Acting for Two: Playing 'Doubles' Onscreen

There's often a very fine line between the similarities and distinctions not only the actor, but the script and direction, has to take with regards to cinematic instances of 'acting for two'. The thespian is effectively playing two completely distinctive persons, yet the whole way the film is structured must also allow for the similarities to seep through, lest the actor be accused of must doing two roles without mending any links in between, the auteur be accused of tonal indifference (which can sometimes happen when the 'twins' seem to be coming from entirely different genres), or the screenwriter lambasted for treating the two figures with unequal emphasis.

It can sometimes come across as quite gimmicky, then, to cast the same actor in two (and sometimes, more) roles with similar, and sometimes exactly the same, features. I've heard similar reservations expressed with casting actors to play multiple roles in entirely different styles and guises in the same film (see: Cloud Atlas, Kind Hearts and Coronets), and in the case of the former I can kind of see where they're coming from as the best performances in the film, by Ben Whishaw and Doona Bae, did have their strengths stem largely from the power of a singular character. But I digress; we're here to look at how onscreen twins, or 'doubles', have been portrayed over the course of cinematic history.

NOTE: I have not seen Tatsuya Nakadai in Kagemusha, which some would view as making this whole article null and entirely void. My apologies; I will definitely do so at some point as Nakadai is a great actor, and one of Japan's great cinematic national treasures.

There are also spoilers for a certain Christopher Nolan film ahead; read at your own risk...

Robert Donat in The Ghost Goes West

One of perhaps the earliest examples of an actor 'acting for two'. The incredibly underrated Donat stars  as both a down-on-his luck Scottish castle owner, and his ancestor, an 18th-Century nobleman who is haunted and haunts, by the tainting of his family name. It's a breezy, inconsequential little film that's nevertheless quite a bit of fun to watch, and though Donat struggles a bit with the accent at certain points, he's effortlessly charming and lovable as the standard love interest Donald, but really shines as the titular ghost, merging both the light and dark aspects of his screen persona into one very compelling spirit.

Elsa Lancaster in Bride of Frankenstein

Another interesting choice in that Lancaster plays both creator and creation; to be exact, in the opening scene of the film she plays Mary Shelley with a cool blend of mystique and intellect; I certainly could've gone for a lot more of her portrayal of Shelley, and can't help but think how good she would've been leading a Paul Muni-esque biopic of the author. The main meat of her performance though, comes as the titular Bride. Lancaster plays the role with  aplomb; never uttering a single word but through her incredible physical command, conveying the allure firstly to entice Boris Karloff's Creature, then the ghastly and heartbreaking rejection through her seething disgust and hatred.

Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator

Charlie Chaplin's always been a favourite of mine both as an auteur and actor. His whole style of performance is unimitable; no one can do what he does, as well as him, nor can they pinpoint exactly why it works so well. In 'The Great Dictator' he so seamlessly blends together comedy and pathos, slapstick and social commentary, largely due to his terrifically differentiated performance as the titular dictator, a Hitler parody who is stupendously entertaining with his gibberish German, and immaculately 'imposing' but hilarious physical comedy; and his quietly moving depiction of a downtrodden barber who finds, loses love but in the end, gains the will the stand up in defiance of tyranny. It's terrific work that finds such differences between the two figures, and yet giving them both such distinctly Chaplin-esque flavours.

Deborah Kerr in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Kerr's performance here is one I cannot praise enough. Three different character, three different stages of the lives of Roger Livesey's and Anton Walbrook's characters. Could've come across as a gimmicky motif, but Kerr finds such subtle differences between the three figures in terms of accent, posture, airs and somehow, managing to find in them all that same magnetic energy and presence that attracts our heroes to the fair dame. It's brilliant work that shows exactly why she became such a big star after this breakthrough performance.

Olivia de Havilland in The Dark Mirror

A flawed and not particularly well-made thriller, this is one of those films where the sub-par production is saved by the performances of its cast. Thomas Mitchell brings his usual gravitas to the role of the detective investigating a murder case, Lew Ayres bring his solid straight leading man credidentials to the proceedings, but this really is de Havilland's show. Playing both of a pair of very different sisters, one domineering and malevolent, the other soft-spoken and kindly, de Havilland pays such careful attention to the pitches of her voice, the way each sister moves her hands and body in accordance with their behaviours, showing audiences the promise she unleashed to its full potential in 'The Heiress' three years later.  Had she won her 1947 Oscar for this film instead of her uninteresting motherly performance in 'To Each His Own', I would perhaps be more forgiving of the Academy's failure to reward Celia Johnson.

Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou

I think, the first Academy Award given to an actor playing dual roles? The always solid Lee Marvin won a Best Actor gong for playing both Kid Shelleen, a drunkard cowboy, and his villanous brother Tim Strawn. Well, what can I say about this performance apart from it's a joy to watch. As Strawn Marvin is his usual menacing, imposing self, which contrasts hilariously with his bigger role as the lovable oaf Shelleen whose inebriated pratfalls are the stuff of comedic gold. Nothing particularly complex here, but in my opinion a thoroughly deserving win (I thought Burton and Steiger in the same year were great too, and Oskar Werner terrific, but Marvin's comic brilliance should not be chastitised for winning).

Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers

The perfect depiction of a set of twins. Irons from start to finish just masterfully paints a portrait of not only two siblings but also their strange, twisted and yet oddly moving relationship with one another. The film itself is one of David Cronenberg's most understated and it's testament to Irons' brilliant performance that it sticks in one's mind as long as it does. I would write more but I'm not sure how; this, for once, is a performance that has been almost unanimously praised. I have not read one snippet of anyone, anywhere, who finds Irons here anything less than great, and the only thing holding him off my top 30 list here is a re-watch.

Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap

A deceptively simple performance by Lohan pre-Mean Girls. The film itself is just a sweet little family flick, but Lohan's achievement here is nothing to be sniffed at. She perfectly bridges together the comedic and dramatic aspects of the film and really makes us root for the both of the separated twins to get back together, since Lohan is just so good at generating chemistry with...herself. Her best work as an actress, definitely.


Leonardo DiCaprio in The Man in the Iron Mask

Now here's an interesting one. DiCaprio, fresh off the boat (pun intended) from his Titanic success, plays both the very very very very very evil (all five verys necessary) King Louis XIV and his secret twin, the man in the iron mask. I don't find his performance as the imprisoned, rightful king very interesting and frankly, a bit bland, but as the evil Louis I actually quite enjoyed some of his histronics and hissy fits. It's far from his best work, and it's clear DiCaprio needed some more time to properly hone his skills (which didn't take too long, fast forward to Catch Me If You Can in 2002, and not a hint of inexperience can be detected), but all in all still sterling work.

Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off

How's this for a brain wracker? Nicolas Cage playing a terrorist who goes into a coma, whose identity John Travolta's FBI agent takes on by operating his face off; then Nicolas Cage taking Travolta's own face and making it his own...confused much? Don't overthink it. This is just one big, dumb action film by John Woo and I love it for what it is. I will say that I would have personally cast the film the other way round so we could have more of Cage's deliciously hammy Castor Troy, but both actors do well in both roles, and have a great deal of fun in taking on the mannerisms of each other.

Nicolas Cage in Adaptation

Cage again. Wonder what it'd be like to have Nicolas Cage as a brother? Wonder no more. 2002's terrific comedy-drama 'Adaptation' stars Cage as the screenwriter of the film, Charlie Kaufman, and his doofus brother Donald. I love this performance a great deal because it's just so, so, so entertaining. He is great as both the eccentric, endearing stupidity of Donald, and is surprisingly good in grounding Charlie as just a normal, albeit incredibly neurotic, guy. Their scenes together, or rather Cage's scenes with himself, are nothing but constant hilarity and at the end, genuinely heartfelt. I felt like I'd actually gotten to know both men incredibly well throughout the course of this performance, showing just how terrific it is.

Jesse Eisenberg in The Double

I think Eisenberg gets a lot of undeserved shit from the press for being a 'one-note' actor. Okay, so maybe he does do the same sort of schtick too often. But hey, it works, doesn't it? Maybe he did implement quite a lot of himself into his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, but that doesn't make his performance in that any less impressive. Anyway in this surrealist effort from Richard Ayoade Eisenberg plays an average joe infatuated with a co-worker (a fantastic Mia Wasikowska) only to have her attentions vied for by...a dead ringer for himself who's incredibly charismatic, and also a complete ass. Eisenberg is of course excellent at playing the incosiderate, fast-talking douchebag, but also very sweet and loveable as the sadsack lonely guy looking for love. It's very strong work which shows depths to Eisenberg hitherto unknown.

SPOILERS

Christian Bale in The Prestige

Simply put, a magnificent piece of an actor enshrouding himself in mystery on the go, and yet finding, somehow finding, time to stop and throw in hints here and there of what the character's true nature is. As both Bordens Bale just finds the perfect balance between showing their contrasting personalities, but also making sure to keep the mystery alive, and never giving the game away. I will need to watch and re-watch this performance over and over again to pinpoint which scene is which twin, on account of his variations of voice, intonation, how those eyes of his work and move, the amount of charisma and intensity he imbudes into a scene etc., and what more I can say about this performance apart from it being a beautiful, beautifully nuanced piece of work.

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