Actors and actresses have relationships with their coworkers that are a bit different compared to the rest of us. They’re playing characters and sometimes those feelings can carry over to real life. That would explain why a lot of on-screen couples end up dating IRL.
Given that train of thought, some people will likely raise a few eyebrows when they hear about the number of co-stars who played TV or movie brother/sister but ended up dating in real life. We know them as siblings, and they likely spend 14-ish hours a day playing brother and sister, yet there must have been something else going on that inspired them to get to know each other on a ~different level~ off set. Here are 18 actors who dated their onscreen siblings…
18. Emily VanCamp and Chris Pratt, Everwood
Long before Chris Pratt was in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, he starred as Bright Abbott on Everwood in the mid-2000s. Emily VanCamp played his sister Amy Abbott. After meeting on the show in 2004, they dated for a couple of years before breaking up. “Yeah, every once in a while we get that one person that’s like, ‘That’s really creepy. You just kissed your sister,'” Chris told TVLine about the world’s reaction to their relationship.
17. Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter, Dexter
The relationship between Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) on Dexter was, well, interesting. Granted we had murderers, forensics, and a different family dynamic. Dexter was actually adopted and raised alongside Deb by her biological parents. We didn’t see much of this backstory so hopefully that made things easier when the actors hooked up and got married IRL. Their chemistry on the show was off the charts – which is perhaps why the writers added in a slightly incestuous twist in the later seasons. Deb actually wound up crushing on her brother! Awkward. The real-life people got hitched in 2008, but sadly broke up in 2011 — and they continued to work together for the next couple of years.
16. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Star Wars
*SPOILER ALERT:* There was a bit of incestuous behavior going in Star Wars with the whole Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia kiss. To be fair, they didn’t know they were related at the time of the smooch because Darth Vader was yet to shout his most famous line. In real life, it seems that Carrie Fisher was also a fan of Luke’s. Mark Hamill, aka Luke, did reveal that they made out “like teenagers.” But, he claims that’s as far as things went and they remained great friends after deciding romance wasn’t in the cards for them.
15. Katherine Heigl and Jason Behr, Roswell
If you watched Roswell from 1999 to 2002, you will know that it was a bit out there with UFOs, high school students and a small town in New Mexico. It also had Katherine Heigl and Jason Behr playing brother and sister. Isabel Evans was played by the future Grey’s Anatomy star and Jason played Max Evans. They began dating during the show and were reportedly engaged. Then things seemed to fizzle out, just like the TV show did.
14. David Cassidy and Susan Dey, The Partridge Family
Here’s a throwback one for you that you might not be aware of. David Cassidy and Susan Dey were both members of the Partridge family on the 1970s sitcom of the same name. They were two of five siblings who traveled around with their widowed mother to make a record. They played Laurie and Keith Partridge, and it was reported that Susan had a big crush on David — and rumor has it that the pair did hook up on at least one occassion. David revealed things didn’t go too far, “Susan lacked the slutty aspect of a female that I always found so attractive.” Okay, then.
13. Lauren Graham and Peter Krause, Parenthood
Lauren Graham and Peter Krause actually first worked together on Caroline in the City back in 1995 where they were guest stars — not on-screen siblings. They later got cast in 2015 on Parenthood, where they played siblings Sarah Braverman and Adam Braverman. During the show, they shared the problems and triumphs and it seems they connected in real life, too, just in a different way. The show ended in 2015 and they’re still going strong. There’s even talk the pair might work together on 9-1-1.
12. Ian Somerhalder and Maggie Grace, Lost
Ian Somerhalder has had some high-profile relationships, but you might not know about the one he had with on-screen step-sister Maggie Grace. The two appeared in Lost together, with Ian playing Boone Carlyle and Maggie playing Shannon Rutherford. Apparently sparks flew because they dated in 2006 after *spoiler alert* they were both killed off the show. In 2015, Maggie revealed that she was still “very good friends” with Ian. Oh right, and their characters – regardless of that pesky family tree – hooked up as well.
11. Dean-Charles Chapman and Nell Tiger Free, Game Of Thrones
Game of Thrones fans might have sometimes forgotten that Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) were brother and sister from the great House of Lannister given that they didn’t appear together much in later seasons, especially when the older actors took over. In real life, the pair reportedly dated around 2015. It’s not as creepy as the whole Jaime–Cersei thing, right? Right.
10. Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
When we think of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, we often think of Ferris (Matthew Broderick), Sloane (Mia Sara) and Cameron (Alan Ruck). But, we cannot forget about Ferris’s sister Jeannie Bueller (Jennifer Grey). Ferris and Jeannie’s actors had a real-life romance for a while but kept it under wraps. Unfortunately, the two were involved in a tragic car accident in 1987 in Northern Ireland which resulted in passengers in the other car dying. The couple eventually broke up and Jennifer left Hollywood.
9. Nikki Reed and Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Everybody and their mama knows about Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) hooking up in the film franchise and in real life, but there are probably Twihards out there who do not know about Nikki Reed and Robert getting together. Nikki played Rosalie Hale, who wasn’t actually related to Edward by blood (hah) but they were still considered to be a family and siblings. In real life, Nikki and Robert dated before Kristen came into the picture.
8. Emily VanCamp and Dave Annable, Brothers & Sisters
Yup, Emily VanCamp makes it onto the list again for dating another onscreen family member. This time it’s her Brothers & Sisters co-star Dave Annable. Emily played Rebecca Harper while Dave played Justin Walker. The characters were originally half-siblings, but *spoiler alert* found out they weren’t related at all. (You’ll have to watch the show to see what went down.) It’s reported that writers actually switched the plot because of their hot chemistry. In real life, Emily and Dave dated for a year before parting ways and Emily left the show.
7. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, Blades of Glory
Most people are familiar with how Amy Poehler and Will Arnett played a hilariously confused couple in Arrested Development, but we cannot forget about their Blades of Glory characters, quirky sibling ice skating team Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg. They actually took on the parts when they were already a couple. Amy and Will were together from 2003 to 2016 and married for 10 years before splitting.
6. Selena Gomez and David Henrie, Wizards of Waverly Place
What would a list be without an adorable Disney hookup? There are a few Disney stars who have gotten together after working together, but there are fewer onscreen siblings who did. Selena Gomez and David Hernie, aka Alex and Justin Russo, are one example of the latter. They never confirmed their relationship, but there was evidence with “dinner dates” and “flirty” social media snaps.
5. Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams, The Brady Bunch
Dating on-screen siblings really isn’t anything new. It was going on back in the day of the The Brady Bunch. Maureen McCormick famously played Marcia Brady while Barry Williams played Greg Brady, her step-brother. Apparently there was a lot more going on than brother-sister love and they weren’t shy about it. Maureen wrote in her memoir that she began dating her on-screen bro when she was 16 and revealed they “couldn’t keep their hands off each other.” Too much? She said, “I was ready to lose my virginity to Barry, and it might have happened one night at his house if not for his parents bursting in on us.”
4. Shane West and Evan Rachel Wood, Once and Again
van Rachel Wood and Shane West starred as brother and sister on the often-forgotten TV show Once and Again. It aired from 1999 to 2002 and is mostly remembered for an appearance by Mischa Barton. It’s reported that Evan and Shane didn’t get together at the time, but ended up hooking up around 2009 between her dating Marilyn Manson. The two never officially confirmed they were dating, but Evan did say, “I think you can put two and two together. I won’t confirm nor deny it but I don’t think I have to.”
3. Lily Collins and Jamie Bower Campbell, The Mortal Instruments
The Mortal Instruments might not have lived up to many book fans’ expectations, but it still resulted in a romance between Lily Collins and Jamie Bower Campbell. Fans of the franchise will know that their characters, Clary Fray and Jace Wayland, were thought to be siblings (who happened to be dating, too) but *spoiler alert* turn out not to be. As for the actors’ relationship, they were on and off for a few years before calling it quits in 2015. There were reports in January 2018 that they might be back together again, but there hasn’t been much since them. Stay tuned.
2. Ray Ablack and Melinda Shankar, Degrassi: the Next Generation
Degrassi the Next Generation wasn’t all about Drake aka Wheelchair Jimmy. There were lots of other characters. Take Sav Bhandari (Ray Ablack) and Alli Bhandari (Melinda Shankar). They might have played siblings, but off-screen things were a bit different. There were some cozy photos of the pair and rumors swirled that they were dating – though neither party confirmed it.
1. Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty, Beverly Hills, 90210
Some might find this one creepier given that Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty played twins on Beverly Hills, 90210 as opposed to just siblings. They played Brenda and Brandon Walsh, respectively. There was reportedly a fair bit of hooking up between the young, attractive cast of the show and Jason confirmed to Howard Stern that he and Shannen hooked up during the show’s first season. Good luck rewatching it now.