Plenty of celebrity siblings have played opposite one another in film and TV. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal famously played a brother/sister duo in the cult hit Donnie Darko, while Tia and Tamera Mowry starred as twins in the '90s sitcom Sister Sister. But casting on-screen siblings who aren’t related can be tricky since simply looking alike doesn’t necessarily cut it if the actors don’t have the right accent, rapport, or mannerisms.
That said, there are tons of on-screen siblings who aren’t related in real life - though from their looks and their behavior to their relatable sibling squabbles, they definitely could be. These on-screen sibling duos could all pass as real-life relatives.
Phoebe & Piper Halliwell - Charmed
Phoebe and Piper Halliwell of Charmed have to readjust their sororal relationship continually over the course of the show, with each other as well as with their other sisters. But even as Piper grows more assertive and Phoebe becomes more mature, there’s an obvious affection between the two of them.
There were always rumors of drama on the set of Charmed. But Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano seem to have remained close, both sharing similar views on the Charmed reboot and some of the other controversies that surrounded the original show.
Peter & Lucy Pevensie - The Chronicles Of Narnia
The Chronicles Of Narnia film series features four Pevensie siblings, but it’s Peter and Lucy - the eldest and the youngest respectively - who stand out as the kids who could be related in real life. In fact, the actor who plays Lucy, Georgie Henley, has referred to William Moseley (who plays Peter) as being like her older brother in real life.
Like Peter and Lucy, the two have a lot of responsibility on their hands - bringing C.S. Lewis’ beloved book series to the big screen, for one thing - but it’s adorable to hear they’re almost as close in real life as they seem to be in the movies.
Jane & Michael Banks - Mary Poppins
Every character in Mary Poppins seems to be perfectly cast - but it’s difficult to look past Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber as Jane and Michael, the children Mary is employed to look after. Their brother-and-sister bond is ironclad, and their parents’ emotional absence seems to draw them even closer.
As children, Dotrice and Garber even look alike - their bright blue eyes and tawny hair make it tricky to tell them apart from real siblings.
Peter & Jack Whitman - The Darjeeling Limited
Wes Anderson’s obsession with family dynamics is hyper-apparent in his 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited. Jason Schwartzmann and Adrien Brody play Jack and Peter Whitman, the younger brothers of Owen Wilson’s Francis Whitman.
Schwartzmann and Brody have a more similar look than Wilson, but it’s the way Peter and Jack conspire against Francis that’s highly relatable for people with siblings everywhere. Check out the train fight for one of the most relatable depictions of fraternal bickering ever put on film.
Carlton & Hilary Banks - The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
Unlike their younger sister Ashley, Carlton and Hilary Banks can be a little hoity-toity - and this is what makes them the most obvious siblings of the trio. Their mutual superiority complex over their cousin - and many other Fresh Prince characters - is totally different from Ashley’s warm inclusiveness.
Hilary and Carlton’s sense of style couldn’t be more different, but they share a sense of egotism and propriety that pinpoints them as definite siblings.
Jaime & Cersei Lannister - Game Of Thrones
Game Of Thrones features so many families that it’s tough to pick just one pair of siblings who could be related in real life. But in the end, Jaime and Cersei just about win out, since the show portrays their relationship over the course of the show (they both escape the unceremoniously early fate that lots of Game Of Thrones characters suffer).
Jaime and Cersei’s relationship is definitely too close for comfort. While it might seem difficult for their relationship to be any creepier, the fact that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey look so alike in the show takes it to a whole new level of disturbing.
Gob & Michael Bluth - Arrested Development
Based on looks alone, Arrested Development’s Gob is probably more similar to Buster than Michael or Lindsay (who, admittedly, is adopted). But it’s his relationship with Michael that’s truly fraternal. From repeatedly scrapping outside the courthouse to Gob’s desperate need for validation from his younger brother, there’s a whole lot of history between Michael and Gob.
The off-screen camaraderie between Will Arnett and Jason Bateman is also well-known - they even have a joint production company - making them prime examples of would-be real-life brothers.
Niles & Frasier Crane - Frasier
The role of Niles in the long-running sitcom Frasier was reportedly created for David Hyde Pierce based on his aesthetic resemblance to Kelsey Grammar. As a result, the brothers definitely look like they could be related - but the similarities don’t end there.
Niles and Frasier are both snooty guys, with a snobbish sense of their own importance - but their gentle rivalry is relatable to anyone with a sibling. Their fraternal chemistry is so good, in fact, that The Simpsons borrowed it for a memorable episode featuring Sideshow Bob and his scheming brother, Cecil.
T’Challa & Shuri - Black Panther
Black Panther’s T’Challa and Shuri are the epitome of devoted siblings who also thrive on a squabble. Their affectionate back-and-forth jibes never get old, and there’s so much love between them it’s easy to forget they’re not real-life siblings.
Letitia Wright recently paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman with heartfelt emotion: “I heard God speak to my heart; that he would be my brother, and that I was to love him as such.” This quote proves that the incredible sibling chemistry between them in Black Panther also existed off-screen.
Ross & Monica Geller - Friends
Ross and Monica are the ultimate TV sibling duo - and from their visual resemblance to their shared backstory, it’s easy to see why. Some of the greatest moments in Friends stem from Monica and Ross’s childhood stories.
From the prom night home movie that leads to Ross and Rachel’s relationship to the iconic Routine, Friends wouldn’t be the show it is without their seminal sibling relationship. Plus, Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer (along with the rest of the Friends cast) are reportedly still close friends - making them the ultimate potential off-screen siblings.