Dylan O’Brien plays identical twin brothers in Twinless.
The new film, which arrives in theaters on Friday, was written and directed by James Sweeney, who also co-stars. O’Brien told ABC Audio the idea of playing identical twins wasn’t something he would have been drawn to if it wasn’t for Sweeney’s script.
It was “a concept that I was really emotionally struck by, telling the story of such a unique experience on this earth and a unique loss on this earth I really found compelling,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien knew he had to be a part of Twinless because he felt like “this could be something so special” where he could really “go on the journey with these characters that I felt such a connectivity to in hands that I trusted so much,” referring to Sweeney.
Sweeney himself is not a twin, though he says, “I am still waiting to be running into a forest one day and bump into it.”
The writer-director-actor said he was always fascinated by the idea of having a twin.
“I think it does represent the soulmate ideal of a best friend who wants to do all the things you want to do, can share the mundanities of life together,” Sweeney said. “Now, having done a lot more research, I understand twin relationships can be very complicated. No twins are alike. It’s not a monolithic experience, but I think there is an inherent beauty in being able to share your life with somebody.”
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