7) Jesse Eisenberg In The Double
The Double‘s dual roles don’t just provide an excuse for Jesse Eisenberg to challenge himself:Â the twin parts allow Eisenberg an opportunity at long last to branch out and play something other than variations on the socially awkward nerd.
The plot is simple – anonymous office worker Simon James fantasizes about co-worker Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), but his extrovert doppelganger James Simon is the one who makes the first moves – and Eisenberg plays both parts wonderfully.
As Simon James, Eisenberg is everything you’ve seen him be a dozen times before – hilariously introverted, shy, bumbling and fumbling with his words. As James Simon, however, Eisenberg proves that he indeed can play something different: a charismatic, ruthless, arrogant skirt-chaser, to be precise.
6) Christian Bale In The Prestige
Anybody watching The Prestige for the first time won’t even be aware that Christian Bale is playing a dual role in it until the very end of the film. Christopher Nolan’s puzzle box of a movie is full of surprises, but perhaps none are quite as shocking or sad as the revelation that magician Alfred Borden is actually two men, twins, playing the same ‘role’ in order to ensure the world never discovers the truth behind one of Borden’s most famous tricks.
Only repeated watches reveal what an excellent job Bale did playing Alfred. He is indeed two different men, with two subtly different personalities – the cocky, volatile twin who strays from ‘wife’ Sarah, and the devoted, more sober brother who is as dedicated to his family as he is to his art. Ultimately, though, both are driven by an obsession, a shared characteristic that ultimately proves to be the downfall of one of them.
