10 Horror Movies Where An Actor Plays Multiple Characters
5. Jake Gyllenhaal - Enemy
Jake Gyllenhaal is a widely respected actor with a bunch of critically revered performances to his name. His turns in flicks like Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko or Nocturnal Animals are often brought up when deciding his best performances. However, one showing that deserves way more attention than it gets is his dual role in Dennis Villeneuve's Enemy.
In this film, he plays the quiet and meek Adam, a college professor who shockingly spots a man who looks 100% like him in a movie. That doppelganger is Anthony, an actor who is a completely different specimen. He's bold, confident and aggressive; everything Adam is not. The film follows as their lives intertwine and tensions grow.
Gyllenhaal is great in this movie, as he infuses each character with nuances and subtle mannerisms that make them feel completely different but shockingly similar at the same time. This plays into the themes of the film, as the obtuse, metaphorical storytelling leaves you wondering what exactly their identical looks imply.
He deserves way more praise for this flick, as each performance is impressive enough on its own but mind-blowing when counteracting the other.