You'll get serious whiplash from looking twice at these look-alike celebrities. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION:
It’s down to basic human instinct - and a subtle streak of narcissism - to believe that we are one-of-a-kind, like no other and individuals in our own right.
But one only has to gaze at Hollywood’s expansive array of big-named celebrities to realise that originality is a dish best served with sarcasm.
Whether it be the latest plastic surgery trends or the resurgence of low-rise jeans, cowboy boots and bad baby names, A-listers are all blending into one, despite their tumultuous journey to self-discovery and penchant for wearing the “pick me” label like the latest Prada Cleo on the rack.
However, what might make you shift in your seat uncomfortably and question the coincidental nature of the world is just how similar some celebrities look, and by similar, we mean you’d be forgiven for looking twice and seeing double.
We’re not talking about twins - hello, Mary-Kate and Ashley - or siblings - greetings, Elle and Dakota Fanning - or mum and daughter duos taking the world and runway by storm - we love you, Kate and Lila Moss. We are talking about people with zero blood relation, no affiliation in sight and absolutely no connection bar a shared penchant for the limelight.
Browse through our list of celebrity clones and decide for yourself whether these strangely-similar stars are doppelgangers, counterparts or the victims of a serious parental indiscretion.
Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain
Believe us when we say - these actresses really are two different people.
With an uncanny resemblance and similar Hollywood charm, you wouldn’t be the only one to mistake The Help’s Jessica Chastain and Jurassic World’s Bryce Dallas Howard - even family members get the two mixed up.
According to E! Online, Dallas’ famous dad Ron Howard once mistook Chastain for his own daughter at a red carpet event.
Needless to say, we can only imagine the awkward silences at the dinner table after that dad-style doozy.
Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry
These two could be twins - and they know it. In 2020, Katy Perry took to Instagram and openly admitted to pretending to be Zooey Deschanel to get into clubs.
Speaking to Deschanel on Instagram Live, Perry said: “When I first got to L.A., I went to the club. A lot. And I wanted to get into the club, but I had no money, I had no clout, I had nothing, and sometimes I would pose as you to get into the club.”
Much to Perry’s shock and embarrassment, the New Girl star was already in the know. A self-proclaimed “goody two-shoes”, the actress was befuddled when people would allegedly bump into her on a night out.
Deschanel replied: “Well, I know this. People were like ‘I saw you!’ But I’m such a goody two-shoes, and people kept going like, ‘I saw you out!’”
Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman
These actresses look so similar that they were cast in one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises as devious doppelgangers.
Keira Knightley played Natalie Portman’s double in the legendary Star Wars: Phantom Menace in 1999 and, for first time viewers, it was an easy one to miss.
Portman played Padme Amidala, the Queen of Naboo, in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, while Knightley portrayed Sabe, the loyal handmaiden and decoy for the royal.
Knightley’s resemblance to Portman was so striking that they were often mistaken for each other on set and in the media, which begs the question: were these two just really good at their jobs or do we have a serious twin crisis on our hands?
All we know is that some serious practical jokes must have been played on the set.
Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey
Barbie alum Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey are no strangers to getting muddled up and mismatched. However, the pair were in on the joke when it came to the Mattel doll-inspired flick.
When asked by Buzzfeed what it was like working with her famed doppelganger, Robbie replied: “[Mackey] plays one of the Barbies in the movie pretty much because Greta and I thought it would be funny. We were gonna do this whole joke about us looking similar.”
“But once we got all dressed up as our Barbies, we were kind of like, ‘We don’t actually look that similar’. Like, when she’s got her brown hair and I’ve got my blonde hair, we don’t look that similar, so we didn’t put that joke in the movie.”
Will Ferrell and Chad Smith
Are they brothers from another mother? Or coincidentally uncanny pals? All we know is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Elf star Will Ferrell get on like a house on fire and miss no beat to remind people that they look the same.
In 2014, the pair appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon wearing the exact same outfit and took part in an epic drum-off to unmask the drumming “impostor”, raising US$500,000 ($844,000) for charity.
Years before they churned their similarity into charitable gold, Smith revealed that he first bumped into Ferrell at the Ladies Man premiere in 2000. Crossing paths in a food line, Ferrell reportedly turned, looked Smith up and down, and with a deadpan delivery stated, “You’re very handsome,” then walked away.
Kaia Gerber and Rachel Bilson
Blink twice and you’d see double when it comes to supermodel Kaia Gerber and noughties TV heartthrob Rachel Bilson.
Luckily, both stars hail as icons from different generations: Bilson reigning supreme in the days of low-rise jeans, flip phone mania, and bedazzled anything, and Gerber ruling in off-duty-model land, rocking oversized tees, a nepo baby title and a biopic beau on her arm.
Sporting similar chocolate locks, cocoa-coloured eyes, and chiselled cheekbones, it’s no wonder TikTok users and social media fiends alike are calling for these two to take a DNA test - or at least a quirky dress-alike photo in true Will Ferrell and Chad Smith fashion.
Jennifer Connelly, Demi Moore and Courteney Cox
When seeing double becomes triple-vision, three isn’t just a crowd - it’s a crowd-stumper.
If Top Gun: Maverick’s Jennifer Connelly, Indecent Proposal’s Demi Moore and Friends’ Courteney Cox all walked into a bar - no this isn’t the start of a sexist, hair colour joke - you would be forgiven for fumbling up your first names, iconic roles and inside jokes.
Specifically, you’d be trying to narrow down which one to start singing I’ll Be There for You to when the conversation goes dry and which one to throw Chris Rock’s G.I. Jane joke at for a slap on the back - or the face.
They rock similar raven-haired locks, soft and natural features, and one hell of a screen resume - but can you tell them apart?
Victoria Justice and Nina Dobrev
Twinception comes in the form of Victoria Justice and Nina Dobrev - we’ll explain.
While looking eerily similar, the two have stipulated on more than one occasion that they are not related. However, things often come in twos for the indistinguishable duo and it’s a little bit weird.
Nina Dobrev played Elena Gilbert in the hit TV series Vampire Diaries from 2009 to 2017. However, between the pent-up teenage angst and steamy scenes of the iconic show was an underlying doppelganger theme: Elena looked identical to Katherine Pierce, also played by Dobrev. Little did the show know that Dobrev had a real-life doppelganger and she was over the pond at Nickelodeon.
Taking the mirror images to the next level, Justice has a sister Madison - and she looks (you guessed it) just like her! Taking the twin theory and elevating it to triplet conspiracy, we are rummaging through family histories as we speak.
And Justice’s latest film? A Perfect Pairing. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem are absolute dead ringers.
The Walking Dead star and Eat Pray Love actor both flaunt similar bone structures, facial hair, and a gaze that leaves most admirers with weak knees and fluttering heartstrings.
Perhaps the only notable difference between the two is their lingual abilities, which is the real tell-tale that these men aren’t actually the same person.
Speaking of his similarities to Bardem, who was born in the Canary Islands in Spain, Morgan told Men’s Health in July: “I could be at the airport, I could be at the grocery store, and I’d literally get tackled by somebody speaking Spanish at 100 miles an hour.”
Megan Watts is a Lifestyle and Entertainment digital producer for the New Zealand Herald whose passions include honest journalism, TikTok beauty hacks and random celebrity facts.
'It was a shock to the system, but that's part of why I said I wanted to do it.'