Actor Dylan O’Brien revealed the careful preparation behind his dual performance in “Twinless,” where strategic production scheduling helped him create distinct identities for twin characters Rocky and Roman.
“We actually constructed our shoot schedule around separating Rocky and Rome,” director James Sweeney told senior writer Drew Taylor at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. O’Brien noted this was a priority discussed “years before we shot the movie,” as he “really want them to have some type of physical difference in some type of way.”
The dark comedy centers on two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bond.
The physical transformation included growing a real mustache for one character, though O’Brien revealed that while his facial hair in “Twinless” is real, his mustache for his role as a young Dan Aykroyd in “Saturday Night” was fake. “They said my mustache didn’t match Dan Aykroyd’s follicular pattern,” O’Brien said with a laugh.
Beyond physical appearances, O’Brien noted how the script provided a strong foundation for the distinct characters. “Everything was very colored in, and it was such a beautiful script and the characters were all very distinct,” he said. O’Brien focused on how each twin carried himself, noting that it was driven by instinct.
The film also stars Lauren Graham as O’Brien’s mother, with their scenes incorporating improvisation, particularly during emotional confrontations. “We had a lot of improv thanks to James, and just kind of tried to fill in those little scenes with some texture,” Graham said.
Watch the full interview in the embed above.
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