Cuba Gooding Jr., 58, has stayed out of the spotlight but not out of Hollywood.
The Oscar-winning actor found success early in his career. His work kept him on set and on the road, forcing him to sacrifice time with family.
But fans appeared shocked after discovering he had a son old enough to steal the spotlight.
Gooding Jr.’s grown son recently went viral after revealing what the TV star is really like at home.
In a recent interview, 29-year-old Mason Gooding said he didn’t know his father well growing up. But he clearly inherited his looks.
The father-son duo went viral after a fan shared a side-by-side photo highlighting their striking resemblance.
Mason is still building his acting career. Therefore, many people may not realize who he is or that he’s Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son
A July 30 post reintroduced the young actor on social media, showing Cuba grinning beside Mason’s subtle smile.
“I was today’s years old when I found out this is father and son,” read one X user.
Several fans shared the surprise. One said, “Mason Gooding is actually Cuba’s son?! The resemblance hits different once you know.”
Another shocked user commented, “That’s crazy cuz they look the same age here lol.”
A third person typed, “Genes really said copy & paste.”
A fourth individual joked, “One of them is Cuba Gooding Jr. The other one is just Cuba Gooding… loading.”
Cuba Gooding Jr. and his high school sweetheart, Sara Kapfer, welcomed Mason in 1996. The high school sweethearts married in 1994, separated in 2014, and finalized their divorce three years later.
Mason has two other siblings from his parents: his older brother, Spencer Gooding, 32, and his sister Piper Gooding, 21.
Mason’s recently revealed the cost of his dad’s fame and the sacrifices he made in a recent interview.
“My father was an actor and grandfather was a singer,” he said on the “Wildmen Podcast.” “I have probably a stronger relationship and understanding based on who they were publicly than who they were privately.”
He admitted they struggled in their relationship with Cuba being gone so often for work. But Mason said the “Radio” actor was able to articulate lessons to him better as Mason got older.
Painting the picture of what that struggle looked like in their home, he said, “Cause when you’re a parent who’s an actor and you’re gone for so long, then you come back, you try to like, the word would be, speed-parent, because you come in for a week, and you’re like, ‘Why the f-ck is that broken? Why are you failing school? Why are you fighting?’”
As a kid, it caused confusion in a young Mason’s mind.
“At the time, I didn’t really understand that relationship, because I was like, ‘you’re so positive and charismatic in these interviews, and then you come home and it’s a different guy,’ and I didn’t get that correlation or lack thereof,” he said.
As an adult, he realizes that an actor’s biggest fear is returning home to a life that moved on without them.
He sympathized with his father and called the experience “destabilizing,” saying life at home keeps moving before loved ones simply fold the actor back into it upon returning.
He told People in 2018, “I cried like a little girl. And now he’s got this executive position working with a company, so I’m very proud of him.”
Cuba rarely spoke about his family. But he made a rare emotional comment after his son Spencer’s college graduation.
At the time, Mason was headed to an indie film after a stint on “Ballers” and daughter Piper was singing and dancing.
The “Boyz N the Hood” star confessed he had one concern about his youngest children pursuing careers in entertainment.
“I’m only nervous that they’re doing it because of who their dad is,” he explained.” But when they show me passion, then I’m 100% behind them.”
Mason’s breakout role was in the 2019 Olivia Wilde comedy film “Booksmart,” where he played a popular high school jock. He became more mainstream after playing Chad Meeks-Martin in three of the seven “Scream” movies.
