First look at Dylan O’Brien’s Twinless, a Sundance contender that takes inspiration from the Olsen twins
"That visceral moment of 'you look just like me' is imprinted in my formative memories," says writer-director James Sweeney.
Nineties kids are kind of obsessed with twins. And for good reason — we grew up with the Olsen twins, the remake of The Parent Trap, and Sister, Sister.
Writer-director James Sweeney takes that obsession to the next level with Twinless, his sophomore feature that will have its world premiere on Jan. 23 at the Sundance Film Festival. Entertainment Weekly has your exclusive first look at the film, in which Sweeney costars alongside Dylan O'Brien.
"I grew up in a generation that idolized twins," Sweeney tells EW. "It was very much in my zeitgeist. It was a manifestation of the perfect best friend, somebody you could share everything with. As a military brat hopping around, that was something I really craved. When I told my stepmom about what the film was, she was like, 'Oh, you used to beg me for a twin, and I had to explain to you that I can't make that happen.'"
That early fascination is evident in Twinless, which even features a scene with a character watching the Olsen twins' film It Takes Two. "That was definitely my fantasy," Sweeney says of the 1995 film. "It's like, 'Oh, one day I'll just magically run into my identical twin.' Even though they're actually not twins, they're just lookalikes. But that visceral moment of 'You look just like me' is imprinted in my formative memories."
As for Twinless, the film tells the story of a twin, Roman (O'Brien), who loses his brother, Rocky (also O'Brien), and feels like he's lost half of himself. After Rocky dies, Roman decides to stay in Rocky's Portland, OR apartment as he navigates his grief. While attending a support group for twin loss, he befriends Dennis (Sweeney), a fellow lost soul — and the two find solace in each other, forming an unlikely bromance.
"Roman and Dennis get along so well because they're both bringing their respective baggage and grief and traumas to the table," Sweeney says. "They bond and complement each other."
Sweeney is not a twin, but he did base his script on the existence of twin bereavement support groups. Though, out of respect for all involved, he didn't attend one of their meetings. "I thought it would be too much to attend," he explains. "I did order a book from their website, because I did research and read some books written by twin psychologists. One was called Alone in the Mirror, which touches on twin loss. It was written by the co-founder of the support group, and I paid $25 and they never sent me a book."
Even without that book (he tried!), Sweeney was fascinated by the psychology of twins and how that unique bond differs from those of siblings who are not twins. "I would say being a twin isn't a monolithic experience, so there's so many variations," Sweeney notes. "It also has a lot to do with how the parents reared their children and whether or not they encouraged or discouraged individuality between the twins. But there's a lot of studies done on twins because they see them as the perfect specimen."
Explorating what it means to be (and lose) a twin first attracted O'Brien to the project. Sweeney wrote the first draft in 2015, and O'Brien has been attached since 2020. But the script grabbed the actor from the moment it popped up in his inbox alongside several others his manager sent his way.
"I'm fascinated by it in terms of it being something so unique on this earth," O'Brien says of the twin dynamic. "That is one of those things that really, unless you experience it, you can't understand. Twinless support groups exist because it is a very specific loss and trauma that you need support with — losing a connectivity that us normies can't ever quite understand. That deeply resonated with me, even though I don't have a twin. I found it to be a really compelling and heart-wrenching center to this story. This tragically poignant tale of this kid losing his other half."
That, along with his love for his character, propelled O'Brien to stick with the project these last five years while the film searched for funding and postponed production in the wake of the 2023 Hollywood strikes. "It was a gut thing for me," O'Brien reflects. "I remember falling in love with Roman immediately. I read a character, and either I have that soul in me or not. Roman's somebody I know really deep down."
Sweeney was incredibly moved by O'Brien's dedication and enthusiasm for the project, a quality that was evident from their first meeting. "When I first met Dylan over Zoom, he really took ownership over the role in a way that I had never experienced with an actor," Sweeney says. "He basically said, 'I see you. I see your voice. I understand this character and his every emotion.' That gave me a lot of confidence."
For both O'Brien and Sweeney, getting to make this movie entirely on their terms was a creative reward unto itself. "The script was so fantastic and dialed in from the time I first read it," O'Brien notes. "I authentically connected to it all. It was one of those wonderful creative experiences."
But now they get to share it with the world, beginning in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Still, Sweeney says anything from here on is a cherry on top of his twin sundae.
"This was an instance where I had optimal creative control and a wonderful team championing me to do exactly the movie I wanted to make," he concludes. "I know that's a rare gift. I'm super excited for people to see the film and to find its audience. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm already content."
Dylan O’Brien and Sarah Ramos at Rachel Antonoff’s 15th Anniversary Party of her namesake Brand at the Noodle Pudding restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. (May 13, 2024)
Dylan O’Brien Was in the Audience of ‘Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen’ — and Us Has Questions
By Yana Grebenyuk October 18, 2023
Dylan O’Brien has all of Us wondering what his favorite Bravo shows are after his surprise audience appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
Host Andy Cohen kicked off the show on Tuesday, October 17, by introducing guests Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Monica Garcia and comedian Heather McMahan. He then pointed out that O’Brien, 32, and producer Tommy Alter were both in the audience. Cameras switched to O’Brien who did a thumbs up for viewers while sipping a drink.
“I want to welcome our friends Dylan O’Brien and Tommy Alter to the Clubhouse. Great to see you! Dylan being a huge Vanderpump Rules fan, I found out tonight. I love it,” Cohen, 55, said as the audience cheered.
O’Brien was not mentioned again, but he did get fans talking about the unexpected cameo. “This feels random. Dylan O’Brien is in the #WWHL audience tonight!” a social media commentator wrote via X.
Meanwhile, another viewer poked fun at O’Brien enjoying himself in New York City, writing, “Just dylan o’brien in his natural state (sipping on his drink) in the audience of wwhl tonight.”
O’Brien was photographed hours prior showing his support for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike on the picket line. He wore a hoodie that referenced the actors’ union, which he paired with green sweatpants and a red baseball hat.
The actor rose to stardom after playing fan-favorite character Stiles Stilinski on MTV’s hit series Teen Wolf from 2011 to 2017. O’Brien went on to score the role of Thomas in the Maze Runner film franchise. He has since also appeared in movies including Deepwater Horizon, American Assassin, Bumblebee, Love and Monsters and Not Okay.
O’Brien’s collaborations with Taylor Swift, however, have been our favorite part of his filmography so far. In 2021, O’Brien starred opposite Sadie Sink in Swift’s short film All Too Well. He was also credited as a drummer on Swift’s song “Snow on the Beach,” which was featured on her 2022 album Midnights.
After All Too Well scored five nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, O’Brien praised Swift, 33, as an artist.
“She sent us the news first thing in the morning,” he told Entertainment Tonight in July 2022. “She’s genuinely just someone who’s so involved and just proud of her work and is so grateful for any accomplishment or recognition for something that she just poured herself into. Talk about a special human.”
According to O’Brien, he has been in a “group chat” with Swift and Sink, 21, since working on the music video together. “[Taylor] would make a really, really good director. If it’s something that her heart’s in, Taylor can do whatever she wants,” he added. “She could easily direct a feature and it’d be something I’d sign up for, for sure.”
#this looks like a promo for a new detective show#where Stiles is the mouthy cop that lives to wind up perps#and Derek is his grumpy ass partner that Stiles tried to crack laughs out of#and together they dramatically solve crime#take bullets for one another#knock out bad guys#get pinned in burning cars and refuse to leave each other#get cross at each other for scaring the crap out of one another#’you could have died’ ‘I could have died? YOU could have died’#all the while cleaning blood off each other’s faces#limping back into the office together elbowing one another#arguing cases and flirting across desks#finally making out after that one time their office exploded#and all they could think about was finding each other#standing in the ruins of the office kissing desperately#and the rest of their long suffering team sighing#like ‘oh we’ll just clean up and figure out who did this then shall we?’#js that’s what this looks like and how it should be bye (via felicitysmock)
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