Alan Rickman was three years older than Jim Broadbent, even though he was supposed to have been his student in the Harry Potter films. Rickman was 63 when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered, and Broadbent was 60.
Severus Snape and Horace Slughorn are colleagues in the sixth instalment of the series, so it might not seem off that the actors who played them were only three years apart.
However, in the Harry Potter canon, Slughorn was Snape’s potions professor when he was a student at Hogwarts – which makes the fact that Rickman was older a little odd.
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2. Kristen Wilson and Tia and Tamera Mowry in Twitches
Kristen Wilson is just nine years older than Tia and Tamera Mowry, but she played their mum in Twitches.
In 2005, the real-life twins Tia and Tamera played twin witches in the Disney Channel original movie Twitches, and actress Wilson played their mother – even though in real life, she’s only nine years older than the twins.
Tia and Tamera were both 27 when they played 21-year-olds in the film, and Wilson was 36.
3. Will Ferrell and Pierce Brosnan in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Will Ferrell and Pierce Brosnan are only 14 years apart, but they played father and son in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
In the Netflix-original musical comedy, Ferrell starred as Icelandic singer-songwriter Lars Erickssong. Brosnan played Lars’ father, Erick, in the film, but in real life Brosnan isn’t that much older than Ferrell.
When the film was released in June 2020, Brosnan was 67 and Ferrell was 52 (soon to be turning 53).
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4. Drew Seeley and Selena Gomez in Another Cinderella Story
Mary falls in love with a pop sensation, played by Seeley, who returns to her high school for his senior year.
Gomez and Seeley were 16 and 26, respectively, when the film debuted in September 2008 – so it’s a bit surprising that they both played high-school students.
5. Juliet and Sam in Love Actually
In Love Actually, Juliet and Sam were played by actors who are only five years apart in age.
Although actress Keira Knightley played an adult and Thomas Brodie-Sangster played a child in Love Actually, the actors are merely five years apart.
When the film premiered in November 2003, Knightley was 18 and Brodie-Sangster was 13.
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6. Colin Firth and Emma Stone, in Magic in the Moonlight
Colin Firth and Emma Stone, who played love interests in Magic in the Moonlight, are 28 years apart. Firth and Stone were 53 and 25, respectively, when the film was released in August 2014.
7. Rachel McAdams and Amy Poehler in Mean Girls
Rachel McAdams is only seven years younger than Amy Poehler, who played her mum in Mean Girls. In the cult classic, McAdams played Regina George, a popular teen at her high school and the leader of “The Plastics”.
When the film was released in April 2004, McAdams was 25 years old – only seven years younger than her on-screen mum Amy Poehler, who was 32.
McAdams is also seven years older than on-screen frenemy Lindsay Lohan, who was 17 when the movie was released.
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8. Angelina Jolie and Colin Farrell in Alexander
Even though the two actors played mother and son, in reality, they’re only one year apart. When the film debuted in November 2004, Jolie was 29 and Farrell was 28.
9. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Sean Connery played Harrison Ford’s father.
When the film was released in May 1986, Connery was 56 and Ford was 44, leaving a mere 12-year gap between the on-screen father and son.
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10. Sally Field and Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump
In the classic film Forrest Gump, Sally Field played Tom Hanks’ mother. But she’s only 10 years older than her co-star.
Field was 48 and Hanks was 37 when the film was released in July 1994, just days before Hanks’ 38th birthday.
11. Orlando Bloom and Lee Pace in The Hobbit
Throughout The Hobbit series, Lee Pace played Orlando Bloom’s son – even though Pace is only two years younger than Bloom in real life.
Sure, elves are thousands of years old, but it’s worth noting that Bloom was born in 1977 and Pace was born in 1979.
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12. Cher and Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Cher played Meryl Streep’s mother in the movie musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
The actresses are only three years apart, but it’s easy to miss the too-small age gap because they only share screen time during the film’s performance of Super Trouper.
Cher was 72 and Streep was 69 when the film debuted in July 2018.
13. Stockard Channing and John Travolta in Grease
Stockard Channing and John Travolta both played 18-year-old high school seniors in the 1978 musical Grease.
Several of the film’s actors were significantly older than their on-screen characters.
The oldest member of the main cast, Channing, was 33 and Travolta was 23 during the movie’s production.
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14. Sissy Spacek and Betty Buckley in Carrie
Sissy Spacek starred as a 16-year-old in the high school thriller, and Betty Buckley played her gym teacher.
When the movie was released in November 1976, Spacek was 26 and Buckley was 29, leaving only a little over two years between the on-screen student and teacher.
