10 Actors Who Accepted Roles to Make Their Children Happier

Actors and actresses usually pick a role based on the story or the character. However, there comes a time when they choose a specific role for the sake of their children to make them happy. Parents would do anything to see their kiddos’ faces light up with a smile and be impressed by them, even if that comes at the expense of their own happiness. And actor parents are no different.

Bright Side has gathered a list of 10 famous parents who have had success in their careers as well as parenting roles to make their children proud.

1. Ryan Reynolds — Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Ryan Reynolds has starred in a number of films, but only a select few are acceptable for children. Reynolds’ films, between Deadpool and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, are not exactly PG-13.

That’s why Reynolds decided to play Detective Pikachu with excitement since he wanted to watch it with his family. He worked on both the voice and facial motion-capture work for the 2019 box office smash.

2. Ben Affleck — Justice League

Ben Affleck accepted a movie role that would make his son proud of him as a father in order to impress him.

He said to Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter, “Because my kids didn’t see Argo,” referring to his 2012 Drama, “I wore the suit to my son’s birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League.”

3. Will Smith — Shark Tale

In the film, Shark Tale, Will Smith became animated for his daughter. Smith stated during an interview with Today to promote Shark Tale, “As soon as you see one of these casts come together, you’re like, ‘Okay, yeah, somebody’s kid just turned 7... That’s why they are doing this.’”

When the film was released, his own daughter was 3 years old.

4. Julianne Moore — The Hunger Games

Julianne Moore is proof that not all actors have a say in the films they appear in. This is the situation with Moore, whose children encouraged her to participate in The Hunger Games franchise.

Caleb, her son, was initially a lover of the books, but it was his sister, Liv, who convinced their mother to read the trilogy. Moore became President Coin in the franchise’s second film after falling in love with the novels, and her popularity with her children grew.

5. Ozzy Osbourne — Bubble Guppies

Ozzy Osbourne is well-known as a rebellious musician, and he made a bold move when he decided to participate in a cartoon show for his granddaughter.

On Nick Jr.’s Bubble Guppies, Osbourne made an appearance. He was curious to hear his 2 years old granddaughter’s reaction when she heard his voice coming from Sid Fishy’s mouth.

6. Michael Sheen — The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two

Michael Sheen agreed to do Twilight for his daughter. We should thank Lily, his daughter, who was 10 at the time for the actor being Aro in the Twilight saga. He stated to Daily Record, that when he was asked to play one of the Volturi vampires, his daughter “squealed with delight.” Sheen didn’t know much about the Twilight story.

Sheen wasn’t thrilled about portraying this villain at first, but he accepted the part when he understood that it would make his daughter happy. After that, he read the novels and was pleasantly surprised by how much he loved them.

7. Kate Winslet — Divergent

Actors make movies for a variety of reasons, including showing their children what they do for a living and making their children believe they are cool. That’s why Kate Winslet took on a role in the Divergent franchise, though she is well known for her romantic and serious roles.

She thought that playing Jeanine Matthews in the film would make her children believe she was cool and fantastic. Her daughter, who was 12 at the time, was happy that other kids at school were interested in her mom’s new movie.

8. Matthew McConaughey — Sing

Matthew McConaughey is tired of people asking him about which films he’s been in that his kids love the most. After all, the actor’s movies are overflowing with scenes that are inappropriate for little children.

He said, “I’d watch animated films with them, and I was like, ’You know what? I want to make an animated film and do some voice work.’” That all changed in 2016 when McConaughey agreed to voice the koala, Buster Moon, in the animated musical, Sing. His children believed their father delivered an adequate performance.

9. Gary Oldman — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Gary Oldman desired to boost his boys’ perceptions of him as “cool.” When the possibility to be a part of the Harry Potter film franchise presented itself, the Academy Award-winning actor lept at the chance to play the cool kid at school.

Prior to assuming the role of Sirius Black, Oldman had been in a number of critically praised films, but none that piqued the interest of his kids, Gulliver and Charlie. Oldman was also a single father at the time, and being in Harry Potter allowed him to connect with a younger following while remaining close to his own children.

10. Mary Steenburgen — Back to the Future III

In 1990, Back to the Future completed its hugely successful trilogy by branching out into the western genre. According to the DVD commentary for Back to the Future Part III, Steenburgen consented to play Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) long-lost love, school teacher Clara Clayton, in the sci-fi comedy because her children were Back to the Future fans.

She said that she and her children had viewed the first 2 movies dozens of times together as a family. However, this would not be her first western film, nor would it be her first collaboration with Christopher Lloyd. The experienced actress made her feature film debut in another western comedy starring Lloyd, called Goin’ South.

As a parent, what is your favorite movie to watch with your children? Do you take any advice from your children?