Top 30 Movie Co-Stars Who Are Best Friends in Real Life
#30: Paul Newman & Robert Redford
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) & “The Sting” (1973)
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By the late 1960s, few actors represented the new guard in Hollywood like Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Equally at home in classic westerns and gritty new genres, the two became fast friends on the set of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Newman actually lobbied for Redford to get the role because he wanted to play opposite an equal talent. Though they only worked together twice, the pair bonded over their commitment to their families and their shared political beliefs. The two were even neighbors at one point, trading pranks and practical jokes between movie shoots. Redford paid a loving tribute to his friend when Newman died of lung cancer in 2008.
#29: Adam Sandler & Rob Schneider
Various
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We’ve heard so much about the feuds behind the scenes at “SNL,” but Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider forged a very long friendship even before joining that show. They were actually neighbors at one point. The two clearly share a similarly vulgar sense of humor, but their friendship is much deeper than just the comedy they make. After their time on the legendary sketch program, Schneider would go on to appear in memorable supporting roles in many of Sandler’s biggest hits. In 2023, Schneider paid loving tribute to his longtime friend and partner when Sandler received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
#28: Natasha Lyonne & Clea DuVall
“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
Unlike a lot of the actors on this list, these two were besties before they ever shared the screen together. The only reason they ended up in the LGBT-themed cult classic “But I’m a Cheerleader” together is because Lyonne was visiting DuVall, who was already cast, and saw the script. Playing lovers was odd for the two, but it didn’t derail their great friendship. The two have remained friends and collaborators, frequently working together on screen and off. From acting in each other’s projects to being each other’s creative soundboards, they’ve come a long way from their days as young working actors.
#27: Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill
Various
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The bromance started on the set of “21 Jump Street,” but it’s since developed into a real and deep friendship. Channing Tatum’s ex, Jenna Dewan, even joked that she felt like their third wheel. Tatum and Hill went on to co-star in more comedies, and their friendship was always a highlight of any press tour. The two have been gassing each other up on social media ever since. There’s clearly a brotherly bond between the two, with all the fun and painful parts of having a close sibling. What’s a little physical torture between best pals?
#26: Owen Wilson & Ben Stiller
Various
They starred together in several hits and cult comedies throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson began as admirers of each other’s work. Stiller was a fan of the movie “Bottle Rocket,” which Wilson starred in and co-wrote with Wes Anderson. They’d go on to star together in Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Less is known about their friendship, as Wilson is an intensely private person. However, we’ve enjoyed the little glimpses we’ve gotten over the years. The two have an easy connection that allows them to play off of each other, whether it’s in the movies or on a late night couch.
#25: George Clooney & Julia Roberts
Various
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It has to be said. George Clooney and Julia Roberts could each have chemistry with a crumpled paper bag, so it’s no wonder they light up the screen together. Meeting on the set of “Ocean’s Eleven,” the two may have played exes, but they immediately hit it off. Their relationship became much deeper than the playful one they’d established on the set of “Ocean’s,” and she would later say he was very caring of her when she was pregnant with twins. Since then, they’ve made more movies together and always take the opportunity to praise and support each other in their professional and personal lives.
#24: Jennifer Aniston & Paul Rudd
“The Object of My Affection” (1998) & “Wanderlust” (2012)
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The “Friends” actress may have been one half of one of the most famous Hollywood pairings of all time, but a former co-star may have been in the picture before that. After starring together in “The Object of My Affection,” Jennifer Aniston was rumored to have briefly dated Paul Rudd. The two have been friends ever since, starring in several episodes of “Friends” together and in the 2012 comedy “Wanderlust.” When Rudd was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2021, Aniston was one of the first to congratulate him on his award, and his seeming agelessness. It’s fitting. If Rudd somehow stumbled onto the secret of eternal youth, it looks like he must have shared it with Aniston.
#23: Sandra Bullock & George Clooney
“Gravity” (2013)
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They played fellow astronauts in the 2013 sci-fi thriller, but they’ve known each other a lot longer than that. In her Oscar speech, Bullock recounted how George Clooney threw her in a pool once. We’re sure he did it in an incredibly charming way. These two have known each other so long that there’s no pretense. Maybe that’s why so many people want them to get together. Like Bullock says, she and Clooney have such a good friendship that a relationship would just mess all that up. Besides, she knows too much about his adolescent antics to ever see him as anything other than an annoying big brother.
#22: Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin
“9 to 5” (1980), “80 for Brady” (2023), “Moving On” (2023)
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They’re both Hollywood giants, but they rose through the ranks in very different ways. Lily Tomlin got her start in comedy and theater while Jane Fonda was the daughter of a screen legend who went out of her way to carve a place for herself in boundary-pushing movies. Their talents combined in the 1980 workplace comedy classic, “9 to 5.” Their careers brought them together nearly forty years later on TV, and again on the big screen in 2023’s “80 for Brady” and “Moving On.” Through the years, they’ve been a source of support for each other, from awards ceremonies to climate change protests.
#21: Eugene Levy & Catherine O’Hara
Various
From their early days on “SCTV” to their film roles, especially in the movies of Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara have always just fit together. They even sound great singing together. It would be depressing if the relationship didn’t carry on off-screen, too. Luckily for us, it does. Their collaborations are made better because of how simpatico they are. O’Hara has often sung Levy’s praises, calling him the sweetest man in the world. She was even present at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If laughter is the most attractive trait, it’s no wonder these two went on a date or two back in the day, but that’s ancient history.
#20: Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet
“Titanic” (1997) & “Revolutionary Road” (2008)
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The actors who gave the world Jack and Rose are electric on screen. Their chemistry continued off the set, albeit as good friends. They might not have ended up a couple by the end of making “Titanic,” but anyone who goes through the hardship of making a James Cameron movie is probably bonded for life. Despite their different lives and busy schedules, Winslet says they always make time for a phone call. They were even each other’s dates for the 2016 Academy Awards, where both were nominated for separate movies. It was the fateful night that DiCaprio finally won his Oscar.
#19: Ben Platt & Skylar Astin
“Pitch Perfect” franchise (2012-)
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Not only were Platt and Astin in the first two successful “Pitch Perfect” films together; they’re together in life, too - as bros -with Astin referring to Platt as a “roomie for life” on Instagram. They may have played college roommates, but their kinship is for real. For instance, Platt was present at Astin’s wedding. Meanwhile, Astin and his then-wife, fellow “Pitch Perfect” co-star Anna Camp - who’s also real life BFFs with one of her costars, Brittany Snow - visited Platt while he was performing on Broadway in “Dear Evan Hansen” in 2016. They may not be performing onscreen at the moment, but you can bet that Ben Platt and Skylar Astin kept their onscreen friendship offscreen as well.
#18: Jada Pinkett Smith & Queen Latifah
“Set It Off” (1996) & “Girls Trip” (2017)
Pinkett Smith met her real world BFF back in Baltimore when she was 15 and snuck into a club to see an up-and-coming 17-year-old Latifah perform. She was blown away. The two would later star in the 1996 hit “Set If Off,” and while they wouldn’t work together again for another 21 years, they maintained a tight friendship in between projects. Latifah told People that she and Jada can “hold whole conversations without really saying anything, but still saying a lot.” That’s a deep connection that friends could only probably have after 30 odd years of closeness. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 21 years in between films to see these two women together again!
#17: Sebastian Stan & Anthony Mackie
Marvel Cinematic Universe
These two co-stars met on the set of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and weren’t immediate BFFs. But spending time together on press tours for their MCU films seems to have changed that. And now, with several more films under their respective belts, as well as the Disney + series, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” it’s easy to spot the closeness between Falcon and Bucky Barnes. In an attempt to get Sebastian out of New York during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Mackie even tried convincing Stan to join him in New Orleans. No one knows what the MCU holds for their characters yet, but off-camera, their bromance shows no sign of slowing.
#16: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Various
Nick Frost met buddy and collaborator Simon Pegg when Frost was a waiter at a restaurant in London. The two became friends and eventual roommates before going on to work together in projects like the box office hit “Shaun of the Dead.” Since their breakout, the two have continued to stay together both on and off-screen, such as in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy and the sci-fi comedy “Paul.” Like any close relationship, these two funny men have had their share of drama and fights. Simon Pegg has stated that while they may quarrel, they always end up back together again - just like in any family. And this family not only plays (and fights) together; they clearly know how to work together, too - through thick and thin.
#15: Michael Fassbender & James McAvoy
“X-Men: Beginnings” franchise (2011-)
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Deemed the new Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (who we’ll get to later), these two actors share more than just the former’s characters. Though they first worked together on the “Band of Brothers” miniseries, their bromance as we know it began with the world of the “X-Men.” The two mutant besties even have a combined nickname: McFassy. Watch any interview the two have given and you’ll see the great chemistry that translates off screen, what with McAvoy easily cracking Fassbender up at every chance he gets. Here’s hoping James and Michael also continue their bond well past their current ages and into their 80s and beyond.
#14: Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson
Various
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The kinship of our next duo of BFFs can be described as “brothers from ‘nother mothers,” which McConaughey himself has called them on Instagram. McConaughey beat out Harrelson for his breakout role in “A Time to Kill” only to end up playing his brother in “EdTV” a few years later. Maybe it was their alleged shared love of recreational activities, but the duo have always seemed tight well beyond just that. Matthew has even publicly admitted that he’s gone to the Woodman with personal problems in the past. Whether it’s in the lesser known “Surfer, Dude” or HBO’s “True Detective” these two cool characters are alright, alright, alright.
#13: Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning
“The Twilight Saga” (2008-12) & “The Runaways” (2010)
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These two ladies have appeared in a few films together and initially met on a short film back in 2007. But according to Fanning, that first introduction wasn’t special enough to call it their real first meeting. It wasn’t until the two were on “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” set that their bond truly formed in what Dakota calls their “chosen moment of meeting.” It was while she introduced friend Kristen Stewart at Elle’s Women in Hollywood Awards ceremony in 2016 that the two publicly professed their love and respect for one another. Fanning confessed Stewart’s been there to hold her hair back, help her through heartbreak, while Stewart responded to it all with, “Oh my God, dude I love you so much.” That’s BFF love.
#12: Reese Witherspoon & Mindy Kaling
“A Wrinkle in Time” (2018)
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After working together in “A Wrinkle in Time,” Kaling and Witherspoon have since become fast friends. Kaling, a parent herself, doesn’t hold back when she gushes about how blown away she is by Reese’s mom abilities. Reese, in turn, has gotten her pal, Mindy involved in “Legally Blonde 3” with Kaling co-writing the screenplay. These two Hollywood powerhouses send gifts to one another and have even been known to hang out together at family-friendly places, like Disneyland. It’s clear that Reese and Mindy know how to be more than just colleagues; they know how to be friends too.
#11: Dwayne Johnson & Kevin Hart
“Jumanji” franchise (1995-) & “Central Intelligence” (2016)
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Constantly at each other’s throats, Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “attack” in such hysterically warm ways that you can’t help but feel the love between them. But if the sarcasm doesn’t show you how close they are, just listen to The Rock when he says Hart’s “definitely one of my best friends” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The two have teamed up on multiple occasions, with hilarious Hart especially playing well off of The Rock’s ‘straight man.’ Whether it’s Dwayne honoring Kevin with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, jokingly competing for attention on Instagram, or starring together in a “Jumanji” film, their partnership works wonders onscreen and off. Plain and simple: they’re a lot of fun to watch.
#10: Penélope Cruz & Salma Hayek
“Bandidas” (2006)
Friends since 2001, Cruz and Hayek still have each other’s backs today. Cruz starred in 2006’s Bandidas with Hayek and, more importantly, was there when Hayek got married in 2009. They’ve openly praised one another’s work and, when both were on a precarious flight together, Cruz reportedly remarked that she would’ve been okay if this was her last flight as she was with her best friend. Dark but endearing. Cruz and Hayek are close enough to have cute, food based nicknames for each other as well as a bond that both maintain is like a firm sisterhood, and have even called each other their heroes.
#9: Cameron Diaz & Drew Barrymore
“Charlie’s Angels” (2000)
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Though they first met in the late ‘80s, these two only started getting close when Barrymore approached Diaz about co-starring in 2000’s “Charlie’s Angels” - and the pair have been good pals ever since. Drew and Cameron have been there for each other’s marriages and beyond. And these two maintain that they’re more like family than just friends as evidenced in their social media posts. Barrymore has even gone so far as to say that Diaz would be the first person she calls should she ever wind up in jail. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, but let’s hope there’s no slowing down for these real-life angels in both work and in play.
#8: Ashley Tisdale & Vanessa Hudgens
“High School Musical” franchise (2006-)
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These two friends were already acquainted before their shared time in these Disney Channel movies. In fact, Tisdale and Hudgens met before their breakout film roles, way back when, at a commercial audition. Having someone else share such a unique experience in the world of stardom surely helps with forming bonds for life - and these BFFs have shared everything from getting tattoos, to being at each other’s weddings, and revamping each other’s homes. Things may have really started with Disney, but this friendship has extended well beyond that.
#7: Brad Pitt & George Clooney
“Ocean’s Franchise” (2001-)
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These guys not only share good looks and high profile movie star status, but also a true friendship that goes beyond the silver screen. While this bromance reportedly began during working hours on 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” the duo maintains a friendship during off hours as well, with the notorious pranksters lovingly struggling to get one up on the other. These pranks have involved everything from the Chippendale dancers to the police and even a goat, or maybe... a sheep. They’ve had some rocky moments in their relationship, like when Pitt divorced Jennifer Aniston, which was allegedly much to Clooney’s chagrin. But they’re back to being friends now, with Brad saying he expected roses from George for his 2020 SAG award win.
#6: Chris Hemsworth & Tom Hiddleston
Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-)
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They met while filming “Thor” back in 2009 and have shared a friendship ever since. Having both of them come into fame at about the same time, they found that they had a lot more in common than just their onscreen characters did. Hemsworth has even called Hiddleston an honorary Hemsworth, saying that he’s adopted him as a brother. Meanwhile, Tom publicly thanked Chris when the former won an MTV award for best villain. They not only go to one another’s red carpet premieres, but also lovingly entertain each other at what could be stuffy events if you didn’t have a friend keeping you company.
#5: Tina Fey & Amy Poehler
Various
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These two not only have great chemistry on-screen but they clearly have it offscreen as well, as they have hit it off since their shared time on “SNL." Since then, they’ve starred in “Mean Girls,” “Baby Mama” and “Sisters” together and have shown how well they play off each other at the four Golden Globes ceremonies they co-hosted. Having met in Chicago while the two were studying improv comedy, they became fast friends when they shared a love of quietly bashing their instructor to one another. Heck,, these two funny ladies have even supposedly planned to marry their kids off to one another. So there’s that too.
#4: Leonardo DiCaprio & Tobey Maguire
“The Great Gatsby” (2013)
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These two knew each other well before they starred in “The Great Gatsby” together. They actually met as child actors all the way back in the 1980s, having shared time together at auditions in L.A. Both mostly raised by single mothers, the two guys bonded almost immediately - and while they sometimes auditioned for the same roles, these friends didn’t share any bitterness. As both their fame levels increased, Tobey and Leo were known around town for keeping fast and hard company, perhaps not unlike something you might see on “Entourage.” But as they’ve matured, and toned down their public profiles, both DiCaprio and Maguire remain close.
#3: Ian McKellen & Patrick Stewart
“X-Men” (2000)
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Sir Ian and Sir Patrick have both had long careers and even appeared together in a 1977 stage play, but didn’t keep in contact. In fact, it wasn’t until slightly more recently, in 2000’s “X-Men” that the two became BFFs. Their friendship is so tight that Sir Ian even married Sir Patrick to his wife in 2013. Also in the 2010s, McKellan and Stewart have been seen appearing together onstage in productions like “No Man’s Land” and of course, via their hysterical social media posts. Just because the 2020s see them both in their 80s doesn’t mean these two knights can’t still laugh at themselves.
#2: Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel & America Ferrara
“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005-) franchise
These women all starred together in 2005’s “The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants” and its 2008 sequel, but their friendship didn’t stop there. Today, these four women are still just as tight as their onscreen counterparts, coming together frequently for huge moments in their respective lives. They’ve been there for each other’s pregnancies, weddings, you name it. They even get their kids together for playdates. And what’s more, there are rumors that these BFFs might be coming together onscreen for a third installment of the film series that kicked off this true friendship sometime in the future.
#1: Ben Affleck & Matt Damon
“Good Will Hunting” (1997) & “Dogma” (1999)
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Who doesn’t know about this classic Hollywood bromance that extends to even before the pair’s breakouts in 1997’s “Good Will Hunting” and that garnered them both Oscars? The two first met as kids in Massachusetts when their moms apparently introduced them, and then things soon got real for the pair when Affleck got Damon out of a losing fight. They went to high school together and eventually embarked on Hollywood careers together. In the 2010s, Matt continued to be there for Ben through his public struggles with addiction and it’s clear that this friendship shows no signs of slowing down.
Who are your favorite onscreen co-stars turned offscreen BFFs? Let us know in the comments!
