13 Stars Who Are Frequently Confused For Other Celebrities By Fans
The funny thing is—celebs often play along and pretend to be the other person.
Some celebrity look-alikes are harmless, like a fun party trick. But then you get situations where the wrong person gets credit, the wrong name gets shouted, and the real star has to watch fans talk past them like they are not even in the room.
This list is basically proof that Hollywood has a built-in identity mix-up system. Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry have their own ongoing rivalry, while Brad Pitt and Matt Damon have fans asking for Damon autographs, with Pitt reportedly signing as “Matt.”
And just when you think it cannot get weirder, the confusion jumps to Jamie Pressly and Margot Robbie, then to Kiernan Shipka and Emma Watson, where the look-alike rumors never really stop.
1. Elijah Wood And Daniel Radcliffe
In an interview with Marc Maron, Radcliffe revealed why he is so often mistaken for the popular hobbit actor Elijah Wood. He attributed the confusion to both of them being short men with large blue eyes and brown hair, as well as the fact that they both starred in fantasy films released around the same time.
Getty Images2. Amy Adams And Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher has been known to play off her resemblance to Amy Adams jokingly. She even released a PSA to ensure people knew the difference. When Lady Gaga mistakenly identified Fisher as Adams, she humorously went along with it, pointing to Adams and saying, “There’s Isla Fisher. She’s not even nominated for anything. What’s she doing here?”
Getty Images3. Zooey Deschanel And Katy Perry
Zooey Deschanel initially felt frustrated by the comparison to her celebrity doppelganger, Katy Perry. In an interview with New York Magazine, Deschanel expressed her annoyance at being asked more questions about Perry than about her own family. However, in 2011, Deschanel seemed to have a shift in attitude.
She even playfully proposed dressing up as the twins from The Shining for Halloween on her Instagram page.
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4. Brad Pitt And Matt Damon
Fans have confused Brad Pitt for Matt Damon on various occasions, sometimes going so far as to ask Pitt for Damon's autograph. However, instead of correcting them, the actor would simply oblige the request.
When discussing the experience, Pitt remarked: “I’ve actually signed autographs as Matt. They’ll figure it out later.” Pitt appears to be taking the mix-up in stride.
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5. Jamie Pressly And Margot Robbie
It's no wonder Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie are often mistaken for each other—the resemblance between them is remarkable! If you don't take a second look, you could easily get them mixed up.
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6. Kiernan Shipka And Emma Watson
For years, there has been confusion surrounding these two remarkable actresses, as they resemble each other so much that some of their admirers even speculate they could be related or even twins! A follower of theirs even mistook Kiernan for Emma on her own Instagram page!
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7. Lucy Hale And Selena Gomez
The awkward incident involving Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez is well-known. Many people have difficulty telling the two apart, and one time, a person tried to take Hale’s phone, thinking that she was the famous singer.
Apparently, this person wanted to make a call to Justin Bieber! Hale later shared the story on her Twitter account.
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It’s the same kind of mess as the friend who revealed their friend’s secret crush to their crush’s best friend, and trust blew up fast.
8. Jeffrey Dean Morgan And Javier Bardem
A few years ago, when Javier Bardem won his Oscar and Morgan was in New York, Morgan took advantage of the fact that he could easily be mistaken for Bardem. He pranked Bardem by flipping off the cameras when the paparazzi approached him, screaming Bardem's name.
Unfortunately, this landed Bardem in some trouble, as the tabloids printed the photo with Bardem's name instead of Morgan's.
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9. Bella Hadid And Jennifer Lawrence
"People confuse me for the award-winning actress pretty often," Hadid told Fashionista. "Probably today it's already happened five times. I guess it's because we have similar heart-shaped faces and almond-shaped eyes?"
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10. Keira Knightley And Natalie Portman
On The Graham Norton Show, Knightley shared that people often confuse her for Portman. She even recalled getting chased through airports by people screaming Natalie's name!
Knightley felt sorry for her doppelganger, saying, "I feel quite sorry for her because she must get chased a lot. It's happened like five times where someone's been like, 'Natalie! Natalie! Natalie!' And I'll sign and take a picture as Natalie."
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11. John Stamos And Rob Lowe
Stamos shared a video on Instagram of a fan confusing him with Rob Lowe, using the hashtag #AwkwardVacationMoments. He also tagged Lowe in the post.
The video showed that Stamos was on vacation when someone mistook him for Lowe, and he decided to play along with the humorous interaction.
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12. Kevin Zegers And Zac Efron
Kevin Zegers has been compared to Zac Efron because of his striking blue eyes and sculpted face. Zegers himself has acknowledged this comparison, saying it was "both complimentary and completely unsettling." He humorously suggested starring in a Siamese Twins screenplay as a way to make the most of their similarities.
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13. Sarah Hyland And Mila Kunis
Teen Vogue recently made a mistake when they identified Mila Kunis as Sarah Hyland in a celebrity red carpet gallery. However, both celebrities took it in stride, even joking that they sometimes pretend to be each other in public!
“She came up to me and said she gets called me all the time too,” Hyland said. “She said that sometimes she pretends she’s me because it makes her feel young. I asked if I could pretend to be her next time somebody asks me if I’m her, and she said OK.”
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The whole thing kicks off with Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe, where Marc Maron’s interview made it clear why fans keep swapping the two in the first place.
Then it snowballs into Amy Adams versus Isla Fisher, especially after Lady Gaga reportedly called out Isla like she was Adams during a public moment.
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt leaning into Matt Damon mix-ups turns a simple autograph request into a running joke that fans actually keep feeding.
By the time you reach Jamie Pressly, Margot Robbie, Kiernan Shipka, and Emma Watson, the confusion has gone full “wait, which one is on screen?” mode.
Sometimes these celebrity doppelgangers are just uncanny resemblances, while other times, they are nearly perfect replicas. There have been numerous cases of people being mistaken for famous individuals, such as when Ed Sheeran was mistaken for Prince Harry or when Taylor Swift was confused with a look-alike who had been hired for an event.
And, of course, there is always that one person who looks incredibly similar to a celebrity and gains fame for it, such as the numerous Ariana Grande look-alikes who have become popular on social media. So while we may never know if there really is someone out there who looks just like us, it is a comforting thought that there may be someone out there who looks just like our favorite celebrity.
Nobody wants to be the wrong celebrity in someone else’s story.
Think you can’t mess up a crush setup, read how someone triggered a love-triangle fallout by mistake when they set their friend up with their crush.
