10+ Actor Siblings Who Successfully Shared a Role on Screen

Cloning an actor through their sibling is a trick that many directors have been using for decades, and it’s a great solution for maintaining the continuity of a character’s appearance on screen. With the help of siblings, directors can avoid the limitations of using CGI and keep their vision true to the script. From subtle stand-ins to full-blown body doubles, siblings have played a vital role in bringing some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies to life.

1. Penélope Cruz’s younger sister, Mónica, was her body double in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Penélope Cruz’s sister, Mónica, was her body double for action scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 since Penélope was pregnant. They look so similar that viewers may not be able to tell them apart.

2. Elle played the younger version of her sister Dakota’s character in I Am Sam.

Siblings Elle and Dakota Fanning have a 4-year age difference, with Dakota being older. In 2001, Dakota got the main role in the movie, I Am Sam, and Elle was cast for the flashback scenes where Dakota’s character was 2 years old.

3. Chris Hemsworth isn’t the only Hemsworth who played Thor.

The Hemsworth family has 3 brothers who are all actors: Luke, Chris, and Liam. Interestingly, all three had some connection to Chris’ iconic role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Liam was originally the one who was auditioning for the part, while Luke also got to play Thor on screen. In Thor: Ragnarok, he appears in one scene as Thor in a surprise cameo instead of his brother.

4. Jason London had to take over his brother’s role in I’ll Fly Away for the series finale.

I’ll Fly Away was a TV show where Jeremy London played the role of Nathan Bedford. The series concluded with a 90-hour-long movie, but Nathan in the film was played by Jeremy’s twin brother, Jason, instead.

5. Xander from Buffy The Vampire Slayer was also played by Nicholas Brendon’s twin brother in season 3.

In season 3 of the popular show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the audience got introduced to another version of the main character, Xander. That other version was played by the actor’s twin brother, Kelly Donovan.

Kelly also substituted for his brother in one episode of season 5.

6. Laverne Cox’s character from Orange Is the New Black was also played by her twin brother.

Laverne Cox is a trans woman who acted in the popular Netflix original series, Orange Is the New Black. At one point, her character, Sophia, was shown in a flashback before her transition. Laverne said that the director of the show, upon finding out that she had a twin brother, M. Lamar, insisted that he come and audition for the role. That’s how he got to star as his sister’s character!

7. Sarah Connor was played by Linda Hamilton’s sister in one scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, in one scene, we see 2 Sarah Connors because the main antagonist disguises himself as one of them. But it wasn’t Linda Hamilton playing both roles — the role of the fake Sarah was played by her twin sister, Leslie.

8. The role of Alba DeTamble from the movie, The Time Traveler’s Wife, was played by sisters.

In the 2009 film, The Time Traveler’s Wife, we see 2 versions of the character, Alba, one in the present time, and one in a flashback. The younger version of the girl was played by actress Hailey McCann’s younger sister, Tatum McCann.

9. Rami Malek’s twin brother, Sami, got to star alongside him in the movie, Buster’s Mal Heart.

Rami Malek’s doppelganger isn’t some Hollywood special effect, it’s his own twin brother, Sami Malek. The two are so identical that even their own parents may have struggled to tell them apart. In a fun twist, Sami played Rami’s body double in the film, Buster’s Mal Heart. It’s hard to believe they’re not the same person.

10. Cole and Dylan Sprouse shared the role of Julian in Big Daddy.

Big Daddy, the 1999 hit movie, captured the hearts of viewers worldwide as Adam Sandler’s character went on a mission to adopt a child to win over his love interest. None other than the Sprouse twins, Cole and Dylan played the role of the adorable kid. Fast forward 20 years, and Sandler is still in awe of the twins’ talent and good looks. Sandler admitted being completely “baffled” by their impressive transformations into handsome young men.

11. Jill Hennessy’s sister played her role on Law & Order when she was too busy.

Jill Hennessy played the assistant district attorney, Claire Kincaid, on Law & Order from season 4 to season 6, but somewhere in between, she got really busy with another job, so she couldn’t make it to the filming of one of the episodes. Luckily, her twin sister had her covered: Jacqueline Hennessy appeared as Claire Kincaid instead.

12. Twins Ryder and Evan Londo played the same characters on Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men.

This pair of twins seems to be so talented that they got invited to work on 2 big projects together. They were playing the character, Abel Teller, on Sons of Anarchy for 3 years, from 2011 to 2014, and at the same time, they were playing the character, Gene, on the show, Mad Men, from 2012 to 2015.

13. Khadijah and Malika Haqq played the same character in their debut film, Sky High.

In the Disney movie, Sky High, which was released in 2005, the character Penny has special powers to make clones of herself. This role was played by twins Khadijah and Malika Haqq. The sisters were recalling the audition, saying the director was not looking for twins specifically as they remember seeing single actors in the waiting room, but it seems like it was a good choice to hire them.