Bored Panda had a chat with Mike, who's known as Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, about the upsides and downsides of looking like a beloved celeb.
"It’s fun, it gets you attention, and you can actually make money at if the resemblance is extreme. There are actual agencies with rosters of celebrity lookalikes that book them for personal appearance," he said.
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However, he warned that it's also possible to get too much attention. "If you’re going about your day and don’t want to be bothered, you’re not in the mood to be 'on,' or seeing the disappointment that comes from a fan when they realize you’re not really a celebrity," he said that it isn't always glorious and amazing to look like a star. There are times when you'd rather blend in with the crowd.
"Actual celebrities usually love to meet their lookalikes. Celebrities have a great sense of humor about it, and there’s often an instant bonding that happens when a celebrity meets their lookalike," the celebrity expert told us that stars are fans of doppelgangers.
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According to Mike, some celebrities have used lookalikes in the past to evade the paparazzi. "Usually when they’re trying to make an entrance or exit to a building," he told Bored Panda. "The lookalike is used as a decoy to distract the paparazzi so the actual celebrity can make their move."
However, the expert believes that celebs wouldn't stoop to using lookalikes to do some of their work for them. "I know of no cases where a star has employed a lookalike to meet fans. If you think about it, this would be a cruel move, and if found out, no celebrity would want the ensuing blowback. It wouldn’t be worth the risk to alienate your fan base," he said.
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Meanwhile, Freddy, who founded 'Same de la Same' and has a major passion for celebrity doppelgangers, was kind enough to share his perspective with us again. He believes that the idea for stars to use lookalikes to evade unwanted attention is "excellent" and could be useful.
"I think the lookalikes take advantage of their resemblance to work/make money, but I don't think the real stars need them," Freddy told us, adding that he doesn't mean the doubles used for filming movies.
In Freddy's view, learning to move and behave like stars requires a lot of energy, time, and dedication. "100% a lot of work, a lot of dedication. The lookalikes take the job seriously, they work really hard to make the resemblance works well. Without a doubt, they work really hard to do a good job like an impersonator," he said that lookalikes try to mimic body language as well, not just the style and looks.
The founder of 'Same de la Same' also opened up to us about one doppelganger who recently left an impression on him. "I have a lot of favorites, not only one, everyone is amazing," he said. "If I need to choose from the latest ones, I will say a woman that looks like Scarlett Johansson. She looks exactly like her."
