Sometimes our favourite shows require a younger version of an established character for a flashback. Occasionally it's for their own spin-off show. And more often than not, the casting directors seem to lean more towards acting talent than any kind of resemblance.
But that's not what we're here to celebrate, we're here to mark the handful of times when casting directors managed to find people who were good at acting while also being spooky doppelgangers for the older characters they're supposed to be playing.
1. Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - Indiana
Sean Patrick Flanery is the only person alive who knows what Alden Ehrenreich's going through – the Solo star isn't the first person to have to step into Harrison Ford's costume. Sadly, Flanery couldn't match the charisma and presence of Ford's Indy. Let's hope Alden has more luck.
2. Game of Thrones - Cersei
Again, not at No. 11 because it's a bad performance – Nell Williams definitely gets Cersei's mannerisms right, but the actress more closely resembles Joffrey (which isn't meant as an insult, it was probably the point).
Game of Thrones' first ever flashback – there would be more – was a baby step towards the pinnacle of its young actor casting: Robert Aramayo's Ned Stark (who was a far better fit, but we're limiting ourselves to one character per show, and Cersei came first, so she gets her place on the list).
3. First of the Summer Wine - Norman Clegg
David Fenwick's Norman Clegg suffered from the fact that Peter Sallis, who also played Norman Clegg, starred as the character's father – which meant they were frequently in scenes together, enabling a direct comparison that's not particularly flattering.
4. Rock & Chips - Del Boy
We can totally see why James Buckley was cast as Del Boy: his Inbetweeners character Jay has the exact mixture of cocky charm and lie-fuelled bravado the part needs. But, as far as his resemblance to David Jason goes, Trigger could have done a better job of finding a lookalike.
5. Young Hercules - Hercules
Whoooa boy. Now, don't get us wrong, we love Ryan Gosling, but he's no Kevin Sorbo, is he? All this show makes us wonder is which of Hercules' 12 tasks involved going to the gym for 10 years.
6. Dexter - Dexter
Devon Graye plays the teenage Dexter in, well, Dexter – but we'd say, in terms of looks, he's much more convincing as the Trickster in Flash.
7. Young Sheldon - Sheldon Cooper
Young Jim Sheldon (aka Iain Armitage) looks more like the kid from Problem Child or the one with the gelled hair from the Little Rascals movie. The character is still super annoying though, so at least they got that right.
8. Sherlock - Sherlock
Now, this may have seemed like nepotism at the time, but there's no denying that Louis Moffat does bear more than a passing resemblance to Benedict Cumberbatch, and at least his parents (showrunner Steven Moffat and Sherlock producer Sue Vertue) had the good taste to credit him as Louis Oliver.
9. Bates Motel - Norman
While Freddie Highmore's Bates isn't so much a casting of a younger version of an in-universe character, Bates Motel is so clearly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Robert Bloch's original book that it totally counts. And, come on, look at how much Highmore resembles Anthony Perkins, it's ridiculous. Check out the above video, which puts them side-by-side, for proof.
Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
