7 Directors Who Cast Their Kids (or Parents)

Comingsoon.net is counting down seven of the most noteworthy instances of directors casting their kids—or parents—in roles in their own movies. Some filmmakers—like Martin Scorsese—have become well-known for such a practice. His parents both appeared in many of his films prior to their respective passings. Check out our list of Scorsese and the rest of the filmmakers in question below!

Ah, family. You can’t live with ’em, but you can’t live without ’em! So they say on the subject of family, blood is thicker than water. Such is certainly the case here in this slideshow. From Star Wars to Goodfellas, it is commonplace for filmmakers to forego traditional casting methods and opt to throw their kids (or their parents) in front of the camera instead. One of the most infamous occasions came in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III. His daughter Sofia, now a filmmaker in her own right, was brought on in a sizeable role by her dad when Winona Ryder dropped out of the film.

Other incidences are not quite so obvious—nor are they as widely derided as the addition of Sofia was. Many filmmakers’ children appear in small roles, often hardly more than cameo performances. What do you think of this practice? Is it cute? Is it nepotism? We really cannot say. It is for you, the reader, to decide for yourself. In any case, it is hard not to respect the hustle. We at Comingsoon.net even find some of them to actually be pretty good actors!