30 Side-By-Side Pics Of Characters People “Refuse To Believe” Are Played By The Same Actors
In Hollywood, there's plenty of parallel universes, with each movie having its own (little) world. However, whether we're talking about a ship crossing the Atlantic or a dystopian Chicago, these places need inhabitants too. Otherwise, we just wouldn't care about them.
So actors cross these boundaries, assuming different identities with each leap into a new setting. And some of their transformations are so radical, it's hard to even realize the same person is behind them.
Inspired by Lindsey Nielson, TikTok users started to point out which characters they refuse to believe are played by the same actor, so we here at Bored Panda decided to build upon this interesting idea and expand it into a list!
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Sirius Black From Harry Potter And Zorg From Fifth Element
Played by: Gary Oldman
I concur. He is an excellent actor and that performance in Leon was just superb. I hated his character in that film, which just goes to show that he did his job to a t.
Load More Replies...If someone told me, he played Biden in the election, I'd straight-up believe him :D. This guy can become anybody !
Lindsey said she was just lying around watching TV and scrolling through TikTok when she saw @Juliana.eliz share a video on Zooey Deschanel between her two characters as Jess from New Girl and Jovie from Elf. "The first thing that came to my mind was Catherine O'Hara. During Christmas, I watched a lot of Home Alone and had just finished Schitt's Creek and surprisingly didn't put two and two together 'til I decided to look up the cast and that's when I realized and my mind was blown! And thought so would everyone else's if I make this and so it did!" she told Bored Panda.
"I absolutely love the actress Catherine O'Hara which is why I was so ashamed when I didn't realize this sooner," Lindsey added. "I love her roles in Nightmare before Christmas (Sally, Shock) and Beetlejuice (Delia Deetz) and so many more!"
Harry From Love Actually And Prof. Severus Snape From Harry Potter
Played by: Alan Rickman
Yes, and in Love, Actually his wife is Emma Thompson who played Sybil Trewlaney in Harry Potter!
They were friends. They played together in many movies. Jane Austens Sens and Sensibility. She directed and played Eleanor. He was Colonel Brandon. Gemma Jones, who played the mother in this movie, was Madame Pomfrey in Harry Potter.
Load More Replies...and Hans from Die Hard, and rotten Sheriff Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
Haha I was gonna say the same thing! Also might your username mean hateno, like hateno village from legend of Zelda?
Load More Replies...Of course, the visuals are just part of a viral TikTok and this trend may have not started if it wasn't for the perfect audio track too. "I chose that particular song because it seemed to pair well with the introduction and then the beat drop for the climax when finding out the two characters as @Juliana.eliz did as well!" Lindsey explained why she settled on a remix of Roisin Murphy's - Rama Lama (Bang Bang).
As for the actors, I think they definitely would appreciate getting featured in one of these TikToks. "I think that's what all actors want, to show as much versatility as they can, and do as many different kinds of things as they can," Daniel Radcliffe said in one interview, and I think he was speaking for all of his colleagues!
Captain Hook From Peter Pan And Lucius Malfoy From Harry Potter
Played by: Jason Isaacs
love your name!! piper is the best!
Load More Replies...Mr Tumnus From Narnia And Professor X From X-Men
Played by: James McAvoy
I think the movie I didn't like him was Wanted. He's a brilliant actor, awesome in Glass..
Load More Replies...He was in Band of Brothers too. He was unknown then just like Simon Pegg, Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy who are all in it.
I never realize that he played Mr. Tumnus, and I watch the movie with my nephew almost every other week
Inigo Montoya From The Princess Bride And Jason Gideon From Criminal Minds
Played by: Mandy Patinkin
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! Now I know what his father looked like!
And what most people also do not realize is he is also a very accomplished singer specializing in Jewish folk songs. https://thejewishnews.com/2020/01/30/after-30-years-mandy-patinkin-is-still-doing-what-he-loves/
Load More Replies...I....I am stunned. I watched Criminal Minds for years but I never realized. ***mind blown**
When you add his characters from "Alien Nation" and "Yentel", it becomes a game of "Find Mandy Patinkin".
I love criminal minds so much I was mad when season two didn't have Gideon. I've rewatched the whole thing like 3 times. I'm also a huge princess bride fan. I have the vhs, dvd, Blu ray and I pre-ordered the book. I found this out several months ago still blows my mind. Btw if you're a fan of Mandy check out his tiktok videos by his son adorbs!!!!
From what I have read, Mandy Patinkin left Criminal Minds because the story lines they used were taken from actual cases, and the crime scenes and the reenactments were giving him nightmares. He said he felt he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, ironically like his character on the show went through.... The series was never as good after he left.
Load More Replies...Dudley Dursley From Harry Potter And Harry Beltik From The Queen's Gambit
Played by: Harry Melling
His eyes are very close to each other - that is hard to miss. With these two pictures, this is the common thing I see in both, and then looking for less prominent details, like the shape of his ears, the stuff you usually don't knowingly see, but still can't evade perceving anyway that make people look more alike or less alike, without being so obvious and looked-after, often making people not know why they see someone is the same as someone not-else.
Load More Replies...To be fair he did lose a lot of weight so it’s not surprising people don’t recognise him.
And the armless and legless character in the Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Molly Weasley From The Harry Potter Series And Rosie Mulligan From Mamma Mia!
Played by: Julie Walters
i've watched both of those and 100% did not notice. when i looked upl mamma mia! on imdb i was like... "oh, she has the same name as ron weasly's mom lolol"
Kate Mccallister From Home Alone And Moira Rose From Schitt's Creek
Played by: Catherine O’Hara
Oh come on! This was literally my first thought upon watching schiff's creek
Catherine O'Hara was a legend before Home Alone. I'd know her anywhere.
OMG REALLY??i love Schitt's Creek more than life its self
Cesar Flickerman From The Hunger Games And George Harvey From The Lovely Bones
Played by: Stanley Tucci
He was so slimy in The Lovely Bones. He was making me sick to my stomach, which of course only proves how great a performance it was.
He was disturbing in the lovely bones. That face alone gives me shivers!
His role in The lovely bones made me so unconfortable... creepy af... Great actor!!
It was great! I never would have known that those blue eyes were contacts, though! They look so natural....
Load More Replies...It is a heavy movie...make sure you are in an okay mental space if you ever do watch it...
Load More Replies...I love that he can play anything and I believe it. Good guy, bad guy. Serious or funny. Straight or gay. Whatever the character, I believe it. He's SO good!!
Nanny Mcphee From Nanny Mcphee And Prof. Sybil Trelawney From Harry Potter
Played by: Emma Thompson
These are both extreme examples. Try Love actually or Sens and Sensibility....
Youll never guess that this character with loads of facial prosthetics was played by FAMOUS ACTOR!!
You should have put Nanny McPhee next to Beatrice from "Much ado about nothing". that one would be a lot more shocking.
Queen Elizabeth II From The Crown And Lisabeth Salander From Girl In The Spider's Web
Played by: Claire Foy
Well, no. Lisbeth is not short for Elizabeth in Scandinavia. It's actually a name.
Load More Replies...God I hate that Americans have to remake everything. Noomi Rapace was perfection in that role.
"Girl in the Spider's Web" was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and a total waste of Claire Foy, a phenomenal actress, who only got to act in the last few minutes of the film. For the rest of it, her character was largely emotionless as she effortlessly worked miracles with a few strokes of the computer keyboard, unless it conveniently suited the so-called "plot" that she become helpless. The movie was rightfully a box office bomb.
Are there any Brits on BP(no pun intended)? and what do y'all think of the crown?
Sorry, I'm not British but, Whether it's actually fictional or not, still a great show and well done.
Load More Replies...She was s**t as Lisbeth Salander. Noomi Rapace was a million times better.
You're right. Rooney Mara was a thousand times better, but Noomi was indeed a million times better.
Load More Replies...Hal From Malcolm In The Middle And Walter White From Breaking Bad
Played by: Bryan Cranston
Do people just blunder through life, casually showing no observational skills or something? Some of these on the list are unbelievable, like how are you *not* realising??
Yeah really. This is just a list of actors with two distinctly different roles. Big whoop.
Load More Replies...The short video where he reprises Hal and pretended the entirety of Breaking Bad was a dream is just my favorite thing ever.
Awesome guy. Met him when he was preparing for his role in Argo. Just a ridiculously down to earth guy and so easy going.
I haven't watched Breaking bad, but I know the character of Walter White (who doesn't?) but I had no idea it was Hal!
I thought everyone knew this. I never knew Bryan Cranston was such a good actor until Breaking Bad. I just knew him as the dumb, silly, funny, goofball from Malcolm in the Middle. It about as opposite of roles as you can get.
Nymphadora Tonks From Harry Potter And Twi'lek From Mandalorian
Played by: Natalia Tena
It's just harder to see the physical similarities between these two characters.
Load More Replies...Didn't know this one either but I've never watched The Mandalorian
Me too! Why must all the good characters in everything die?
Load More Replies...Three of the most popular sagas ever: Star Wars, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones... wow!! *_*
Poe Dameron From The Star Wars Series And Apocalypse From X-Men: Apocalypse
Played by: Oscar Isaac
I think you'd be forgiven for not knowing this as his face is covered in prosthetics!
Every copy of X-men apocalypse should be burned, quite possibly the worst X-men movie ever pure garbage!
I STILL haven't seen that X-Men movie yet, and I'd actually forgotten that I hadn't seen it! Lol, that statement sounds a bit like a Chump (aka Trump) statement 🤦🏼
Good actor. Bad choice for the role of Apocalypse. Christopher Judge would have been perfect.
Youll never guess that this character with loads of facial prosthetics was played by FAMOUS ACTOR!!
Bellatrix Lestrange From The Harry Potter Series And Princess Margaret From The Crown
Played by: Helena Bonham Carter
And Queen Mum from the Kings Speech! And almost every film with Johnny Depp...
She always plays someone who's a little on the crazy or rebellious side.
You think Mrs Bucket from Charlie and the chocolate factory was crazy/rebellious?
Load More Replies...Honestly I could spot this women anywhere. I love this shift shaper so much.
Velma From Scooby Doo And Laura Barton From Avengers
Played by: Linda Cardellini
She would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for this pesky website
Load More Replies...If y'all haven't seen "Grandma's Boy" I highly recommend. It's really a hilarious, geeky, stoner comedy
Patrick Verona From 10 Things I Hate About You And The Joker From The Dark Knight
Played by: Heath Ledger
Gone too soon. RIP. FYI, the stuntman that the Joker killed with the pencil was my best friend growing up. Charles Jarman. Picture attached. charles-i-...044692.jpg
The pencil was my best friend growing up. He used to get shoved in all kinds of interesting places when we were young.
Load More Replies...A Knight's Tale is such a good movie. Brothers Grimm... ah, well 😁
Load More Replies...Oh, man. I always get a bit weepy when people start talking about Heath Ledger and the Joker. Such a heartbreaking story. He gave one of the best acting performances of all time but was consumed by the demons that came with the role.
im not sure what happened? could you tell me, cuz only thing i found is that he had an OD
Load More Replies...His Joker in the Dark Knight was one of the top 5 roles of all time. Just a fantastic job done by a fantastic actor.
Oh bless I didn’t think people would ever not know that. Gosh he would have been so, so successful if he hadn’t passed away. So sad.
It would have been just as insulting to leave him off of it
Load More Replies...He was so so good. Loved him on Brokeback Mountain. That was such a great movie.
Danny Zuko From Grease And Edna Turnblad From Hairspray
Played by: John Travolta
And, best of all, Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. (and Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter... and Saturday Night Fever.... Urban Cowboy....)
Please do yourselves a favour and watch John Walters's original Hairspray!
Youll never guess that this character with loads of facial prosthetics was played by FAMOUS ACTOR!!
So happy he made such a comeback. He has been great in his adult career.
Kick-Ass And Quicksilver From The Avengers
Played by: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Aaron Taylor-Johnson only played Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of ULTRON. His character died in the film. The Avengers series "borrowed" Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch from the X-Men franchise, however they are not connected to the X-Men universe in anyway in the film. Wanda and Pietro got their powers from HYDRA experimenting on them with one of the Infinity Stones. Rather than them being "born mutants".
Lol. He also played young Charlie Chaplin in Shanghai Knights with Jackie Chan
Elliot From E.T. The Extraterrestrial And Hugh Crain From The Haunting Of Hill House
Played by: Henry Thomas
He's 10/11 in ET and almost 50 now; It would be super weird if he looked the same :P
Note, in an episode where we see young Luke in his “treehouse” he has an ET metal lunchbox as a nod to this
That one I didn't know. Most of the others on the list are pretty obvious...
He plays Peter's dad in the last installment of All the Boys Ive Loved...
Be sure to check out the ET Homecoming (on youtube) from last year if you haven't already. He is back as a grown-up Elliot. It brought tears to so many of us...best five minutes in entertainment ever!
I've seen him in something else fairly recently and I cannot remember for the life of me what it was! I think he played a 'bad guy' in it, whatever it was lol! I'll need to look it up now lol!
Selena Quintanilla From Selena And Angela Weber From Twilight
Played by: Christian Serratos
Really? I didn't know that. I knew I had seen Rosita before but I could never figure out what show or movie it was. Thanks for the info!
Load More Replies...How about the fact that this is the same actress that played Suzie Crabrass on Ned's Declassified?
Ms. Serratos played Selena Quintanilla in "Selena: The Series". In the movie "Selena", she was played by Jennifer Lopez.
Sheila From Shameless And Debbie From Addams Family Values
Played by: Joan Cusack
Underrated actress, deserved that Oscar for Addams Family Values if nothing else.
And Alsatia from Toys!!!! I love her so much, such underrated movie... And she was precious in it.
Negan From The Walking Dead And Denny Duquette From Grey's Anatomy
Played by: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
I see angry John Winchester and weirdly happy drugged up John Winchester.
Similar looking but two entirely different actors.
Load More Replies...Ok yes he looks the same but he inhabited both of those roles so perfectly that I never connected till I saw this that it's the same actor
Daisy From Downton Abbey And Drisella From Cinderella
Played by: Sophie McShera
That’s why she looked familiar! Galavant was great, I don’t understand why so many people hated it.
Load More Replies...Dunno why but to me Drisella looks a bit like the girl obsessed w aliens from Independence Day?
Gwen From The Amazing Spiderman And Allison From Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past
Played by: Emma Stone
Rose From Titanic And Jeanine From Divergent
Played by: Kate Winslet
Really? *internal screaming* Jeanine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate her so much!
Donna Sheridan From Mamma Mia And Miranda Priestly From Devil Wears Prada
Played by: Meryl Streep
How could you look at that face and NOT know who that is? I mean, she's a great actress, and the Meryl in her doesn't show through the characters she plays, but come on! It's Meryl Friggin' Streep.
Jessica Day From New Girl And Jovie From Elf
Played by: Zooey Deschanel
Barbara From Beetlejuice And Dr. Herman From Greys Anatomy
Played by: Geena Davis
How can you not know who this is? Gina Davis' features are so unique she'd have to be covered in prosthetics to not recognizer her.
How can you be so condescending yet be unable to spell Geena Davis?
Load More Replies...This post should be called Two Pictures of Actors in Different Roles because that’s all it is. One of the worst I’ve ever seen on this site.
Troy Bolton From High School Musical And Ted Bundy From Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile
Played by: Zac Efron
Honestly, I think his previous image helped in the Ted Bundy movie. You didn't really expect evil from him. But that's exactly what you got
Load More Replies...I used to tease my nieces when they would swoon over him in High School Musical because he reminded me of a walking Ken doll. He really grew into a handsome man with much more depth than I ever expected.
Idek why they made him Ted bundy, we already think the guy from YOU is hot. Now we are sipping of Ted bundy. Yay
Sheila From Rocketman And Victoria From Twilight's Eclipse
Played by: Bryce Dallas Howard
Okay I had to look into this and it actually ISN'T the same actress. The article I found explained it thus, "Rachelle Lefevre played the vampire Victoria in both Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, but the role was recast for the third movie, when Bryce Dallas Howard stepped in for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The production company, Summit Entertainment, said it was due to a scheduling conflict."
The picture shown here is Bryce Dallas Howard in Twilight Eclipse.
Load More Replies...Joyce Byers From Stranger Things And Kim From Edward Scissorhands
Played by: Winona Ryder
Well, to be honest there is 20 years of difference in between these.
It's nice that there are a number of actors and actresses that aren't trying to clutch madly at youth by getting tons of surgery. Winona looks like the mature version of herself while so many others look like second tier priced Android versions of themselves. She looks like a real person.
Boo. She was busted for that once and admitted she had a problem and got treatment. So, good for her
Load More Replies...Mark Sloan From Grey's Anatomy And Cal Jacobs From Euphoria
Played by: Eric Dane
I hated his character in Euphoria which was annoying as I loved him in Greys Anatomy!
Adam Maitland From Beetlejuice And Larry Quinn From Cat In The Hat
Played by: Alec Baldwin
I did not know that was him in Beetlejuice! Something else I've learned today.
He used to be quite the looker. Also in "Red October" 18806963jp...54f46e.jpg
I love Alec Baldwin but I had no idea the first picture was of him. I mean, did he get jaw work done or something?
Cora Hale In Teen Wolf And Mary Stuart In Reign
Played by: Adelaide Kane
Roses are red, violets are blue, no one liked my comment so I had to.
April Kepner From Grey's Anatomy And Suzy Pepper From Glee
Played by: Sarah Drew
Garrett Reynolds From Pretty Little Liars And Paolo Valisari From The Lizzie Mcguire Movie
Played by: Yani Gellman
Brixton Lore From Hobbs & Shaw And Macavity From Cats
Played by: Idris Elba
Naw. I think everyone just thought "F**k it, we'll just have fun with Judi Dench" and took the money. 😁
Load More Replies...Mickey Milkovich From Shameless And Vladimir From The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
Played by: Noel Fisher
Most of these actors have such distinctive looks regardless of wigs and make up that I rather refuse to believe people cannot believe they're the same ones...
Exactly. The only ones that I find very different are the actor and actress that play Lucius and Molly in Harry Potter. The rest are the same.
Load More Replies...quite a disappointing thread. As if people don't understand : age difference, changing clothes and coloring hair
i must admit that when they use glasses it get's tricky
Load More Replies...Hair, make up, glasses and 20 years. It's not hard to believe that they're the same person.
I find harder to believe that there are some people who can't believe they are the same actor... most of them have decades performing and are pretty easy to recognize.
Where is Tim Curry ? He played It in the 1990 series but also played in a lot of different movies like Home Alone 2.
Also the huge difference between The three musketeers and Rocky Horrow.
Load More Replies...Wow, it is as if these people transform into different characters with every new job.
Most of these actors have such distinctive looks regardless of wigs and make up that I rather refuse to believe people cannot believe they're the same ones...
Exactly. The only ones that I find very different are the actor and actress that play Lucius and Molly in Harry Potter. The rest are the same.
Load More Replies...quite a disappointing thread. As if people don't understand : age difference, changing clothes and coloring hair
i must admit that when they use glasses it get's tricky
Load More Replies...Hair, make up, glasses and 20 years. It's not hard to believe that they're the same person.
I find harder to believe that there are some people who can't believe they are the same actor... most of them have decades performing and are pretty easy to recognize.
Where is Tim Curry ? He played It in the 1990 series but also played in a lot of different movies like Home Alone 2.
Also the huge difference between The three musketeers and Rocky Horrow.
Load More Replies...Wow, it is as if these people transform into different characters with every new job.
