ONTD Original: Obscure Actor Comparisons Who Look Alike And Should Play Family
This being a celebrity gossip site, I know you guys are used to seeing a lot of lists that compare actors who look alike. But I noticed throughout the media, that most of them use the same actor comparisons over and over again.
I decided to compose a list of more obscure comparisons that I don’t see very often, or even at all! And because of this, they should totally play family members to make me happy specifically haha, BUT I also got a couple of suggestions from you guys too! (All of them correct.) As well as some from my own friends. (Also all correct.)
They don’t necessarily look identical but similar enough that they should totally play mother/daughter, father/son, cousins, and mostly sisters and brothers. But instead of hearing about how Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem or Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry look alike for the 700th time, here are a bunch of actors from more lesser-known media or just ones that hadn’t been compared before.
I made sure all the pictures were the same size (300 x 300) so as not to mess up the layout and have them be all over the place. As you can see from this long-ass ramble, the explanations under the cut will be pretty word-heavy so prepare yourselves for that if you do click.
Alright, let’s do this!
First up we have Helen Hunt and Leelee Sobieski
Things They Were In: Helen Hunt was in movies like As Good As It Gets and Cast Away, as well as TV shows like Blindspotting and Mad About You. Leelee was in movies like Never Been Kissed and TV shows like NYC 22.
Why I Included Them: This was one of the first suggested for me in a Free For All post and so when I was looking at pictures to compare, I definitely saw the similarities. I’m actually a little surprised that Leelee isn’t in more stuff! They could definitely play a mother and daughter duo or even an aunt and her niece!
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Bailee Madison, Mandy Moore, and Shelley Hennig
Things They Were In: Bailee was in Bridge To Terabithia and currently in the show Good Witch. Mandy Moore is the iconic actress from Princess Diaries and This Is Us. And Shelley was in my forever sad cancellation The Secret Circle and she also popped up in Dollface.
Why I Included Them: Bailee and Mandy were suggested to me and I already had Bailee and Shelley listed together, so I decided to add all three together. They all have round faces, similar cheekbones, and pretty much the exact same wavy brown hair. They’re gorgeous, talented, show-stopping, I had to include them. I will never stop having a crush on Shelley Hennig too lol.
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Ana Gasteyer and Kathryn Hahn
Things They Were In: It’s been Agatha all alooooong! As you may remember, Kathryn Hahn was in Wandavision and movies like This Is Where I Leave You. Ana is a Saturday Night Live alum!
Why I Included Them: Another suggestion haha I swear they aren’t all suggestions. And to be fair this is a good one and I’m pissed I didn’t think of it first. Look at these two, holy hell. Most of the actors chosen have similar features but they don’t look identical. These two are identical. I swear I could see them playing twins, this shit is uncanny.
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Elizabeth Banks and Julie Bowen
Things They Were In: Both actresses have popped up in Modern Family! Elizabeth is also a director who’s popped up on Pitch Perfect, while Julie Bowen was in stuff like Life Of The Party.
Why I Included Them: They definitely do look like they can pass for sisters, another one where they’re near identical. They’re very pretty and talented and funny actresses, of course I’d include them. Yes it was another suggestion.
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Olivia Swann and Alisha Boe
Things They Were In: Alisha was in the show 13 Reasons Why and Olivia was in the show Legends of Tomorrow.
Why I Included Them: I like both actresses in the stuff they’re in and of course they’re beautiful. I could definitely see them playing either sisters or cousins.
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Ben McKenzie and Russell Crowe
Things They Were In: You probably remember Ben was in the show The OC, and Russell’s a big actor who’s been in stuff like Gladiator and the shitty Les Mis movie.
Why I Included Them: They definitely have similarities in the face, very blocky heads, that same crease in the forehead. I could see them playing long lost relatives, definitely gang related lol.
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Chris Pine, James Marsden, Timothy Olyphant, and Pierce Brosnan
Things They Were In: Chris was in Star Trek, James was in X-Men, Timothy was in Justified, and Pierce was James freakin Bond.
Why I Included Them: I had Chris, Timothy, and Pierce listed originally and someone suggested James as well. At first I didn’t really see it, but then while looking for pictures I definitely saw similarities to at least James and Chris in the eyes and jaw. Chris also just really looks like Timothy and Pierce to me. They have the same light hair and widow’s peak five-head, you gotta admit it’d be a cool dynamic to watch in a movie or show.
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Evan Rachel Wood and Jena Malone
Things They Were In: Evan has been in movies like Across The Universe and the show Westworld. Jena was in the Hunger Games movie series and the David Bowie Stardust movie.
Why I Included Them: I definitely see the resemblance, they both look good in any hair colour and they both have similar oval faces. Phenomenal actresses too, they would eat everyone up in a movie together as sisters or cousins.
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Kym Whitley and Jackee Harry
Things They Were In: Oh God what to list for these two women, they’re both so iconic. Hell Shemar Moore kissing Kym actually comes to mind for me first, it was so hilarious how she reacted. I guess Kym was in Young & Hungry a couple of years ago and Jackee was in Sister Sister.
Why I Included Them: Okay, I guess they’re the one choice that you see pretty often in other lists, but I couldn’t pass it up. Have they played sisters before? If they have I don’t care I wanna see it again. They look so much alike that Kym gets mistaken for Jackee in an episode of Young & Hungry. Both beautiful and hilarious women who should definitely act together as sisters. Not even cousins. Sisters.
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Jenny Boyd and Meg Donnelly
Things They Were In: Jenny is currently in The Vampire Diaries’s third spinoff show, Legacies. And Meg is in the Disney trilogy series ZOMBIES.
Why I Included Them: Because I have the biggest crush on Jenny, why lie. I swear I’m the only one from the early days of Vampire Diaries who still follows the newer stuff and I can’t explain why that doesn’t just go back to the crush. I don’t watch ZOMBIES but some of the songs are bops. I can’t deny that Jenny and Meg just… feel like they look alike, if that makes sense. Side by side it just works, they’re both striking brunettes when they dye their hair blonde and for what it’s worth, I know the content they’re in isn’t something to run home about, but they’re still pretty decent actresses. I’d watch that movie.
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Maisie Richardson-Sellers and China Anne McClain
Things They Were In: Maisie was in Legends of Tomorrow and China was in the Disney trilogy series Descendants.
Why I Included Them: I really can’t deny the fact that they styled their hair the exact same way in separate properties had me wanting this collab. They would be perfect sisters in something. Two CW actresses who don’t get the credit they deserve, they’re super underrated.
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Stacey Farber and Emily VanCamp
Things They Were In: Emily is in a lot of successful shows like Everwood, Revenge, and The Resident. Stacey is now currently in Superman & Lois, but you may recognize her as a staple from the Canadian show Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Why I Included Them: My girl Emily was paid dust in the MCU--DUST I TELL YOU! Anyway, this is another instance where they feel like they look alike, maybe I could see them more as cousins rather than sisters. When you put them side-by-side there’s definitely a similarity. And who can beat my other girl Ellie Nash?
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Lili Reinhart and Olivia Taylor Dudley
Things They Were In: Lili is in this obscure little show called Riverdale, you probably haven’t heard of it. Olivia was in the show The Magicians.
Why I Included Them: It really looks like it’s the ponytail huh, because honestly I noticed their facial structures are a bit different from each other. But still, I could definitely see them as cousins, at the very least. It’d be an interesting dynamic too, especially considering the respective shows they both came from.
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Terrence Mann and Hugh Laurie
Things They Were In: Terrence is a Broadway alum, and he also appeared in Sense8. Hugh Laurie is that man that told Rachel off on the plane in Friends and we’ll never forget it. (Also House.)
Why I Included Them: Back to our suggestions, because I actually wasn’t very familiar with Terrence. Regardless, I can definitely see how much the two actors look alike. Hugh is a great actor and it would be really interesting to see these two actors play off each other as cousins or brothers. Great suggestion with some great actors.
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Mike Tomlin and Omar Epps
Things They Were In: Mike is actually an American football coach. He’s the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Omar is an actor though lol, he’s appeared in stuff like the show House and is now in Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
Why I Included Them: Shake things up a lil bit, why not. Technically you wouldn’t ever really see these two act together and play brothers or cousins, because one of them isn’t an actor. But I will admit, they definitely do look alike. Hey Mike if you ever wanna take up acting, look at this page.
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Orlando Bloom and Rupert Friend
Things They Were In: Orlando was a huge staple of our childhood in such things like Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. Rupert was in shows like Homeland and Strange Angel.
Why I Included Them: Yeah they definitely have very similar faces. Surprised they haven’t played brothers before! (Unless they have and someone is about to recommend me a movie hello.) Light eyes, dark hair, square faces, they need to act together asap.
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Danai Gurira and Viola Davis
Things They Were In: Danai has been in shows like The Walking Dead and appears in the Black Panther movies. Viola is an award-winning actress from shows like How To Get Away With Murder and movies like Fences. Honestly if you don’t know who Viola is I judge you.
Why I Included Them: This was a great suggestion, another moment where I went “damn I’m mad I didn’t come up with it first”. Very striking and gorgeous women, phenomenal actresses, I’m a little shocked they haven’t acted together yet. They should definitely play sisters or cousins, with Viola taking Danai’s character under her wing in some capacity. I would definitely watch that movie or show.
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Emma Stone and Melinda Clarke
Things They Were In: Emma is an Oscar-winning actress from stuff like La La Land, Birdman, and Cruella. Melinda starred in The OC and Spawn.
Why I Included Them: This was a suggestion as well, one I definitely can’t deny. With the red hair they absolutely look like they could pass for mother and daughter. Something similar to Cruella actually where they’re not actually playing good guys. I’d be intrigued to watch something like that with them in it together.
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Adam Brody and Dylan O’Brien
Things They Were In: Adam was in the show The OC and Dylan was in the show Teen Wolf.
Why I Included Them: You can really tell a lot of us grew up with the show The OC because while I didn’t personally come up with the ones that included Ben, Melinda, and Adam, I still knew exactly where they came from lol. Anyway I do see a similarity between Adam and Dylan. It’s one of those they feel alike pairings and yet when you see them get scruffy, the resemblance is there. I could definitely see them playing brothers.
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Colin Egglesfield and Robbie Amell
Things They Were In: Colin was in that movie Something Borrowed and popped up in the show Rizzoli & Isles. Robbie, the superior Amell, was in The Duff and The Tomorrow People.
Why I Included Them: I can definitely see how they look alike, especially the way their faces are structured. Also Robbie is so charming when he plays himbos, I can see these two playing brothers where Colin is the more serious one lol.
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Aldis Hodge and David Ajala
Things They Were In: Aldis is from Leverage and David is from Star Trek Discovery.
Why I Included Them: Honestly? Just looking at those two pictures, I can… barely even tell them apart. I can a little in the cheeks but other than that a lot of times they look near identical to me. I had to teach myself a little trick in that Aldis’s name starts with the letter A so he’s the American one lmao. They’re also just both stunning and I’d love to watch them together in something as brothers.
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Patrick Wilson and Will Arnett
Things They Were In: Patrick is in the Conjuring franchise and we saw his butt in Watchmen. Will is in stuff like Arrested Development and voices Batman in The Lego Movie.
Why I Included Them: Yup I definitely see the similarity. Unlike with the list that includes Chris Pine and all those men’s glorious foreheads, Patrick and Will are thinner and have a more elongated look to them. Patrick is actually really underrated in comedies like the movie Stretch (with Chris Pine! I think I have him on my mind lol), so I could definitely see Patrick and Will in a comedy together. Another one of those where Patrick is the more serious brother. I’d definitely watch that!
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Jade Tailor and Sofia Carson
Things They Were In: Jade was in the show The Magicians and Sofia was in Pretty Little Liars The Perfectionists and the Descendants movies.
Why I Included Them: Crushes? Possibly lol. It’s not really there when you look at them right away, but I just do get a small similarity between the way these ladies look. I wanna see them play sisters or cousins some day, I’d enjoy that dynamic.
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Amanda Leighton and Lyndsy Fonseca
Things They Were In: Amanda was in This Is Us and The Fosters. Lyndsy was in Nikita and Agent Carter.
Why I Included Them: This one’s one of my favourites actually, I’ve been shouting this for yeaaaaaars. I’d watch The Fosters and just… be totally baffled that these two have never played sisters. They smile the same, they’re borderline identical. Funnily enough, on Amanda’s imdb page, seeing her as a blonde, she actually looks a lot like Lili Reinhart too! I’ve always had a soft spot (read: crush) on Lyndsy ever since Nikita too, so I’d kill to watch this.
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Skylar Astin and Zachary Levi
Things They Were In: Skylar was in Pitch Perfect and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, while Zachary was in Chuck and Shazam!
Why I Included Them: They’re definitely in that category of white guys who, once they get scruffy, they look alike, like Robbie and Colin and Dylan and Adam haha. I definitely see a similarity between them anyway. Hell I’d watch them do a musical, that’d be super fun to watch with them together!
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And finally, one last comparison… Kayle Bryant, Leighton Meester, and Sara Waisglass
Things They Were In: Kaylee is actually also from the show Legacies (yeah yeah yeah). You remember Leighton from the show Gossip Girl. And Sara is from the newer Degrassi seasons and Taylor Swift’s favourite show Ginny & Georgia. (lol I kid I kid.)
Why I Included Them: This is actually a personal fave amongst me and my friends online right now. One of my friends even interviewed Kaylee for Buzzfeed and she even agreed that they look like Sara and now the two follow each other online lmao. And while I can’t stand Chair, someone once pointed out that Sara looks like the lovechild of them from Gossip Girl and ugh it’s true she does. Short of including his scummy ass, I’d limit it to just these three underrated actresses. I’d absolutely love it if one day the three of them acted together as sisters in a show or movie.
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Welp! I hope you guys enjoyed that! This is one of my random niche hobbies and I’m definitely open to doing this in parts. I tried really hard to make this list diverse too, but as a white woman it isn’t really my place to be comparing non-white actors and how they look alike, very often. I hope I didn’t overstep with the few I did include, and the last thing I wanna do is mix and match the non-white ethnicities too.
I think the next post, if you guys enjoyed this one, could include more brother/sister pairings! Heyy that’d be neat.
Stay safe out there guys! ❤️
Sources: Yours truly, Google images, and the buzzfeed article I mention in the post.