How to Tell the Twins Apart
In the Fred and George Weasley appreciation post last week, some people mentioned that they'd like to learn how to tell them apart. As one of your resident Phelps stans, I feel it's my duty to school you in recognizing the differences between them.
First things first - James plays Fred and Oliver plays George. A trick to remember it: alphabetical order. F comes before G in the alphabet, just like J comes before O. Another trick: there are 6 letters in both the names George and Oliver.
Now that that's settled, let's watch them describe themselves the best way to tell them apart:
Click to viewWell, that wasn't very useful, was it?
Oliver is slightly taller. That's completely useless if they're sitting down, if one of them is slouching, if they're standing on uneven ground, or if there's only one of them. I don't think anyone of us can tell the difference between 6'2½" and 6'3" at a glance, can we?
As far as identifying marks go, Oliver has two moles on his neck, and James has a scar over his left eyebrow, as well as a chicken pox scar on his nose.
(Note: for all the images below, click on them to view them larger and without the red markers)
Unfortunately, those moles/scars are not always visible, especially if they're wearing makeup. So that's nowhere near the best way to tell apart.
Here are some good, useful ways to tell them apart - even when they're not standing side by side so that one of them can act as a one-person control group for the other.
James and Oliver have the same features, what with being identical twins and all. What differenciates them is how these features are arranged. Their traits are more defined and pronounced in Oliver, and softer in James. That has the effect of making Oliver look like the older one of the two (which he is, technically... by 13 whole minutes). So if you're looking at both of them and one looks significantly younger, it's probably James.
The Face
James' features are closer together in the middle of his face. Oliver's are more spread out, though not by much.
James has a rounder face than Oliver. Oliver's face is longer, more oval-shaped.
Actually, the face is not the only part of James that's curvier than Oliver's, ahem.
The Nose
They both have a little bump on the bridge of their nose, but it's more pronounced for Oliver. If you see that bump, chances are you're looking at Oliver.
The tip of the nose is also slightly different: it's rounder and more upturned for James. It's very subtle, though.
Of course, recognizing them that way only works if the nose is visible and at the proper angle.
Yes, thank you James, that's very helpful.
The Hair
If their hair is long enough, there is a perceivable difference in the way it falls. James' hair has more volume and flips towards the back. Oliver's hair curves towards the front, like he's been tucking it behind his ear.
Of course, when they're not being Fred and George, they usually have different haircuts. These days, James has longer hair than Oliver. And he keeps running his fingers through it, which I find extremely- you know what, I'm gonna keep this PG. Let's move on.
The Voice
Oliver has a deeper voice than James. Here's an excerpt from a radio interview, highlighting who's talking when.
The Mouth
Their mouths differ in two significant ways: the curve of their upper lips, and the corners of their mouths.
First of all, James' upper lip is straight. Oliver's has a slight curve in it - it makes the middle of his lip dip down when he's smiling, and it almost looks like a sneer when he's not smiling. That little curve (or lack thereof) is, in my opinion, the most reliable way to tell them apart.
Here are a few more examples, because this one's important, kids.
As for the corners of their mouths, Oliver's are more rounded than James' when they laugh.
There's also the fact that Oliver tends to open his mouth fully when he talks or smile, whereas James tends keep the corners of his mouth closed. See an example in the following video - pay attention to the corner of their mouths. James is first, then Oliver:
And then just when we found a fool-proof way of telling them apart, they go and take pictures like this:
The Eyes
James' eyes are set further apart. They're also lower on his face, giving the impression of a longer forehead.
Oliver's eyes are set further in than James'.
James' eyes are slightly bigger and rounder, giving him a more mischievious/cheeky look. Oliver's eyes are droopier, making him look more serious/sad.
A couple more examples, because this one's a bit harder to spot, but very useful once you've caught on.
Also, apparently one of them has paler eyes than the other, but I've never been able to see the difference in photographs because the lighting can be so unreliable.
Now that you know all the tricks, let's practice!
Find out who's who!
Hightlight the brackets under the picture for a hint. Click on the picture for the answer.
Let's start easy - pictures where they are both there and you can compare them.
Hint: [Look at the corners of their mouths]
Hint: [Look at the slant of their eyes]
Hint: [Look at the bridge of their noses]
Hint: [Look at the curve of their upper lips]
Hint: [Look at the shape of their faces]
Hint: [Look at the way their hair falls]
Hint: [Look at the shape of their faces]
Hint: [Look at the shape of their faces]
Hint: [Look at the curve of their upper lips]
Hint: [Look at the shape of their eyes]
Ok, that last one was tricky, I admit. Now, let's try pictures with only one of them, so you can't compare their features. See if you can recognize them solo.
Hint: [Look at the shape of his eyes]
Hint: [Look at the curve of his upper lip]
Hint: [Look at the shape of his eyes]
Hint: [Look at his neck]
Hint: [Look at the curve of his upper lip]
Hint: [Look at the shape of his face]
Hint: [Look at the way his hair falls]
Hint: [Look at the curve of his upper lip]
Hint: [Look at the shape of his eyes]
Hint: [Look at the curve of his upper lip]
And for our final challenge, videos. Here, you'll have to be quick at telling them apart. Each clip is about 30 seconds, and the answers will pop up after 5-10 seconds. You can turn the answer off by clicking the speech bubble icon in the video control bar.
A quick note: the first version of this video I made was blocked by YouTube in several countries due to a copyright claim from Warner Brother (even though this clearly qualifies as fair use, but whatever, I'm not getting into a legal battle with WB over a freaking fan montage). So this is an edited version, but I suggest you try viewing the original, it might be accessible for you.
That's it! Now that you're an expert in telling the twins apart, I leave you with this massive caption fail, the full failure of which you'll now be able to appreciate.
Still makes me laugh. But then again, I'm far too easy to amuse.