Instances when a child actor upstaged his or her more celebrated counterparts

[EmilyMiller]

Post Oppenheimer, I’ve been on a bit of a Chris Nolan nostalgia trip. Watched Mememto again and was reminded just how brilliant it is (and even including a semi-developed female character - see you can do it, Chris). Just finished Interstellar, which I enjoyed more the second time around.

But.. Mackenzie Foy was the best actor on show by miles. She was luminous. Not sure how old the actress was at the time (her character is meant to be ten), but fuck can she act.

Any other examples?

Em

 

[Zootonius]

My immediate pick, the the actress who played Wednesday in the original Addams Family movie.

In perfect deadpan (about girl scout cookies): "Are they made with real girl scouts?"

 

[EmilyMiller]

My immediate pick, the the actress who played Wednesday in the original Addams Family movie.

In perfect deadpan (about girl scout cookies): "Are they made with real girl scouts?"

I’ve never seen the originals, but have watched Christina Ricci and her passing the baton to Jenna Ortega.

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I’ve never seen the originals, but have watched Christina Ricci and her passing the baton to Jenna Ortega.

Em

I’ve also been to Westfield, NJ - wanted to go up there this Halloween, but other things to do.

Em

 

[MrPixel]

Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls.

 

[Zootonius]

I’ve never seen the originals, but have watched Christina Ricci and her passing the baton to Jenna Ortega.

Em

I keep forgetting, movies like the Addams Family, came out before you were born. I'm feeling old.

In my childhood, King Kong was an old movie. Now I realize Star Wars today, is older that King Kong was when I was a child.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls.

Natalie Portman in Leon!

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I keep forgetting, movies like the Addams Family, came out before you were born. I'm feeling old.

In my childhood, King Kong was an old movie. Now I realize Star Wars today, is older that King Kong was when I was a child.

I know a lot of old movies. SW obviously. Kurosawa. Bergman. Hitchcock even. I adore Casablanca and Key Largo. But some of the stuff in between is a bit blurry.

Em

 

[Zootonius]

I know a lot of old movies. SW obviously. Kurosawa. Bergman. Hitchcock even. I adore Casablanca and Key Largo. But some of the stuff in between is a bit blurry.

Em

What! you're a Kurosawa fan? You never cease to amaze me.

 

[AchtungNight]

Natalie Portman’s been mentioned. Other examples include Keira Knightley in Star Wars Episode 1 (Natalie was also in that one), Daphne Keen in Logan, Chloe Moretz in Kick-Ass, and Evan Rachel Wood in The Upside of Anger and Thirteen.

 

[StillStunned]

Natalie Portman in Leon!

Em

I wouldn't say she upstaged them, but she held her own against Jean Reno and Gary Oldman.

 

[GlennJenko]

The one that comes to mind is Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit, though "upstaged" may not be fully the correct term because there a load of stellar performances in that film.

 

[StillStunned]

Single Parents was a sitcom that ran for two seasons. The kids were brilliantly written, and the actors were *excellent*.

 

[StillStunned]

I remember Anna Paquin being one of the highlights of The Piano.

 

[la_ruche]

Jena Malone as young Ellie in Contact. David Morse is good as dad.

 

[StillStunned]

Another one: the kid who played Young Conan in the opening scene of the 2011 Conan movie did a much better job of capturing the character's essence than Jason Momoa.

 

[Devinter]

Haley Joel Osment - especially in Pay It Forward, though he was probably on par with Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense as well.

 

[SimonDoom]

The best example of a child actor upstaging the adult actors I can think of is Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon. She upstaged her dad, Ryan O'Neil, in that movie. Hailee Stanfield was outstanding in True Grit, but Jeff Bridges was just as good.

 

[HordHolm]

Natalie Portman in Leon!

Em

I wouldn't say 'upstaged', but definitely 'on a par with'....

 

[HordHolm]

Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick Ass.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

How in the world do you come up with these thread topics?!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

The best example of a child actor upstaging the adult actors I can think of is Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon. She upstaged her dad, Ryan O'Neil, in that movie. Hailee Stanfield was outstanding in True Grit, but Jeff Bridges was just as good.

I was waiting for someone to mention Paper Moon as it is the classic example for child actors, although I do think it's a bit unfair to Ryan, indeed Tatum stole the show but Ryan was still darn good in that movie too.

 

[Comshaw]

Haley Joel Osment - especially in Pay It Forward, though he was probably on par with Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense as well.

View attachment 2293863

He was just as good as his costars and held his own in "Secondhand Lions" with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327137/plotsummary/


Comshaw

 

[MillieDynamite]

I can't remember the movie; it's an old, old, black-and-white one with Froggy from The Little Rascals as a kid who was living with his father. His father sends him to his room without his dinner for some transgression and then snaps back in a voice far too deep and scratchy for an 11-year-old, "Remember this, pops, I'm gonna outlive you." The youngster leaves the room, and father snaps his fingers, pulling the boy back to the room, "Don't bet on it." But all the way through the film, the boy outshines the adult.

Looking at his Bio, I may be wrong. The only time he didn't play Froggy was in a movie called Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore. I don't know if that was the film or not. But Billy 'Froggy' Laughlin was born in 1932 and died in 1948. So, if it was him, he probably died before the other actor. He died in a "road accident," whatever they mean by that.


EDIT: Billy Loaughlin died in a motor scooter accident at the age of 16 in La Puente, California.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Jon Voight was upstaged by Ricky Schroeder in the 1979 version of "The Champ." I cried watching that movie.