A Brief Thought On Look-a-Likes (A Parenthetical Journey)

It began slowly, with my aunt. But since I moved to Boston, it’s been happening more. The gaps between occurrences are shortening the longer I’ve lived here. What is it? The numbers of people who tell me I look like Seth Rogen. In fact, a friend of a friend started conversation with the question, “All right, let’s get it out of the way. What is it that people usually ask you?” I said it was either my great, big, bushy beard (a three month project at this point), or if I realize I look like Seth Rogen. His question regarded the latter.

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When my aunt brought it up to me, it was funny because she had just seen Knocked Up and kept seeing me instead of the character. And I couldn’t deny a certain resemblance, especially with my hair a bit longer. But the more it happens the less I’m inclined to agree, but since it happens more, people must be seeing it more. Maybe it has to do with being around people that haven’t known me very long or the fact that Rogen’s exposure has risen considerably since his pre-Knocked Up days. I don’t take offense to it. There are worse people to look similar to (and it’s tough to say who looks like who since we’re essentially the same age) and at least he’s funny (though some would debate that).

At least I don’t get anyone mistaking me for him. I have a friend who upon our first meeting, my first thought was, “he looks exactly like Dominic Monaghan.” And someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember a story of mistaken identity regarding the two (him for Monaghan, I doubt that Monaghan would know what was going on if it was the other way around). Another friend of mine looks and acts remarkable like Jeremy Davies (another Lost cast member, maybe they all have doppelgangers).

We all notice when someone looks like a celebrity. I’ll die believing that musician Johnathan Rice (currently dating Jenny Lewis and opened for her band Rilo Kiley… nepotism much?) is the spitting image of a young David Gilmour (Pink Floyd for the philistines). This was confirmed by the out-of-place, middle-aged gentleman standing next to me (he would know, he was alive when Pink Floyd was huge). But we notice it with friends and acquaintances and all sorts of other people who have made some impression in out lives. Each time I’ve moved from one place to another (which is exactly what happens when one moves anywhere), I see familiar visages that would be impossible to belong to someone I know. After all, I left that person behind.

How are there so many people that look alike? Are there really that few human designs out there? If you believe in God, do you blame him for running out of ideas? How can two completely different couples create essentially the same physical being (and sometimes with the same voice or the same gestures)? If we switched these couples, would the children still look the same?

I know what you are all thinking. That this little essay is about to stray down a Freudian path discussing the Uncanny and Doppelgangers and that if you meet your Doppelganger, you will die. Well, you’re wrong. Because I’m not nearly intelligent enough to do that. But given that doubles (triples? quadruples?) seem to be out there for us all, at the very least, if we don’t get rich and famous, maybe our look-a-like can, and we can share their glory, if only a little.