Top 10 Movie Twins That Were Actually Played by One Actor
#10: Vanessa Hudgens
“The Princess Switch” franchise (2018-)
In a twist on the classic tale of “The Prince and the Pauper,” Vanessa Hudgens stars as Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro, and Stacy DeNovo, a baker from Chicago. Stacy and her fellow baker friend Kevin travel to the fictional country of Belgravia for a baking competition. There, the two literally run into each other. They make the switch, curious how the other lives. Margaret falls in love with Kevin, and Stacy with Edward. In the sequel, Hudgens plays Margaret’s cousin Lady Fiona Pembroke. Wanting to get in on the fun, Fiona plans a switch of her own to get the crown for herself.
#9: Bette Davis
“Dead Ringer” (1964)
After the funeral of her husband Frank, Margaret DeLorca sees her twin sister Edith Phillips. The two have been estranged for 18 years because they both loved the same man. Margaret is wealthy, while Edith is much less fortunate. Edith murders her sister, taking over her life as revenge. However, things don’t go as smoothly as she hoped. She learns of Margaret’s own crimes and deception, and ultimately ends up paying for them herself. “Dead Ringer” is the second time Davis performed a dual role, having played twins in “A Stolen Life.”
#8: Bette Midler & Lily Tomlin
“Big Business” (1988)
Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” this wacky 1988 comedy follows two sets of identical twins as they discover they were mistakenly switched at birth with another set of twins. Bette Midler plays twins Sadie Shelton and Sadie Ratliff, while Lily Tomlin plays Rose Shelton and Rose Ratliff. That’s right — each set of twins has the same name as the other. The Shelton sisters grow up wealthy, eventually becoming co-chairs of a successful conglomerate in New York City. The Ratliffs, on the other hand, led a rural, impoverished life. All four of them run into each other in the big city and hilarity ensues.
#7: Paul Dano
“There Will Be Blood” (2007)
In this epic period drama, Paul Dano plays twin brothers Paul and Eli Sunday. Paul comes to visit Daniel Plainview, telling him about the oil under his land back in California. Eli is the dramatic preacher at the Church of the Third Revelation who spends more time with Plainview. The twins don’t have scenes together, and Paul’s role is much smaller. However, Dano’s powerful performance earned him a BAFTA nomination. Dano also had the pleasure of being opposite Daniel Day-Lewis for the memorable “I drink your milkshake” scene.
#6: Nicolas Cage
“Adaptation” (2002)
Nicolas Cage plays the neurotic Charlie Kaufman in this critically acclaimed comedy-drama. Kaufman gets writer’s block when he’s tasked with writing a screenplay based on Susan Orlean’s novel “The Orchid Thief.” His freeloading brother Donald, also played by Cage, moves in with him and decides to become a screenwriter himself. The two end up on a crazy, thought-provoking journey of obsession and success. “Adaptation” is based on the real Charlie Kaufman and his own experience struggling to adapt Orlean’s nonfiction book. Instead, he wrote the screenplay for this film, creating a fictionalized twin brother and exaggerating the events significantly.
#5: Jeremy Irons
“Dead Ringers” (1988)
Widely considered one of the best psychological thrillers of all time, Jeremy Irons stars as twin brothers who are gynecologists. Elliot is the more confident of the two, regularly seducing his patients. When he’s tired of them, he passes them off to his shy brother Beverly. After Elliot seduces actress Claire, Beverly falls in love with her, becoming completely emotionally attached. This throws off the brothers’ dynamic, leading them to depression and drug addiction. It’s an unsettling thriller with plenty of nightmarish imagery. Irons played equally creepy yet unique characters.
#4: Christian Bale
“The Prestige” (2006)
Between Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” he worked with Christian Bale on this thrilling film about rival stage magicians in 19th century London. The biggest trick, of course, is that Alfred Borden and his mysterious assistant Bernard Fallon are actually identical twins, both played by Bale. Switching places is something they’ve done all their lives. Bale is known for being an intense, and fiercely committed actor. His ability to keep us guessing until the very end makes “The Prestige” one of Nolan’s best films ever.
#3: Tom Hardy
“Legend” (2015)
Based on the true story of the infamous Kray brothers, “Legend” follows the rise and fall of twins Ronnie and Reggie as they rule over most of London’s criminal underground in the 1950s and 60s. With a background in amateur boxing, both have a penchant for violence, getting into several brutal fights with rival criminals, and each other. Tom Hardy is able to capture the nuances of each brother — the explosive Ronnie and the cool Reggie. Playing one ruthless gangster is hard enough, but two? Hardy was definitely the man for the job.
#2: Leonardo DiCaprio
“The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998)
Though the true identity of the real Man in the Iron Mask is still debated, the film of the same name attempts to put a face to the mysterious prisoner. He was imprisoned in France for decades under the rule of Louis XIV, a cruel, hedonistic king. In the film, the legendary four musketeers secretly release the prisoner, and in the process, discover that he is Louis’ identical twin brother Philippe. Their plan is to swap out the twins, both played by Leonardo DiCaprio, imprisoning Louis, making Philippe the new heir to the throne.
#1: Lindsay Lohan
“The Parent Trap” (1998)
In one of her most celebrated roles, a young Lindsay Lohan plays 11-year-old estranged twins Annie and Hallie in the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap.” While Hayley Mills’ dual role as the twins in the 1961 flick will undoubtedly bring back fond memories, we’re choosing Lohan’s later portrayal because it introduced us to the young star. In the Disney flick, the two meet at a summer camp and are instant adversaries until they realize that they are actually sisters. Like all the twins on this list, they switch places. They each connect with their long-lost parents, and conspire to get them back together. The cast of this beloved family classic reunited in 2020 for the film’s 22nd anniversary. Lohan’s co-stars still praise her convincing performance as the twins.
