10 pairs of Hollywood stars who became friends in childhood and were able to maintain friendship to this day (22 photos)

Sometimes you look at completely different people and don't understand what could connect them.





But there is an answer - friendship that began in childhood. It is in childhood, when a child seeks sincerity, not profit, that friends appear who often remain for life. And the example of famous Hollywood personalities is a vivid proof of this.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire



The famous Hollywood beauties have been friends for almost 40 years. They met at the tender age of 12, when they were trying to break into the film industry and went to the same auditions. They were brought together by similar backgrounds, for example, they were both raised by single mothers and grew up in Los Angeles.





What's interesting is that the friendship might not have happened. After all, the boys were initially rivals over roles and projects. However, in the end, the friends agreed that if the producers choose one of them, the other should make sure that his friend is invited too. For example, Toby and Leo auditioned together for the main child role in the sitcom "Parenthood." Leo was cast, but Toby was not. But later DiCaprio put in a good word for his friend, and Maguire was invited to star in a small role. The same thing happened in the film "That Boy's Life." DiCaprio played the lead role and asked to cast one of his on-screen friends as his real friend.

When Leo became a star after "Titanic", many, if not all, wanted to get him into their projects. He, among other things, received an invitation to take part in the auditions for the role of Peter Parker in "Spider-Man". And he accepted. But he turned down the role in favor of Tobey, who was eventually made a star by it. Isn't that proof of true friendship?

DiCaprio is the godfather of Maguire's daughter Ruby and simply adores her. Here's what Tobey said about it in one of his interviews:

The thing is that, due to my inexperience, I trusted this, as my wife says, "miracle" with the role of godfather to my daughter. Since then, whenever Ruby and Leo meet, and this happens quite often, my life turns into a nightmare. Jokes aside, when Leo appears, I don't exist! All you hear from Ruby is: "Godfather this, godfather that... And you know, we had such a great time today!" They spend all their time together and adore each other. Rub is delighted when he is around, for her there is no one else.

2. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon



They became friends when Ben was 8 and Matt was 10. They lived near each other and were both into baseball and movies. They became famous after writing the script for the film "Good Will Hunting", and then starred in it. Actually, they started writing in order to write normal roles for themselves. Other directors and screenwriters usually offered them uninteresting episodes.

Affleck and Damon won an Oscar for the screenplay and became the youngest people (they were 25) to receive a golden Academy Award statuette in this category. Which is not surprising, because the guys were describing events from their own lives.



Even in early childhood, Affleck stood up for Damon during a school fight, not afraid to protect his younger friend from an older and larger aggressor. Before fame, the guys had a joint bank account, where they painstakingly put their fees bit by bit, saving up for their dream. Here's what Matt Damon had to say about it:

As long as one of us had money, we knew the power wouldn't go out. After filming Geronimo in 1993, I probably had 35 grand in the bank. And I said to Ben, "We're good for a year."

But even then, our goals and passions remained the same: poker, charity, a joint film company, Artist Equity.

In an interview in 2021, Matt said that the sincerity of their friendship has not changed despite fame:

I don't want to be his friend in public, you know what I mean? It's too important a part of my life, and it's not meant to be advertised.

3. Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood



These two future stars became friends in the 1990s. To this day, they maintain a close relationship and hold each other in high regard. In 1993, Elijah and Macaulay met on the set of the film The Good Son. At a young age, both aspiring actors were recognized for their talent. Macaulay became a star after the all-time Christmas movie Home Alone. And Elijah became famous after playing Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.



In response to a post asking if they were friends, Macaulay Culkin wrote:

Of course we are. We will always be brothers... until he inevitably throws me off a cliff.

This is a reference to the film The Good Son, in which they starred together.

4. Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake



Ryan and Justin met in the 90s when they were teenagers and starred in The Mickey Mouse Club, which was the beginning of their friendship. In 2011, while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Justin revealed that they even temporarily lived in the same house while filming:



His mom had to stay in Canada to work while we were filming the show, and my mom was his guardian for about six months, so we actually lived together at that age. We were a little closer than the other kids on the show, just because we had to share a bathroom.

5. Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler



Both actresses grew up in super-celebrity families (Liv's parents are Steven Tyler and Bebe Buell, and Kate's mother is Goldie Hawn, who raised her with Kurt Russell) and have known each other for decades. Liv and Kate became friends in high school in the '90s. Early in their acting careers, they even starred together in the film Dr. T and the Women in 2000.



Liv said that they like to prepare for significant events in the film industry together:

We have a special ritual when we meet at 2-3 o'clock, drink champagne, do our hair, makeup and take photos.

6. Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts



The girls met in the distant 1980s at a casting for a swimsuit ad.

While they were waiting for the results, they got to talking. Watts remembers it with warmth:

We discussed everything: what movies we like, what friends we have in common, our parents, schools, parties, boyfriends, teenage problems.

Neither of them were lucky. Kidman offered to pay for a taxi home for Watts, who missed the bus. And the girl called Nicole "the most generous person."



The girls were friends at North Sydney High School in Australia and became close while working on the 1991 film Flirting, one of Naomi's first film roles:

We already knew each other, but that's when our friendship began. We've been through a lot together since then.

7. Adam Levine and Jonah Hill



Adam and Jonah grew up together in Los Angeles, and their fathers even went to school together. During an interview with Howard Stern, Jonah spoke about the beginning of their friendship:



Our fathers met in the principal's office in elementary school. We went to driving school together, lived at each other's houses.

Jonah even officiated Adam's wedding in 2014.

8. John Krasinski and B.J. Novak



The stars of the TV series "The Office" John Krasinski and B.J. Novak, who played Ryan Howard and Jim Halpert, are also long-time friends in real life. They attended college together in Newton, Massachusetts until 1997. Krasinski and Novak also played on the same team in the Little League baseball league.



Life separated the friends for a while - they entered different universities, but "The Office" helped them reunite, shake off the old days and gain popularity.

9. Timothée Chalamet and Ansel Elgort



Actors Timothée Chalamet and Ansel Elgort met in New York, where they grew up and attended LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Acting together. Not only did they have the same teachers, they also played basketball together before they became famous actors:



Timmy and I played on the same basketball team, we had the same drama teacher Mr. Schiffman, the same science teacher Mr. Singh. And here we are both nominated for a Golden Globe in the same year!!!

10. Laura Linney and Brooke Shields



Blue Lagoon star Brooke Shields and You Can Count on Me star Laura Linney have been counting on each other since they were little.



A few years ago, on her friend's birthday, Brooke Shields posted a photo of them as little girls.



Linny has repeatedly recalled the many times when she and Brooke were playing, and then Teri, Brooke's mother, would come home drunk. According to her, Brooke was already able to quickly find a way out of any situation and avoid conflicts. The actresses' friendship is another striking example of a truly sincere and warm affection that people carry throughout their lives.