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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Head-to-Head: The Batmans (Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale)

I haven't quite had the time (and probably won't have) to get around to rewatching 'The End of the Affair' (1999) as of yet, so I thought just to appease everyone to post something brief I'd worked on a while ago about who, in my humble opinion, the best Batman is. I haven't seen Adam West yet but I'll try to do so ASAP. I have also chosen their best performance/only performance for each Batman/Bruce Wayne (note to Louis: I will probably do Bond in a similar manner) (GM: Sorry I shall do my best ASAP)

The Tim Burton Batman films have always held a special place in my heart. They're most certainly not perfect as I feel he does go overboard with some of his quirks, and some of their stylistic aspects do feel quite dated, but I do rather enjoy them as just plain entertaining comic book films.

'Batman Returns' is a very fine film in many respects and I will defend it to the death. It would be my Best Picture win for 1992 if not for 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'The Crying Game'. Kim Basinger is gone (phew), replaced by Michelle Pfeiffer as the definitive Catwoman/Selina Kyle (sorry Anne), who gives one of the sexiest, sultriest, alluringly deadly, and just plain entertaining portrayals of a villain ever. Also good is Danny DeVito who is every bit as uncouth as you'd expect as the criminal mastermind, although he does certainly overplay some moments; his penguin-isms may not work for everyone but they certainly did for me, and he's also unexpectedly moving when the film requires him to be. Add in a devious Christopher Walken and you might think, where'll Batman/Bruce Wayne end up amongst all this? 

Well unlike the first film where he occasionally was overshadowed by Nicholson's incredibly OTT portrayal, resulting in his performance being somewhat bland, here however Keaton seems more comfortable in the role. I won't say he's completely at ease yet in the action scenes as one should probably be as the Dark Knight, but what he does do well is show this very particular sort of Batman, one who's not averse to spilling a bit of blood here and there. Keaton's somewhat distant approach to both Bruce Wayne and Batman does well to emphasise both the quirky but perhaps more disillusioned billionaire, and the cold-blooded crusader.

What I do really like about Keaton's portrayal here is how he differentiates Wayne/Batman's approach to each major character he interacts with. With Michael Gough's Alfred, as always, they share this warm and rather loving bond that I've always thought a welcome respite from the otherwise moribund nature of the film; with Selina Kyle he's actually rather charismatic, and enjoyably deadpan as Batman, the two characters frissoning with sexual tension. With the Penguin I would say he's slightly overwhelmed by DeVito's bombasticness, but he still is good in showing the inherent sympathy for the villain yet also that determination to achieve the greatest good. And with Max Schreck he's just a likably straightforward crusader for justice. All in all while I don't love this performance, I still quite like it even though he is slightly overshadowed by the film and his co-stars.

'Batman Forever' is probably the least 'inspired'out of all the Batman films as it just doesn't seem to really have any sort of style of its own. Which isn't a bad thing I guess if you compare it to the 'style' of say, 'Batman and Robin'. Still it's a pretty bland experience throughout, any sort of potential from Two-Face and Riddler as villains is completely wasted by the rather glitzy, camp approach given to them both, and Robin is one hell of a dullard, Chris O'Donnell's performance doing nothing to help matters.

Val Kilmer follows much in the same vein of his film: uninspired. He's pretty bland and boy can you tell he's doing this one for the paycheck. I like Kilmer enough when he's on form in say, 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang', or 'Tombstone', but here he doesn't show much of the talent he displays in those films. His Bruce Wayne is fairly charismatic, and I guess he handles himself in his fight scenes well enough. I just never feel like he goes that extra mile, or even few metres, for some sort of interesting take on the man and the legend. I can't even really accuse him of being boring because he's not really, but it's just that all he does is be fairly charming and fairly adept at kicking ass, and that's that. So good, but not much to write home about.

'Batman & Robin' is the more enjoyable of the two Joel Schumacher films--and not in a good way. Whereas there was extreme blandness (and some not very effective OTT from Jim Carrey) in 'Batman Forever', everyone seems to have forsaken any sort of self-respect and dignity in this installment. Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze is unbelievably game to any degree of hamtastically bad dialogue, Uma Thurman is given even more trite lines but doesn't nearly have as much fun, Bane is just a wuss and O'Donnell is this time round bland to the point that he becomes funny.

George Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman actually seems to be trying his best to make his way out of the shitfest he's in. I have to give him quite a bit of credit actually for making his scenes with Alfred (Gough again) genuinely heartfelt, but I also have to take some marks away from his failure to make any sort of positive impression in his scenes as Batman. I actually didn't mind his Bruce Wayne at all even though it kinda is Clooney just doing Clooney, I'm no fan of him but hey he's doing it well enough. But as Batman he really is severely lacking any sort of intimidation factor nor conviction. So on one hand I appreciate that he tries to make something out of nothing of the dramatic beats in the film (however few there are), on the other hand he just doesn't really get in on the 'fun' of all the badness around him (which isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself) and can't really find his way into Batman (bad).

I love all three Nolan Batman films. 'The Dark Knight' is by far the best made film out of the three, and most certainly my Best Picture win for the year. 'Batman Begins' is also a very solid origins story and contains perhaps the second most rousing moment in the whole series with the first appearance of Batman. I chose not to review Bale in those two though for various reasons. One, though he's solid as always in 'The Dark Knight', he's kinda overshadowed by (naturally) Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and the film itself which is great in its sheer scope and intensity of vision, but which also at points kind of reduces Bale's Batman into just an action hero (which he's good enough at and does work for the film). He's very solid in 'Batman Begins' particularly in his transition of harnessing the darkness within him, but he's also fairly constant throughout and his arc as Bruce Wayne is kind of overshadowed by the whole Batman-dominant third-act.

'The Dark Knight Rises' is a film that is both incredibly flawed and incredibly well, incredible. A re-watch only solidifed some of the major reservations I have with it, namely: a certain character's death scene, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's pretty uninspired character and performance, that final twist with Marion Cotillard, the bomb...and yet its moments of brilliance are really, really some of my favourite Batman moments ever. Some of the choices Nolan makes aren't necessarily the best ones, but when he strikes gold he really strikes gold with some of the just plain epic moments in the series. I'll be mentioning some of them in a bit, but first off though Bane and Tom Hardy's character creation of him is tremendous. I shall probably be reviewing him some point in the future but there's a reason Hardy is in my opinion the best actor working today; he can make so much out of so very little.

Bale's not far off though (but he really needs to start picking some good films to star in, his recent track record hasn't been very good). I've always found Bale to be an incredibly invested, compelling onscreen presence no matter the role or film. From his masterful, incredibly complex portrayal of genius in 'The Prestige' to his incredibly assured child performance in 'Empire of the Sun' to his terrifyingly viscreal work in 'The Machinist' he's always a wonder to behold onscreen. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is no different as from the outset we are presented with a distinctly different Batman than we're used to seeing; downtrodden, out-of-shape, tired of life and limping. Bale is brilliant in these opening moments in showing how years of inactivity, and the machinations of the Joker, have taken their toll on Bruce Wayne. His very physical creation of Wayne's diminishing physicality works in perfect harmony with the listless manner he carries himself with.

Of course when the baddies come into the play, it's time for Bruce to take up the mantle once more, and Bale is very good in slowly building up to that point. It's not to sudden nor is it out of character, Bale shows it as just being something very natural to him to want to put things right. He merges this very well with a rather moving series of interactions with Alfred (Michael Caine, giving his best performance in the whole series). Both actors are tremendously good as always in showing that father and son bond between the two with hints of frustrations on noth sides; it's the little touches to Bale's performance, like the

Obviously we have badass Batman getting back into action which is all good and swell, but for me the highlights of this point in the film is his chemistry with Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. Together they're pretty darn entertaining and have wonderful chemistry, making their eventual partnership one of the most winning aspects of the film. Bale is very good in bringing just the right amount of sparring deadpan to his interactions with Hathaway, separating it well from his more understated approach to Levitt and Oldman, and his more straightforward heroic attitude towards Bane.

Bane's breaking of Batman is a great scene for Hardy, but what it sets up makes for the meat of Bale's performance, for me the highlight of the film, and the greatest heights the trilogy reaches. Bale is simply outstanding in the sheer intensity and pain he shows Bruce Wayne to be in, with not a hint of the Batman persona within him; completely broken, Bale conveys the inner turmoil of the man so effectively, that his eventual turnaround becomes all the more resonant. Technically speaking it's pretty improbable how anyone could possibly get back into shape in short span of time after such a heavy beating, but with Bale's excellent portrayal you don't really care. The best scene in the whole series, in my opinion, lies on Bale's shoulders as he escapes the prison; obviously the music, the way the whole scene plays out is incredibly rousing, but Bale's performance is what makes it all work with that understated yet uplifting strength he gives the role. It's this journey he shows in Bruce Wayne within such a short span of time that makes the somewhat messily structured ending of the film pack the emotional wallop it does; as incredulous as you are of Bruce Wayne's survival, you want it to be a reality due to the incredible power of Bale's portrayal.

1. Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5, verging on a 5)
2. Bale in Batman Begins (4/5)
3. Keaton in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
4. Bale in The Dark Knight (3.5/5)
5. Keaton in Batman (3/5)
6. Kilmer in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
7. Clooney in Batman & Robin (2.5/5) (he would probably a low 2 if not for his scenes with Gough)

Also, my ranking of all the villains:

1. Heath Ledger (The Joker) in The Dark Knight (5/5)
2. Tom Hardy (Bane) in The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5)
3. Michelle Pfeiffer (Catwoman) in Batman Returns (4.5/5)
4. Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow) in Batman Begins (4/5)
5. Anne Hathaway (Catwoman) in The Dark Knight Rises (4/5)
6. Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face) in The Dark Knight (4/5)
7. Danny Devito (The Penguin) in Batman Returns (3.5/5)
8. Jack Nicholson (The Joker) in Batman (3/5)
9. Liam Neeson (Ra'as Al Gul) in Batman Begins (3/5)
10. Jim Carrey (Riddler) in Batman Forever (2.5/5)
11. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr Freeze) in Batman & Robin (2/5)
12. Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy) in Batman & Robin (1/5)
13. Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) in Batman Forever (1/5)

Batman Wikia

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