedy Wish I Was Here, which naturally, Zach starred in.

17. Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne.

Audible

We all know that Kate McKinnon is hilarious, so it makes sense that her younger sister is pretty funny too. She collaborated with Emily, who’s a comedian, on the Audible series Heads Will Roll, which the two wrote and narrated.

18. Maude and Iris Apatow.

Universal Pictures

If you’ve ever seen a Judd Apatow movie and thought, “these kids are naturals,” chances are it’s because they’re his kids, and they’re acting opposite their real-life mum, Leslie Mann.

These two have appeared together in Knocked up, Funny People, and This is 40, and I imagine we’ll see them on screen together in the future.

Who's your favourite sibling actor duo? Tell us in the comments!