Early reviews for the latest Casey Affleck movie, “Manchester by the Sea”, are through the roof. Many critics have already earmarked the picture as one of the year’s most promising Oscar contenders, with many pipping Affleck as one of the favorites for the Best Actor award in the upcoming Academy Awards. That, of course, would mean that the younger Affleck could in fact end up winning the award before his more celebrated, better known older brother, Ben, who while an Academy Award winner himself, has never actually nabbed one in one of the acting categories.
The more we thought about it here at Enigma HQ, the more we realized that Casey Affleck isn’t the only younger sibling who’s climbed out of a sibling’s shadows at one point to have a moment in the sun; there were more, many more. In the immortal words of Law and Order, here are their stories, or rather, snippets of their stories:
1- Kate Mara (Rooney Mara):
The older Mara (hint: it’s Kate) has had a successful career herself, appearing in numerous well-known projects such as “24”, “House of Cards” and “Fantastic Four”. Her career, though, has been overshadowed by her younger sister, Rooney, who received two Academy Award nominations before she even hit 30. Talk about hefty competition…
2- Dave Franco (James Franco):
Dave Franco has certainly had a lot of success come his way in recent times, appearing in famous films such as “21 Jump Street”, “Neighbors” and both parts of “Now You See Me”. He nonetheless still has a long way to go before his career is comparable to that of his older brother, James.
3- Donnie Wahlberg (Mark Wahlberg):
Mark and Donnie look alike in the weirdest, yet most inexplicably Bostonian of ways, don’t they? The similarities end there. The older Donnie has charted a career for himself through mainly participating in thrillers such as “Saw” and “The Sixth Sense”, while Mark has worked with some of the most celebrated names in Hollywood throughout his far more varied career.
4- Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jake Gyllenhaal):
Maggie Gyllenhaal is not only immediately recognizable for her performance in “The Dark Knight”; she’s also been nominated for an Academy Award as well for her memorable role in 2009’s “Crazy Heart”. Her placement here owes everything to her young brother’s enormous success. It bears mentioning that the two did burst onto the scene together through the 2001 cult classic, “Donnie Darko”.
5- Luke Wilson (Owen Wilson):
You knew this choice was coming, but there’s really no two ways about it. Luke Wilson has had his fair share of memorable moments throughout his career. Fair or not, however, his face will always be linked to that of his more famous brother, Owen, who’s blazed an incredible comedic trail in his wake since bursting onto the scene.
6- Kevin Dillon (Matt Dillon):
Johnny Drama alert! Kevin Dillon’s famous performance in “Entourage” was in many ways a great representation of living in his more famous real brother’s shadows through their differing acting careers.
7- Ashlee Simpson (Jessica Simpson):
Jessica Simpson’s younger sister has been in the limelight for almost all of her adult life. She first gained prominence through participating in TV commercials and reality shows, before having a respectable single career and being part of a much-publicized relationship with Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz.
8- Stephen Baldwin (Alec Baldwin):
Stephen Baldwin is of course best known in these parts for his delightfully annoying role McManus in 1995’s “The Usual Suspects” and for participating in the seventh season of “The Apprentice”. His older brother, Alec, has obviously had a more successful career.
9- Emily Deschanel (Zooey Deschanel):
Bones! Emily Deschanel has certainly had a successful career opposite David Boreanaz, who will forever be known in these parts as the “Angel” dude, in the long-running crime drama “Bones”, which by the way, still hasn’t ended. Notwithstanding, her younger sister Zooey definitely has a more varied portfolio through her work in projects such as “Almost Famous”, “500 Days of Summer” and “New Girl”.
10- Alex Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen):
Might as well “Jump”, right? The Van Halen brothers will obviously always be synonymous with the enormous success of Van Halen. The younger Eddie, though, gained most of the plaudits through his impressive guitar work with the band and for playing in Michael Jackson’s iconic “Beat it”. Alex, to his credit, has always been content to take the backseat and march to the beat of his own drum.