Every now and again a movie comes along that requires an actor to act opposite themselves, sometimes even in the same shot. At one point it was a technological feat for filmmakers to actually get the actor on the screen twice (notably, Buster Keaton’s famous scene from 1921’s “The Playhouse,” which sees him play every instrument in an orchestra at once via an inventive in-camera technique), but today, with the help of CG, it has become a more readily available trick.
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Now, a new supercut edited together by the folks over at Burger Fiction, “Actors Acting Opposite Themselves,” takes us through some of the high-water marks of the trick (and some of the hilarious and infamous lows). Some of the more notable moments include the great Michael Keaton showing off his comical range in “Multiplicity,” the many John Malkovichs in “Being John Malkovich,” and maybe one of the most flawless and technically impressive, Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins in “The Social Network.”
While, more often than not, pitting actors against themselves on screen tends to be toward humorous ends (to wildly varying results), for the most part it has still managed to stay a relevant and respectable conceit (despite Tyler Perry’s attempts to beat it into a cheap and hollow gimmick).
Check out the video below and weigh in with your favorite moment of an actor facing off against themselves in the comments.