Fans thought these two actors were the same person for years

Hailing from Richmond, British Columbia, twins Aaron and Shawn Ashmore were born in 1979 and began their journeys in acting through commercials after a talent agent reached out to their mother.

Shawn shared that casting directors often faced difficulty in choosing between them, leading to decisions being made by flipping a coin—right in front of both boys. They’d explain that they liked both equally, and to keep it fair and prevent hurt feelings, a coin toss felt most just.

Despite the somewhat harsh method of assigning roles during their childhood, the brothers successfully forged distinct paths in their careers. Shawn gained fame as Iceman in the X-Men series, as well as appearing in The Rookie and The Following. Meanwhile, Aaron took on the role of Jimmy Olsen in Smallville, alongside parts in Warehouse 13 and Killjoys.

Both Chose Similar Career Paths

With both siblings gravitating towards sci-fi, superhero, and genre television, it’s not surprising that fans have often confused the two over time.

Recent Viewers Still Aren’t Sure

The mix-up persists even today. After Aaron appeared in a recent season of Ginny & Georgia, many fans of The Rookie mistakenly thought they were watching Shawn.

A Reddit user remarked, “All this time I believed I was watching Shawn Ashmore from The Rookie!” Another user commented, “I just discovered Gil (Aaron) has a twin. I thought he was in The Rookie and Ginny and Georgia.” A third added, “I knew they were twins, but I always thought the guy from The Rookie was Gil. Oh my!”