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WeirdThe Believable (And Bonkers!) Times Actors Have Played Twins
By Jade Budowski
@jadebudowski
Published
April 19, 2017, 9:00 p.m. ET
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Sometimes, actors doing double duty is hardly noticeable, but occasionally, it comes off completely ridiculous.
Photos: Everett Collection, Photo Illustration: Dillen Phelps
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The Movie: Jack and Jill
The Actor: Adam Sandler
The Twins: Jack and Jill Sadelstein
Oh, this one hurts. This is a prime example of the twin gimmick gone wrong. It gets so ridiculous that the movie is nearly unwatchable. Sandler stars as fraternal twins Jack and Jill; Jack is the gifted one, while Jill is constantly vying for attention. This bonkers, wacky movie is a let down when you know what Sandler is really capable of, and the twin joke gets old really quickly.
[Where to Stream Jack and Jill]
The Actor: Adam Sandler
The Twins: Jack and Jill Sadelstein
Oh, this one hurts. This is a prime example of the twin gimmick gone wrong. It gets so ridiculous that the movie is nearly unwatchable. Sandler stars as fraternal twins Jack and Jill; Jack is the gifted one, while Jill is constantly vying for attention. This bonkers, wacky movie is a let down when you know what Sandler is really capable of, and the twin joke gets old really quickly.
[Where to Stream Jack and Jill]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: The Man in the Iron Mask
The Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
The Twins: King Louis and Phillippe
DiCaprio stars as King Louis XIV, a cruel leader who keeps his secret twin brother imprisoned and wearing an iron mask to avoid anyone finding out about him. This movie isn't terrible, but the scenes that involve DiCaprio playing both twins and interacting are pretty cringe-worthy. It's made worse by the fact that the film takes itself - and DiCaprio - so seriously.
[Where to Stream The Man in the Iron Mask]
The Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
The Twins: King Louis and Phillippe
DiCaprio stars as King Louis XIV, a cruel leader who keeps his secret twin brother imprisoned and wearing an iron mask to avoid anyone finding out about him. This movie isn't terrible, but the scenes that involve DiCaprio playing both twins and interacting are pretty cringe-worthy. It's made worse by the fact that the film takes itself - and DiCaprio - so seriously.
[Where to Stream The Man in the Iron Mask]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: Double Impact
The Actor: Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Twins: Chad and Alex
This classic B-movie kicks off as all great Van Damme action flicks do; with a slow motion shootout that introduces us to baby twins Chad and Alex who are orphaned after this gunfight. 25 years later, the brothers reunite to avenge their parents' death. Van Damme's twins are easy to tell apart; the bad boy sports heavily gelled hair and wife beaters, and the good guy is clean cut and approachable. This flick is cheesy, nonsensical, and so-terrible-it's-good.
[Where to Stream Double Impact]
The Actor: Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Twins: Chad and Alex
This classic B-movie kicks off as all great Van Damme action flicks do; with a slow motion shootout that introduces us to baby twins Chad and Alex who are orphaned after this gunfight. 25 years later, the brothers reunite to avenge their parents' death. Van Damme's twins are easy to tell apart; the bad boy sports heavily gelled hair and wife beaters, and the good guy is clean cut and approachable. This flick is cheesy, nonsensical, and so-terrible-it's-good.
[Where to Stream Double Impact]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: Dead Ringers
The Actor: Jeremy Irons
The Twins: Elliot and Beverly Mantle
Identical twins/gynecologists Elliot and Beverly run a successful clinical process in Toronto that specializes in female fertility. Elliot is the seductive, cynical twin, while Beverly is shy and reserved. When Elliot gets tired of the women he's seduced, he just passes them onto Beverly, and the ladies never notice. Irons is stunningly convincing in both roles in this Cronenberg horror film, and his performance even garnered him some awards.
[Where to Stream Dead Ringers]
The Actor: Jeremy Irons
The Twins: Elliot and Beverly Mantle
Identical twins/gynecologists Elliot and Beverly run a successful clinical process in Toronto that specializes in female fertility. Elliot is the seductive, cynical twin, while Beverly is shy and reserved. When Elliot gets tired of the women he's seduced, he just passes them onto Beverly, and the ladies never notice. Irons is stunningly convincing in both roles in this Cronenberg horror film, and his performance even garnered him some awards.
[Where to Stream Dead Ringers]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: The Parent Trap
The Actor: Lindsay Lohan
The Twins: Annie James and Hallie Parker
Though her English accent is definitely not one for the books, this little ginger pretty much knocks it out of the park with her endearing performance as long-lost twins who meet at a summer camp and devise a plan to get their parents back together. Her portrayal was so believable it sparked conspiracy theories about a twin named Kelsey actually playing one of the twins and dying in a car crash after filming, sparking Lindsay's downward spiral into drugs and booze. We still love ya, LiLo.
[Where to Stream The Parent Trap]
The Actor: Lindsay Lohan
The Twins: Annie James and Hallie Parker
Though her English accent is definitely not one for the books, this little ginger pretty much knocks it out of the park with her endearing performance as long-lost twins who meet at a summer camp and devise a plan to get their parents back together. Her portrayal was so believable it sparked conspiracy theories about a twin named Kelsey actually playing one of the twins and dying in a car crash after filming, sparking Lindsay's downward spiral into drugs and booze. We still love ya, LiLo.
[Where to Stream The Parent Trap]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: Legend
The Actor: Tom Hardy
The Twins: Ronald and Reginald Kray
1960s London is the setting of this biographical crime film featuring Hardy as the notorious twin gangsters who terrorize the city and rise through the criminal underbelly of London. The unhinged Ronnie is set on remaining in the life, while Reggie is ready to throw it all away for the right girl. Hardy carries the film on his back, and completely disappears into both brothers - it's stunning.
[Where to Stream Legend]
The Actor: Tom Hardy
The Twins: Ronald and Reginald Kray
1960s London is the setting of this biographical crime film featuring Hardy as the notorious twin gangsters who terrorize the city and rise through the criminal underbelly of London. The unhinged Ronnie is set on remaining in the life, while Reggie is ready to throw it all away for the right girl. Hardy carries the film on his back, and completely disappears into both brothers - it's stunning.
[Where to Stream Legend]
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The Movie: Leaves of Grass
The Actor: Edward Norton
The Twins: Bill and Brady Kincaid
Bill and Brady are polar opposite twin brothers; Bill is a philosophy professor at Brown University, while Brady, his estranged twin, is busy developing a hydroponics marijuana system in Oklahoma. Brady lures Bill back to Oklahoma to handle a drug lord, and while the flick itself is uneven, the range present in Norton's upstanding educator and grungy redneck is absolutely astounding.
[Where to Stream Leaves of Grass]
The Actor: Edward Norton
The Twins: Bill and Brady Kincaid
Bill and Brady are polar opposite twin brothers; Bill is a philosophy professor at Brown University, while Brady, his estranged twin, is busy developing a hydroponics marijuana system in Oklahoma. Brady lures Bill back to Oklahoma to handle a drug lord, and while the flick itself is uneven, the range present in Norton's upstanding educator and grungy redneck is absolutely astounding.
[Where to Stream Leaves of Grass]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: Adaptation
The Actor: Nicolas Cage
The Twins: Charlie and Donald Kaufman
Cage was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman, two brothers on different missions to write successful screenplays. This Spike Jonze film chronicles Charlie's attempt to adapt Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief", and Cage plays the frustrated Charlie and easygoing Donald with ease and grace.
[Where to Stream Adaptation]
The Actor: Nicolas Cage
The Twins: Charlie and Donald Kaufman
Cage was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman, two brothers on different missions to write successful screenplays. This Spike Jonze film chronicles Charlie's attempt to adapt Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief", and Cage plays the frustrated Charlie and easygoing Donald with ease and grace.
[Where to Stream Adaptation]
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The Movie: There Will Be Blood
The Actor: Paul Dano
The Twins: Paul and Eli Sunday
While the twins never appear on screen together, Dano's performance as the vastly different brothers. Paul is looking to make it big and take on business endeavors in the oil world, while Eli, the pastor of a local church, carries a sniveling, sinister side. Dano's performance - and eventual demise - is a gorgeous feat to behold, and the differences between the two is believable and compelling.
[Where to Stream There Will Be Blood]
The Actor: Paul Dano
The Twins: Paul and Eli Sunday
While the twins never appear on screen together, Dano's performance as the vastly different brothers. Paul is looking to make it big and take on business endeavors in the oil world, while Eli, the pastor of a local church, carries a sniveling, sinister side. Dano's performance - and eventual demise - is a gorgeous feat to behold, and the differences between the two is believable and compelling.
[Where to Stream There Will Be Blood]
Everett Collection
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The Movie: The Social Network
The Actor: Armie Hammer
The Twins: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
Hammer's big break came playing the Winklevoss twins (Winklevi?) in David Fincher's Facebook flick. As cocky Harvard upperclassmen/rowers Cameron and Tyler, Hammer believably sold the embittered twins who claimed to have had their idea for Facebook stolen by Mark Zuckerberg. Hammer has come out multiple times and said that fans are still surprised that he doesn't have a twin brother - that's how convincing it was.
[Where to Stream The Social Network]
The Actor: Armie Hammer
The Twins: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
Hammer's big break came playing the Winklevoss twins (Winklevi?) in David Fincher's Facebook flick. As cocky Harvard upperclassmen/rowers Cameron and Tyler, Hammer believably sold the embittered twins who claimed to have had their idea for Facebook stolen by Mark Zuckerberg. Hammer has come out multiple times and said that fans are still surprised that he doesn't have a twin brother - that's how convincing it was.
[Where to Stream The Social Network]
Everett Collection
