Genetics is like nature’s magic. It’s truly wild that you can basically copy and paste yourself onto another living thing just by having kids. That’s why I’m absolutely fascinated by celebrity kids who look just like their famous parents.
I’m sure there’s a lot of good that comes with being the child of a celebrity, but I can also understand how it might get annoying to constantly get compared to your dad. Colin Hanks, who’s Tom Hanks’ son, even made a bunch of sarcastic Instagram stories highlighting just how much people tell him he looks like his dad.
“When I was starting off I was sort of lovingly naive, thinking that [being the son of Tom Hanks] wasn’t as big a deal as it is that I would get the benefit of the doubt that I was my own person. And that doesn’t happen,” Colin said on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in 2018.
Then, there are the other celebs who have a little bit more fun with the fact that they look just like their dads. Jack Nicholson’s son, Ray Nicholson, was cast in Smile 2 specifically because he could recreate his dad’s iconic look from The Shining. And it’s kind of uncanny how much he succeeded.
Here’s a look at a few famous fathers and sons who look so much alike. It’s a little freaky.
Colin Hanks and Tom Hanks
Colin makes a big effort to carve out his own space in the film industry, but he also starred alongside his dad in the movies That Thing You Do! and The Great Buck Howard.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Ice Cube
O’Shea has embraced looking like his dad, Ice Cube, so much that he actually played him in the biopic Straight Outta Compton. That’s a full commitment to that father-son/copy-paste life.
Ray Nicholson and Jack Nicholson
Ray and Jack not only share an iconic smile, but they also share a love of sitting court side at Lakers games.
Dan Levy and Eugene Levy
The famous eyebrows are a dead giveaway for the genetic connection between Dan and Eugene. On top of that, there’s the fact that they created and starred in Schitt’s Creek together and were the first father-son duo to co-host the Emmys together.
Jack Quaid and Dennis Quaid
The Boys star, Jack Quaid, looks a lot like his dad Dennis, but there’s also a lot of his famous mom Meg Ryan in him. “People think I’m a solid half and half, I think. Some people see Mom, some people see Dad. It’s kind of like an optical illusion,” he told USA Today in 2019.
Damon Wayans Jr. and Damon Wayans
The whole famous Wayans family tree looks alike, but Damon Wayans Jr. especially looks like his dad.
John Owen Lowe and Rob Lowe
Rob and John Owen Lowe brought their father-son dynamic to the small screen by creating and co-starring in the show Unstable together.
