Sometimes seeing is believing, so here are five examples, including The Parent Trap, where one actor played twin characters.
At its core, acting involves convincing audiences that something is true when it isn’t.
Of course, this objective can take several forms. Actors can disguise their accents or appearance. Some even gain or lose weight to better fit a role they’re playing.
In recent years, digital technology aids performances even further.
Whether creating fictional creatures for fantasy projects or exciting special effects, this helps the story.
As a matter of fact, there are some cases where filmmakers use this technology on actors themselves.
We’ll be looking at films that want you to believe there are twins involved, but it’s actually just a single actor.
The Parent Trap (1998)
A remake of the 1961 film starring Hayley Mills, we meet two very different lead characters in The Parent Trap.
American Hallie grew up with her father (Dennis Quaid) on their family’s vineyard.
Meanwhile, Annie grew up in London, England with her mother (Natasha Richardson), a wedding gown designer.
As anyone who’s seen the film knows, Hallie and Annie are twins who reunite aged 11 at summer camp.
Despite the sharp contrast between the two characters, Lindsay Lohan (in her film debut) plays both roles.
Legend (2015)
When it comes to famous twins, the Krays are right up there… and not for the right reasons.
These London nightclub owners were also notorious gangsters and murderers who perpetrated organised crime in East London from the 1950s-1967.
Both twins have since died: Ronnie in 1995 and Reggie in 2000.
However, back in 2015, Brian Helgeland directed the film Legend based on the twins’ exploits.
A single actor, reliable hardman Tom Hardy, played both Ronnie and Reggie in the film.
The Prestige (2006)
If you haven’t watched The Prestige, I’d advise scrolling past this one.
You’ve been warned….
As the film’s twist ending reveals, the main character, Alfred Borden, was actually two people.
Identical twin brothers “played” Borden while the other would become Fallon, a working-class magician. They would then switch roles, causing much confusion in the change of personality.
However, The Prestige did not utilise twin actors to reveal the ending, as Christian Bale played both roles.
My Brother’s Keeper (2004)
This is actually a confusing one.
In this film, an actor plays twin roles despite having a twin who acts professionally in real life.
Aaron Ashmore, who you might recognise from Smallville, Warehouse 13 or Killjoys, portrays identical twin brothers Eric and Lou Woods.
However, Aaron’s identical twin brother, Shawn Ashmore, is also an actor. Some of his notable work includes The X-Men film franchise and TV series including The Following, The Rookie and The Boys.
The Man In The Iron Mask (1998)
Leonardo DiCaprio’s first post-Titanic role saw him play identical twins.
In The Man In The Iron Mask, DiCaprio portrays both the title character and King Louis XIV.
Later in the story, D’Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) reveals his paternity of both characters, confirming they are twins.
DiCaprio also had an interesting job here, as his characters are rivals for a large portion of the story.
