27 TV And Movie Actor Age Gaps That Are Honestly Just So Mind-Boggling To Me

    Emmy Rossum currently plays Tom Holland's mother on The Crowded Room, despite only being nine years older than him in real life.

    Lauren Garafano
    by Lauren Garafano

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Throughout the years, soooo many actors have been aged up or aged down to fit their TV and movie roles. Some of these age switcheroos make total sense, like when a teen character is played by an actor in their early 20s because of child actor laws.

    But some...will never make sense to me. Like, Emmy Rossum plays Tom Holland's mother in The Crowded Room, even though she's only 9 years older than him.

    / ©Apple TV/Courtesy Everett Collection

    As for the age gap, Emmy told Entertainment Tonight, "It makes sense when I read the script. Candy's a super young mom, she's almost a child in her own right when she becomes pregnant at age 16. You watch as I age from 25 to 35, which is actually younger than I am now."

    Here are 26 more wild parent-child actor age gaps:

    1. Alan Ruck (61) played Brian Cox's (72) eldest son Connor Roy on Succession (2018–2023).

    Screenshot from "Succession"
    HBO

    2. Laura Benanti (42) played Amy Schumer's (41) mom in the series Life & Beth (2022–).

    Screenshot from "Life & Beth"
    Hulu

    3. Jennifer Coolidge (61) played Josh Duhamel's (50) mother in the 2023 movie Shotgun Wedding (2023).

    Prime Video / Via Everett

    4. Rebel Wilson (42) played Chris Parnell's (55) daughter in the movie Senior Year (2022).

    ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

    5. Mandy Moore (32) played Sterling K. Brown (40), Chrissy Metz (35), and Justin Hartley's (39) mother on the series This Is Us (2016–2022).

    Screenshot from "This Is Us"
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    6. Meryl Streep (68) played Cher's (72) daughter in the movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).

    Photo Credit: Jonathan Prime / ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection, Photo Credit: Jonathan Prime / ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

    7. Jennifer Robertson (43) played Tim Rozon's (39) mom on Schitt's Creek (2015–2020).

    Pop TV

    8. Colin Farrell (28) played Angelina Jolie's (29) son in the movie Alexander (2004).

    Screenshot from "Alexander"
    Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    9. Amy Poehler (32) played Rachel McAdams's (26) mom in Mean Girls (2004).

    Screenshot from "Mean Girls"
    Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    10. John Marshall Jones (34) played Essence Atkins's (25) father on the series Smart Guy (1997–1999).

    The WB

    11. George Lopez (41) played Belita Moreno's (52) son on the series George Lopez (2002–2007).

    Screenshot from "George Lopez"
    ABC / Everett

    12. Billy Ray Cyrus (44) played Jason Earles's (29) dad on Hannah Montana (2006–2011).

    Screenshot from "Hannah Montana"
    Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    13. Orlando Bloom (35) played Lee Pace's (33) son in the Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014).

    Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection, Mark Pokorny / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    14. Elizabeth Rodriguez (32) played Dascha Polanco's (30) mom on Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019).

    Screenshot from "Orange Is the New Black"
    Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

    15. Cuba Gooding Jr. (23) played Laurence Fishburne's (29) son in Boyz n the Hood (1991).

    Screenshot from "Boyz n the Hood"
    Columbia

    16. Charlayne Woodard (65) played Samuel L. Jackson's (70) mother in the movie Glass (2019).

    Photo Credit: Universal Pictures / ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection, Photo Credit: Jessica Kourkounis / ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

    17. Winona Ryder (37) played Zachary Quinto's (32) mother in Star Trek (2009).

    Paramount Pictures / Getty

    18. Troian Bellisario (24) played Lesley Fera's (39) daughter on Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017).

    Freeform

    19. Drew Barrymore (26) played Adam Garcia's (28) mom in Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).

    Screenshot from "Riding in Cars with Boys"
    Columbia Pictures / ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    20. John Lithgow (38) played Lori Singer's (26) father in Footloose (1984).

    Silver Screen Partners

    21. Sally Field (47) played Tom Hanks's (37) mom in Forrest Gump (1994).

    Screenshot from "Forrest Gump"
    Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    22. Rachel Griffiths (32) played Johnny Depp's (38) mother in the movie Blow (2001).

    New Line Cinema

    23. Bryce Dallas Howard (38) played Taron Egerton's (29) mom in Rocketman (2019).

    Photo Credit: David Appleby / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    24. Tom Payne (36) played Bellamy Young (49) and Michael Sheen's (50) son on Prodigal Son (2019–2021).

    David Giesbrecht / ©Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

    25. Minka Kelly (25) played Merrilee McCommas's (35) daughter on Friday Night Lights (2006–2011).

    Nbc / ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection, NBC

    26. Finally, Tom Selleck (78) plays Len Cariou's (83) son on Blue Bloods (2010–).

    Screenshot from "Blue Bloods"
    Marni Grossman / CBS / Getty