Casting Directors worldwide know how difficult it is to find the perfect casting members to play a convincing role in a family.
- Michael and Lincoln.
- Gia and Rue.
- Stephanie, Michelle, and DJ.
- Alex and Max.
- Monica and Ross.
- Haley, Alex, and Luke Dunphy.
- The Bluth Family.
- Jean Ralphio and Mona Lisa.
- The Taylor Family.
- Chris, Julius, Rochelle, Tonya, and Drew.
Sometimes, the outcome of casting can be absolutely spot-on, and you wouldn't even be able to tell if the actors are related or not in real life. Other times, the chemistry just isn't there, and the family, as a whole, is a lot less convincing. The biggest challenge of casting the perfect family is not just the acting skills alone, but also the actor’s appearance, gesturing, tone of voice, and the use of body language
Here’s a round-up of 10 times the Casting Director blew our minds by casting the perfect family members we still can't decide on being related or not:
Michael and Lincoln
(Prison Break/Fox) If you’ve ever seen Prison Break, you will know that these two characters have incredible on-screen chemistry. Played by Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller, the two characters fit their casting roles perfectly, and at times, it is hard to believe that they’re not related.
Gia and Rue
(Euphoria/HBO) You may need a “double-take” looking on screen of Gia and Rue from Euphoria (played by Storm Reid and Zendaya). The two actresses possess a similar charismatic appearance, and successfully convince the audience of their relationship as sisters.
Stephanie, Michelle, and DJ
(Full House/ABC) How could anyone forget the quirky girls from the Full House family (played by Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Candace Cameron Bure)? This family still lingers on in many of our hearts and even launched a Full House spin-off series on Netflix due to its large success.
Alex and Max
(Wizards of Waverly Place/Disney Channel) Played by Selena Gomez and Jake T. Austin, the two actors radiate sibling energy all through the series. Not to mention the family as a whole. The cast members fit perfectly into their roles to make for an entertaining Disney Channel series.
Monica and Ross
(Friends/NBC) By now, we’re all familiar with the outstanding cast of Friends. But convincing someone the Gellers (played by Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer) aren’t related in real life is next to impossible.
Haley, Alex, and Luke Dunphy
(Modern Family/ABC) The Modern Family series is wildly successful because of the show’s ability to demonstrate dynamic contrast between the relationships of several families. Haley, Alex, and Luke Dunphy (played by Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, and Nolan Gould) have an absolute kind of on-screen chemistry that a Casting Director could only wish for.
The Bluth Family
(Arrested Development/Fox) The Bluths have an unbelievable range in character types across the entire family - mostly being corrupt, and motivated by selfish reasons. The show, however, is able to make all of this work by using a voice of reason in Michael (Jason Bateman) as a sort of glue that puts everything back together.
Jean Ralphio and Mona Lisa
(Parks and Recreation/NBC) Netflix, themselves, named these two as an iconic duo back in 2018. Played by Ben Schwartz and Jenny Slate, this brother and sister “from another mister” make for a perfect blend of sugar and spice. Their chemistry on-screen makes for a really convincing brother and sister dynamic.
The Taylor Family
(Home Improvement/ABC) If you are old enough to remember the 90s, Tim Allen and his family in the Home Improvement series was a phenomenal casting decision. The actors played so well off of each other’s chemistry, that we still fondly remember the strong relationships the family had - especially the one between Tim (Tim Allen) and Randy Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas).
Chris, Julius, Rochelle, Tonya, and Drew
(Everybody Hates Chris/The CW) If you’ve ever seen the show Everybody Hates Chris, you’ll know just how well the family convinces the audience of a real family dynamic. A middle-class working family based in Bed-Stuy, working hard to get by is so perfectly accommodated by the cast of Tyler James Williams (Chris), Terry Crews (Julius), Tichina Arnold (Rochelle), Imani Hakim (Tonya), and Tequan Richmond (Drew).
