20+ Dynamic Duos In The World Of Acting That Just Keep Getting Cast Together Because They're Just *That* Good

Of course, Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet are in the list!

Sophia

• Published in Film & TV
• June 14, 2022

Have you ever noticed that the same pair of actors just seem to always pop up in different movies together? Some actors, who have once been paired and consequentially had their breakthrough together, can't seem to get out of the heads of some casting directors and writers because, well, they just keep being cast for another movie.

Take, for instance, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. They appeared in two movies together before their iconic La La Land roles—because the film industry just seems to love seeing the both of them on screens.

Because let's face it, when two actors happen to share overflowing chemistry in a film, it makes sense for the audience and casting directors to recreate the kind of natural magic that they have in the first movie they had together. It's fun to spot these duos as you watch more movies, and because of their numerous projects together, they have already formed a strong friendship that adds up to their budding chemistry even more!

What's great about these dynamic duos is that even though audiences have already watched them in the past projects, they are still versatile with the way they act their roles. Sure, they give a sense of familiarity; but that's about it—they act so well that you can just easily distinguish their characters even if they're played by the same people.

Now without further ado, here are some of our favorite dynamic duos that always appear in movies together because they're that fantastic!

1. Zoë Kravitz and Shailene Woodley

These two first worked together in Divergent, a film adaptation of a YA novel of the same name. They worked together until the third movie, and after the dystopian film wrapped up, they were both cast in Big Little Lies.

Zoë and Shailene are actually real-life best friends so it makes sense that they get on so well on screen!

2. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort

In 2014, Shailene and Ansel played the protagonists in The Fault in Our Stars—and well, siblings in Divergent. Additionally, Laura Dern also appeared together with Shailene twice; one as her mother in The Fault In Our Stars, and as the antagonist in Big Little Lies.

3. Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke

This pair goes all the way back to when they were in Yale Drama School. They played major roles in Black Panther in 2018, and in Us in 2019.

4. Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch

When you think of Martin and Benedict, you would most likely remember them as John Watson and Sherlock Holmes. But they got together again in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Bilbo and Smaug, respectively.

5. Tom Hanks and Sally Fields

Sally Fields plays Tom Hanks' love interest in Punchline. After six years, she played Tom Hanks' mother in Forrest Gump.

6. Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet

One of our favorite duos—Saoirse and Timothée were in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird as the protagonist and love interest, respectively. The two were then cast again in Little Woman, also by Greta Gerwig; Saoirse played Jo March and Timothée was Laurie.

The two also starred in the 2021 Wes Anderson Movie, The French Dispatch.

7. Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans

This pair of real-life best friends starred together in The Nanny Diaries before they were known as Black Widow and Captain America in the MCU.

8. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland.

Avengers: Infinity War wasn't really the first time the audience saw Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland together. In 2015, they are both in the historical adventure drama In the Heart of the Sea.

9. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson

Chris and Tessa always make a great duo, whether they're playing Thor and Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok or fighting aliens in Men in Black: International. 

10. Alan Rickman And Emma Thompson

Alan Rickman is most known as Professor Snape, and Emma Thompson acted alongside Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter films. They also played a married couple in Love Actually, siblings-in-law in the movie Sense & Sensibility, ex-lovers in The Song of Lunch, and detectives in Judas Kiss.

11. Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep

Emily Blunt's iconic role as Miranda Priestley's assistant in The Devil Wears Prada led to her breakthrough. Emily and Meryl then went on to act together in Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns.

12. Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci = perfection. They were both in The Devil Wears Prada, as well as in Julie & Julia, where they played Julia and Paul Child.

13. Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal

Anne and Jake starred together in Brokeback Mountain and Love & Other Drugs.

14. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

Emma and Ryan played love interests in the comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love before Before La La Land. They teamed up again in Gangster Squad.

15. Emma Stone and Steve Carell.

These two first appeared in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Stone's character as the daughter of Steve Carell's character, Cal. Six years later, they were in Battle of the Sexes as tennis competitors Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

16. Michael Cera and Jason Bateman.

Jason and Michael played a father-son duo on Arrested Development. They then co-starred Juno later on.

17. Steve Carell and Christian Bale

Steve Carell was with Christian Bale in The Big Short AND in Vice, both directed by Adam Mckay. 

18. Margot Robbie and Will Smith

Most people recognize the pair together in Suicide Squad; Margot as Harley Quinn and Will as Deadshot. Before that, they were in Focus playing con-artists.

19. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson

These legendary actors have worked together in Pulp Fiction, Unbreakable, Glass, and Die Hard with a Vengeance.

20. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper were *the* Hollywood couple in the early 2010s. In just four years, they starred in a total of four movies: Serena, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Joy.

21. Allison Janney and Viola Davis

Viola Davis initially co-starred with Allison Janney in The Help, a role that led to her second Oscar nomination. They then worked again together on Get On Up and Troop Zero.

22. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara

Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy had worked together in several movies like Over the Hedge and A Mighty Wind before their acting stint on Schitt's Creek. Both of them started on Second City Television.

23. Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet

Famous for playing the star-crossed lovers in Titanic, Kate and Leo also played love interests in another film called Revolutionary Road. The funny thing is, Leo's character dies in Titanic while Kate's character dies in Revolutionary Road!

For a movie or a TV show to work, a casting director must see to it that the chemistry between the actors actually translates on screen. Well, the casting directors seemed to hit a jackpot with these duos because they're always perfect for roles that need some chemistry!

Which ones are your favorite pairs? Comment down your thoughts, or share this article for all your family and friends to see!

Sophia