Acting Duos Who Played Both Enemies and Allies, Lovers, or Family in Separate Projects

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With an ever-growing list of films and television series, some actors are bound to work together multiple times. What makes their projects together more interesting, however, is when actors portray different relationships with one another, particularly when they work against each other in one project and with each other in another.

So, which big actors have played these dichotomous pairings?

*Below contains spoilers for each film and series.

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Donald Sutherland & Jena Malone

Adversaries: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013); The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014); The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

In The Hunger Games three sequels, Catching Fire (2013), Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014), and Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) Malone (pictured above right) joined Sutherland (center) as the tenacious Joanna Mason, a past District 7 victor of The Hunger Games who is forced by Sutherland's President Snow to contend in the Games again against other past victors.

By the end of Catching Fire, the tyrannical President Snow kidnaps Joanna and another victor, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson; left)), after The Games are compromised. Snow holds them hostage and tortures each (offscreen) until both are rescued in Mockingjay - Part 1.

Family: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

In the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Sutherland (right) plays the humble and kind Mr. Bennet, and Malone (left) plays his rebellious daughter Lydia Bennet.

After Malone's Lydia runs off with Mr. Wickham (Rupert Friend), disgracing the family's reputation, Mr. Bennet ventures out, in vain, to find her. Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) [indirectly] pays Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia, saving the Bennet family name.

Sophie Turner & Iwan Rheon

Enemies: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

In seasons 5 & 6 of Game of Thrones, Sophie Turner's character Sansa Stark finds herself, unwillingly, married to the show's most viciously sadistic villain, Ramsay Bolton. Bolton, played by Iwan Rheon, is the son of Lord Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), the latter of whom murdered Sansa's mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), eldest brother Robb (Richard Madden), and took over her ancestral home, Winterfell, where she is held captive, raped, and tortured by Rheon's Ramsay.

Family: The Prince (2021)

In 2021, Rheon and Turner voiced the satirical versions of Prince William and his daughter Princess Charlotte in the controversial, now canceled, HBO series, The Prince.

Iwan Rheon and Natalia Tena

Enemies: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Natalia Tena (right) joined Game of Thrones in season one as the wildling Osha. When Osha travels south of The Wall and attacks Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), she is pardoned and sentenced to serve House Stark. Osha quickly becomes loyal to Bran and his little brother Rickon (Art Parkinson), smuggling them from Winterfell when it falls under siege by Theon (Alfie Allen). In season 6, Osha and Rickon are captured by Bolton allies (the Boltons now rule Winterfell). Osha is presented to the objectively evil Ramsay Bolton, played by Iwan Rheon, and she valiantly tries to fool him into believing she is not loyal to the Starks. As she feigns seducing Ramsay, she grabs for a knife to kill him, but Ramsay is too quick and stabs Osha's throat, killing her.

Lovers: Residue (2015)

In this futuristic film, Tena (left) and Rheon (right) play Jennifer Preston and her boyfriend Jonas. The two attempt to get to the bottom of a paranormal phenomenon covered up by the British government.

Maggie Smith & Imelda Staunton

Enemies: Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Screen legends Dame Maggie Smith (right) and Imelda Staunton (left) portrayed Professor McGonagall and Professor Umbridge, respectively, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Smith's McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House, is a stern but beloved character, while Staunton's Umbridge, a Ministry of Magic sycophant and sadist, is arguably the most despised character in the series.

The two go head-to-head more than once, as Umbridge progressively takes more control over Hogwarts, eventually overthrowing Dumbledore, and McGonagall tries in vain to stand in Umbridge's way.

Family: Downton Abbey (2019); Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

Smith and Staunton, who are good friends off the screen, also portrayed the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Lady Violet Crawley and Lady Bagshaw, cousins by marriage, in both Downton Abbey films.

Although there is friction between the two characters in the first Downton film, their relationship is on the mend by the end of the film, following Lady Bagshaw finally revealing her family secret to Violet--that Bagshaw's heir is not a money hungry lady's maid, but in fact Bagshaw's illegitimate daughter, which clears up a misunderstanding between the cousins. By the next film, Violet's grandson-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech) marries Bagshaw's daughter Lucy (Tuppence Middleton), further bringing both sides of the family together.

Imelda Staunton & Emma Thompson

Enemies: Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Imelda Staunton's Umbridge (left) makes many enemies in Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix (2007) in addition to Maggie Smith's McGonagall (right), including the Divination professor Sybil Trelawney (center), played by fellow legend Emma Thompson.

In Potter, Umbridge fires Trelawney and attempts to throw her out of the castle until Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) intervenes, allowing Trelawney to still live at Hogwarts for her own protection. Although no one but Dumbledore and Snape are aware of the danger Trelawney faces outside Hogwarts.

Family & Friends: Peter's Friends (1992); Much Ado About Nothing (1993); Sense and Sensibility (1995); Nanny McPhee (2005)

Imelda Staunton (right) and Emma Thompson (left), who are also friends off screen, have done a number of projects together in which they were friends or relatives, all of which were written (adapted) and/or directed by either Emma or her ex-husband Kenneth Branagh.

In 1992, Emma Thompson and Imelda Staunton starred in Peter's Friends as former college friends. The film was directed by Thompson's then husband Kenneth Branagh.

In 1993, Branagh wrote/adapted, starred in, and directed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, which co-starred Staunton and [Branagh's then wife] Thompson as cousins, Margaret and Beatrice (pictured above).

In 1995, Emma Thompson adapted Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (for which she won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award). In this Thompson played the sensible Elinor Dashwood and Staunton played Elinor's friend, the fast-talking, eccentric Charlotte Palmer, in whom's home the Dashwood sisters stay as guests for a time.

In 2005, Thompson adapted Chritianna Brand's Nurse Matilda book, Nanny McPhee. Thompson starred as the title character, while Staunton portrayed house cook.

Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning

Enemies: Twilight: New Moon (2009); Twilight: Eclipse (2010); Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)

In 2009's Twilight: New Moon, 2010's Twilight: Eclipse, and 2012's Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Dakota Fanning (front center) joined Kristen Stewart (lower left) in the Twilight Saga as Jane, a member of the powerful vampire coven the Volturi. Jane sadistically enjoys her work torturing others, which she achieves with her mind, alone. Her gift for pain works on everyone except Stewart's human (and later vampire) character, Bella Swan.

Friends: The Runaways (2010)

In 2010, while still filming the Twilight Saga films together, Dakota Fanning (left) and Kristen Stewart (right) starred in the biographical film The Runaways about the 1970's all-female band by the same name. Fanning played Cherrie Currie and Stewart, Joan Jett.

Carice van Houten & Liam Cunningham

Enemies: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Cunningham (left) and van Houten (right) joined Game of Thrones in season 2. Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth, a wise, loyal, and incredibly moral former smuggler turned knight by Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), and van Houten as Melisandre, aka The Red Woman, a magical and ancient priestess of R'hlorr (The Red God/God of Light) who serves Stannis in his quest to take the Iron Throne following the death of his brother, King Robert Baratheon.

While Melisandre and Davos both work for Stannis, Davos distrusts and dislikes Melisandre. After Melisandre births a shadow demon to muder Stannis's brother Renly and burns many of Stannis's advisors and maesters alive for not converting to her religion, Davos plots to kill Melisandre. This leads Stannis to imprison Davos, pending his execution, before Melisandre Sees in her fire that Davos will be needed in the war to come.

After Stannis is killed, the two rally around Jon Snow at The Wall, where Stannis left them. Their relationship seems to be on the mend after Melisandre resurrects Snow and the latter wins the Battle of the Bastards. That is until Davos realizes Melisandre burned alive the Princess Shireen, Stannis's daughter whom Davos loved like his own. Davos demands Jon Snow execute Melisandre, and after Snow instead banishes her, the two enemies join together one last time for the Battle of Winterfell.

Lovers: Black Butterflies (2011)

Black Butterflies, based on a true story, is about South African dissident and poet Ingrid Jonker (van Houten) who meets novelist Jack Cope (Cunningham) after he rescues her from drowning. Cope falls madly in love with Jonker. After a tumultuous on and off relationship, Cope asks her to move in again with him, but she instead takes her own life, drowning herself.

Kit Harington & Richard Madden

Rivals: Eternals (2021)

In the 2021 MCU (Marvel) film Eternals, Kit Harington's Dane Whitman (middle right) has an awkward meeting with his current [immortal] girlfriend's [immortal] ex-boyfriend (of 5000 years), Ikaris, played by Richard Madden. The two shake hands, but Ikaris clearly dislikes Whitman.

Family: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

In seasons 1-3 of Game of Thrones, until Madden's character's death, Harington and Madden played "half-brothers" Jon Snow (right) and Robb Stark (left). Although only appearing in scenes together in the first few episodes (and later in their brother Bran's visions), Jon and Robb are close and loyal to each other. When Robb goes to war, Jon attempts to abandon his post at the Night's Watch to join Robb, an act punishable by death, but Jon is, thankfully, convinced otherwise by his fellow Night's Watch brothers.

Joseph Fiennes & Geoffrey Rush

Adversaries: Elizabeth (1998)

In 1998, Joseph Fiennes (left) and Geoffrey Rush (right) co-starred in Elizabeth as the historical Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and Sir Francis Walsingham, respectively. Fiennes's Dudley is romantically involved with Elizabeth I, played by Cate Blanchett, and Rush's Walsingham is Elizabeth's closest and most trusted advisor, who eventually ousts Lord Robert Dudley as a traitor to Queen Elizabeth, ordering for his execution, from which Elizabeth pardons him.

Friends & Colleagues: Shakespeare in Love (1998)

ALSO in 1998, Fiennes and Rush co-starred again in another Elizabethan period film, Shakespeare in Love (additionally, both this film and Elizabeth were nominated for Best Picture at the 1999 Academy Awards). Fiennes portrayed William "Will" Shakespeare (above), and Rush portrayed Shakespeare's hilariously inept stage producer Philip Henslowe (below).

Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies

Adversaries: The Night Manager (2016)

In the 6-part adaptation of John le Carre's novel by the same name, Olivia Colman's character, Angela Burr tries to bring down terrorist Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Menzie's Geoffrey Dromgoole works for the British government, and he uses his position to enable Roper in exchange for payment. At one point, Dromgoole visits Burr's home in the attempt to intimidate her, but Burr doesn't back down.

Married: The Crown (2016- ), seasons 3 & 4 (2019-2020)

In The Crown, which follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II of England, Colman (right) and Menzies (left) take on Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip for seasons 3 and 4, which present the middle of the queen's life.

Olivia Colman and Tom Hollander

Adversaries: The Night Manager (2016)

As explained above, in this John le Carre adaptation, Angela Burr, played by Colman, tries to thwart and capture terrorist and arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Roper's right hand man is the often drunk, but loyal, Lance Corkoran. He and Roper work together to sell weapons to the most dangerous men in the world.

Married: Rev. (2010-2014)

In this comedy series, Colman (left) and Hollander (right) play husband and wife, Alex and Rev. Adam Smallbone.

Keira Knightly and Tom Hollander

Adversaries: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006); Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

In the second and third installments of Pirates: Dead Man's Chest (2006) & At World's End (2007), Knightly (left) and Hollander (right) play Elizabeth Swann and Lord Cutler Beckett.

Beckett, of the British Navy and East India Trading Company, leads the hunt for the heart of Davy Jones, eventually acquiring it, in order to take control of the seas. Beckett uses Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to find it by means of arresting Swann and her fiancé Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). By At World's End, Beckett kills Swann's father (Jonathan Pryce) and is eventually killed, himself, as his ship comes under fire on one side by The Black Pearl, which is under the command of Sparrow, Swann (the new "Pirate King"), and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and on the other side by The Flying Dutchman, now lead by Turner.

Family: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

One year before they portrayed the equally strong-headed adversaries in Pirates, Knightly and Hollander worked together in the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Knightly played Elizabeth Bennet, and Hollander, her hilariously bumbling cousin Mr. Collins who wishes to marry her. Bennet refuses Collins, and he settles with her best friend Charlotte.

Helena Bonham-Carter and Anne Hathaway

Rivals: Alice in Wonderland (2010); Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

In Disney's live-action Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Helena Bonham-Carter (left) and Anne Hathaway (right) play both rivals and family as sisters, the Red Queen and White Queen, respectively. The two queens are at odds against each other, both claiming they're the rightful queen of Wonderland. By the end of the second film, Looking Glass, however, the two sisters appear to have made a mends.

It is also worth mentioning the two portrayed Fantine (Hathaway) and Madame Thenardier (Bonham-Carter) in 2012's Les Miserables. Though the two never shared a scene, Thenardier and her husband (Sasha Baron-Cohen) "care" for Fantine's child Cosette while Fantine works to send the Thenardier's money. The latter, however, demand more and more money they never spend on Cosette, and instead abuse Fantine's child.

Allies: Ocean's 8 (2018)

In this all-female lead sequel to the Ocean's 11 trilogy, Bonham-Carter (right) joins Debbie Ocean's (Sandra Bullock) crew to carry out a heist, stealing the Toussaint--a $150 million Cartier necklace. Fashion designer Rose Weil (Bonham-Carter) convinces Cartier to take the necklace out of their vault and loan it to actress Daphne Kruger (Hathaway) for the Met Ball. Although Kruger is not in on the heist at first, and is simply used by Ocean's team, by the end of the film, she figures out the scheme and joins the women, playing a vital role in finishing the final touches of the heist.

Benedict Cumberbatch & Toby Jones

Adversaries: Sherlock (2010-2017)

In the 4th and final season of Sherlock, Toby Jones (right) portrays the cheerful, sadistic, and murderous Culverton Smith, a public figure and philanthropist that Cumberbatch's Sherlock risks his life to stop.

Friends: Creation (2009); The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

In Creation, Cumberbatch and Jones play Joseph Hooker and Thomas Huxley, respectively. The two are scientists who support their friend Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) in his groundbreaking work, On the Origin of Species, which in real life, revolutionized the scientific theory of evolution.

In The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Cumberbatch and Jones portray Wain and his editor Sir William Ingram, respectively.

Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman

Enemies: The Hobbit: A Desolation of Smaug (2013)

In 2013's The Hobbit: A Desolation of Smaug, Martin Freeman portrays the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (bottom left) who must retrieve a treasure from the villainous, treasure-hoarding talking Dragon, Smaug, who is played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Friends: Sherlock (2010-2017)

From 2010-2017, Freeman (left) played Dr Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes (right) in the acclaimed series Sherlock. The show only aired 13 episodes over 7 years, with 2 year gaps between some seasons, but as one of the highest rated shows on IMDb, with an overall rating of 9.1/10, fans are still, today, eagerly hopeful for another eventual season. Cumberbatch and Freeman are busier now than they were in the 2010s, both appearing in multiple hugely popular MCU (Marvel) films, among their several other pr

Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch

Adversaries: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Although the two shared only one scene in this MCU film, its context is Benedict's Doctor Strange (far left) getting Hiddleston's Loki (far right) out of New York, as the latter once terrorized the city (in Avengers, 2012).

After Strange leaves Loki "falling for 30 minutes!" As the latter exclaims, Loki pulls out his daggers, saying, "Oh you think you're some kind of magician..." before Strange forces Thor and Loki through a portal to their father, Odin.

Friends & Allies: War Horse (2011)

During World War I, Major Jamie Stewart, played by Cumberbatch (right) fights alongside his close friend, Captain Nicholls, played by Hiddleston (left). They are eventually separated as Stewart is captured and Nicholls is killed.

Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska

Enemies: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

In this 2013 low-key vampire flick, Hiddleston plays the vampire Adam (center left) and Mia plays Adam's long-time lover's sister, Ava (center right), an entitled and reckless vampire, whom Adam despises, who comes uninvited to stay with the couple.

Adam and his lover, Eve, drink only blood collected from blood banks or other sources outside directly drinking from a person. When Ava comes to visit, she drinks Adam's [only] friend's blood, killing him, and Adam throws Ava, unceremoniously, from his house.

Married: Crimson Peak (2015)

in Guillermo del Toro's 2015's horror noir film, Hiddleston's Thomas Sharpe and Wasikowska's Edith Cushing marry, only for the latter to find Sharpe's house, whom he shares with his malicious and creepy sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), haunted by the former wives of Thomas, all of whom, Lucille and he have slowly poisoned. However, Thomas genuinely falls in love with Edith, and manages to keep her alive.