Actors Who Fell In Love With An On-Screen Family Member In Real Life
It's not uncommon for actors who play couples on-screen to end up getting together in real life. After starring as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in "The Amazing Spider-Man," Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone dated for three years, working on the sequel during that time, too. Although they eventually split, there are some Hollywood success stories like Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, who met on the set of "The Cable Guy" and have worked together multiple times since tying the knot in 1997.
Most fans don't bat an eye when an on-screen couple gets together in real life, but they think it's downright weird for actors playing family members to start dating. However, many of them do — they're only acting after all. In many of these cases, the stars say they can easily distance themselves from the characters that they play, explaining there's no weirdness carried over.
These actors portray all kinds of familial relationships on screen, from siblings to niece and uncle, or even father and daughter, but found themselves together in romantic relationships off-screen. If you find yourself wondering how this came about, keep reading. Here are actors who fell in love with an on-screen family member in real life.
Lauren Graham and Peter Krause
After seven years on "Gilmore Girls," Lauren Graham took a small break from TV before taking on the role of another single mom in the comedy-drama, "Parenthood." Sarah Braverman (Graham) is the mom to Mae Whitman's Amber and Miles Heizer's Drew. In the series, Graham also shares the screen with "9-1-1" star Peter Krause, who plays her on-screen brother, Adam. Although the two play siblings in the series, it didn't stop them from falling in love in real life.
Graham has her "Gilmore Girls" TV mom, Kelly Bishop, to thank for encouraging her to date Krause. The pair obviously had a natural chemistry, but Graham told People that they were both hesitant to act on it because of past unsuccessful relationships they'd had with co-stars. But, in 2010, having worked together for two years on "Parenthood," they decided to take the plunge.
Ultimately, Graham felt that working in the same industry actually ended up being of benefit. "It's hard to explain to people when you have a fancy job like being an actor what is challenging about it. So we just kind of have that shorthand, a shared language, which is helpful," she said. But, unfortunately, their differences caught up with them, and they separated after over a decade together, per People. During their relationship, Graham took on an important step-motherly role in Krause's son Roman's life — which she plans to continue even after their 2021 break-up.
Harley Bonner and Ariel Kaplan
Harley Bonner and Ariel Kaplan are probably two of the lesser-known names on this list unless you're a fan of Australian soaps. The pair starred as the Willis twins, Josh and Imogen. on the Aussie soap, "Neighbours," from 2013 to 2016. They got together almost immediately after joining the show and then departed within a few episodes of each other to pursue new acting opportunities in the U.S.
Speaking of the transition away from "Neighbours" in a behind-the-scenes Q&A, Bonner said, "I think it's gonna be strange not to work together because we only met here, we didn't know each other outside of working together." Kaplan and Bonner said that working together and dating was a challenge at times and they had to maintain strict boundaries between their characters and themselves as a couple. So, when they were on the set together, they were simply Josh and Imogen.
Unfortunately, Kaplan and Bonner seemed unable to navigate their new dynamic, breaking up not long after they moved to Los Angeles. They didn't publicly confirm their split, but with both the actors celebrating six-year anniversaries with their new significant others in February 2023, they obviously called it quits by early 2017, less than a year after moving stateside. Kaplan hasn't acted since her 2019 return to "Neighbours" and is working as a personal trainer, while Bonner returned to Australia to star in "Home and Away" from 2021 to 2022.
Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader
Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader play the adult children of Santa Claus who save Christmas in the 2019 Disney+ holiday movie, "Noelle." This stint as movie siblings led to a romantic relationship off the screen, as a source told Us Weekly: "Bill and Anna clicked right away. They dig each other's sense of humor." However, the source added that nothing happened between the couple until they were both single at the same time, since Hader was still married at the time to Maggie Carey, the mother of his three daughters, and before dating Kendrick, he had a relationship with Rachel Bilson, his co-star in "The To Do List."
In January 2022, sources revealed that Kendrick and Hader were dating and had been keeping their relationship under wraps for under a year. According to Cosmopolitan's math, Kendrick and Hader got together sometime between July 2020 and December 2020. With speculation about the status of their relationship rife, a source told ET that it was going well: "Bill and Anna are in love and very happy in their relationship, and enjoying their time together."
But Hader didn't respond to the comments, choosing to keep their relationship private for the sake of his daughters. "They just want me to be their dad," he told The Hollywood Reporter later that month, while Kendrick is also notoriously private about her relationships. Unfortunately, things didn't last for these on-screen sibs, with ET reporting that the two broke up in June 2022.
David Tennant and Georgia Moffett
David Tennant has played some impressive roles throughout his career, from Barty Crouch Jr. in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," to Kilgrave in "Jessica Jones," and Crowley in "Good Omens." But, of course, his most iconic role will always be playing the tenth Doctor in the BBC's "Doctor Who."
And it's the role that keeps on giving, introducing him to his now wife, Georgia Moffett, who played Tennant's genetically engineered daughter in the show. The pair started dating in 2008 and eventually married on 30 December 2011. "Because Doctor Who had run through my life like a stick of rock, to end up marrying the daughter of one of the doctors, it all felt a bit stupid — there were a lot of things against it," Tennant admitted (via The Independent).
However, Moffett, who is the real-life daughter of the fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison, didn't give up on their connection, and, ultimately, it all worked out. "You reach a point of your life when you're looking for someone and it's sort of chance which version of that perfect partner ambles along," Tennant added. As of 2023, the actors are still happily married and share five kids together, including "The House of the Dragon" actor, Ty Tennant.
Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick
Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick are better known by the names Marcia and Greg, siblings from "The Brady Bunch," which they starred in from 1969 to 1974. Tales of their off-screen relationship are infamous, and the pair have both been open about their time together. In fact, McCormick and Williams had their first kiss together while shooting the first episode of Season 4 in Hawaii, the actors revealed during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live!."
"There was so much electricity between us that I felt the hair on my arms stand up every time we got close to each other ... I thought about Barry even when I had other scenes with other guys. I used to ask myself how I could ever look in eyes other than his liquid blues and feel such love," McCormick revealed in her book, "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice," (via Showbiz Cheatsheet).
However, their intense attraction did make it difficult when filming a scene later in Season 4 when the teen actors had to sit on the bed together. "We couldn't keep our hands off each other," McCormick admitted. But, despite their strong feelings, the on-off relationship between these on-screen siblings didn't work out. It eventually fizzled out, with McCormick saying that timing got in their way. However, the former couple are still close friends decades after their split.
Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall
In 2006, Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall met on the set of "Dexter." Hall played the titular Dexter Morgan, while Carpenter played his sister, Debra. At some point between their first meeting and 2008, the pair got together. The romance only intensified and culminated with Carpenter and Hall getting married later that year. They eloped on New Year's Eve, marrying in a private ceremony in Big Sur.
"We had a great base for our relationship. We see each other on a day-to-day basis and you know, I know him and he knows me," Carpenter gushed to On Demand Entertainment. And the fact that they played siblings didn't get in the way or make things weird. "At the end of a 12 or 13 hour day it's pretty easy to drop your character and go home and wanna be a normal person and, you know, veg on the couch," she added.
Things took a turn in 2009 when Hall was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer, but Carpenter supported him until he reached remission. The pair seemed stronger than ever, but sadly, it didn't last. They divorced in 2011, but continued to play siblings on the show until 2013, as well as the limited series sequel, "Dexter: New Blood." "Just because the marriage ended doesn't mean the love isn't still there," Carpenter told Today, adding that the pair will always have a close friendship.
Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere
Milo Ventimiglia starred in "Heroes" from 2006 to 2010 as Peter Petrelli, who turns out to be the uncle of Hayden Panettiere's Claire Bennet. Their familial status in the series didn't stop their off-screen connection, though, and the pair dated from 2007 to 2009, just a year after Ventimiglia had separated from Alexis Bledel. Panettiere had also not long ended her two-year relationship with "Laguna Beach" star, Stephen Colletti.
A family friend confirmed their relationship in 2007, telling People, "Hayden's mom adores Milo. She thinks he's so cute. She tells her friends that he's her boyfriend. She's very proud." However, to some fans, the age gap in their relationship was controversial. Panettiere was just 17 when they met, and 18 when they began dating while Ventimiglia was 29. At the time, Ventimiglia didn't want to fan the media flames of their relationship, denying anything romantic and claiming they were just good friends.
However, Ventimiglia and Panettiere ended up staying together for almost two years. Although they did not publicly comment on their split, a source told People, "They lead different lifestyles. He's 31, she's 19. She still has growing up to do and he's very low-key." According to the outlet, the pair remained cordial, and they continued to work on "Heroes" together.
Emily VanCamp and Chris Pratt
Emily VanCamp and Chris Pratt are both known for starring in the MCU, with VanCamp playing Peggy Carter's (Hayley Atwell) niece, Sharon Carter, and Pratt traversing the galaxy as Star Lord. But over a decade before their superhero adventures, the actors worked together on "Everwood" – which ran from 2002 to 2006 – playing siblings Amy and Bright Abbott, where they fell in love on set.
In 2006, Pratt admitted that he felt a little weirded out starting a romantic relationship with his on-screen sister – as did fans. "Yeah, we've pretty much gotten used to the response of, 'Eww, that's weird.' The people who know us are happy, and probably expected it to happen eventually," he said. "But yeah, every once in a while we get that one person that's like, 'That's really creepy. You just kissed your sister.'"
However, VanCamp and Pratt ultimately ignored the haters and let their love blossom, dating from 2004 to 2007, before going their separate ways. As of 2023, VanCamp is happily married to her "Revenge" co-star, Josh Bowman, with whom she shares a daughter, while Pratt also has three kids, a son with his ex, Anna Faris, and two daughters with his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger.
Emily VanCamp and Dave Annable
Before she married Josh Bowman, VanCamp dated another of her on-screen siblings: her "Brothers and Sisters" co-star, Dave Annable. Before he met his now-wife, Odette Annable, during the show's fifth season, the pair dated for over a year, first sparking romance rumors in 2007.
When the show kicks off, Rebecca (VanCamp) is shown to be Justin's (Annable) half-sister, but this storyline was later changed by the series creator, Greg Berlanti, who said the connection between VanCamp and Annable was undeniable: "I looked like an idiot ... Here were two young people who didn't grow up with each other, didn't know each other, but they had this electricity. There was nothing I could do," he told Entertainment Weekly.
In the second season of "Brothers & Sisters," Rebecca discovers she's not a member of the Walker clan after all, leaving her and Justin free to date. The shocking twist was a welcome storyline for the real-life couple. "I'm all for breaking boundaries, but we didn't need to get into incest. I draw the line at that," VanCamp said. However, it didn't last and VanCamp and Annable called it quits in 2008, but continued working together until she departed the series in 2010.
Katherine Heigl and Jason Behr
Katherine Heigl goes by many names. To many of her fans, she's the queen of '00s romantic comedies, while to others she will always be Izzie Stevens from "Grey's Anatomy." Before all of that, though, Heigl was Isabel Evans in the sci-fi drama, Roswell, from 1999 to 2002, alongside Shiri Appleby, Brendan Fehr, and Jason Behr. The latter played her on-screen adopted brother, Max.
Isabel and Max were close, but not as close as Heigl and Behr, who dated off-screen for most of the show's run. Although they largely kept their relationship out of the public eye during this time, there was enough attention on the actors to spark romance rumors before they split in 2002, per E!. Behr soon moved on from their relationship after meeting fellow actor, KaDee Strickland, on the set of "The Grudge" in 2004. The pair tied the knot in 2006 and welcomed a son in 2020. Meanwhile, Heigl also got engaged in 2006 and married musician Josh Kelley the following year. The couple shares three children.
Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey
Before she became a household name for starring opposite Patrick Swayze in "Dirty Dancing," Jennifer Grey played Jeannie Bueller in the beloved '80s teen comedy, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," alongside Matthew Broderick. As Ferris and Jeannie, Broderick and Grey portray a tumultuous sibling relationship in the John Hughes flick, but their relationship off-screen was anything but acrimonious. "I was as surprised as anyone when our relationship morphed from on-screen sibling rivalry to off-screen illicit romance," Grey admitted in her memoir, "Out of the Corner" (via New York Post).
The couple did everything they could to keep their romance under wraps, stealing away moments together on set. They were so enamored with each other that they became engaged before filming had even ended. Grey revealed that her career-defining role in "Dirty Dancing" took its toll on their relationship, though, admitting she felt unsupported by Broderick. At this point, the couple was still hiding their relationship, but the truth came tumbling out when they were involved in a serious car crash in Northern Ireland in 1987.
This signaled the beginning of the end for the couple, who called it quits the following year without tying the knot. Broderick eventually went on to marry "Sex and the City" star, Sarah Jessica Parker, while, Grey rebounded with Johnny Depp, even getting engaged to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor, before going on to share 19 years of marriage with Marvel star, Clark Gregg.
Evan Rachel Wood and Shane West
Last but not least in this long list of on-screen family members who fell in love in real life are Evan Rachel Wood and Shane West. The former couple dated in 2009, having met while playing siblings years earlier on "Once and Again." The family drama aired from 1999 to 2002, with Wood playing Jessie Sammier, the younger sister of West's Eli Sammier.
Though they were a very private couple, Wood all but confirmed their relationship after they were spotted out together in Los Angeles, celebrating West's 31st birthday. "I think you can put two and two together. I won't confirm or deny it but I don't think I have to," Wood told Hollyscoop in June 2009 (via People), who was 21 years old at the time. Joking to reporters, she added: "I have a celebrity crush on Shane West, of course. It was a great party." It may have been love between Wood and West, but their romance didn't last long.