Have you ever wondered if there's someone who looks exactly like you somewhere else in the world?
Artist Francois Brunelle has always been fascinated by this idea, finding great enjoyment in spotting similarities between complete strangers. Even now, Brunelle, from Canada, tells Newsweek that looking at two people who are so alike "blows [his] mind still."
Indeed, for the last 25 years, that interest has motivated his photography series, I'm Not a Look-Alike. After taking his first look-alike photograph in 1999, Brunelle, 74, has since captured an astonishing 250 pairs of doppelgängers around the world.
The term doppelgänger is German for "double goer," meaning the existence of a spiritual double.
Brunelle has been on the receiving end of these comparisons, as he was often likened to British actor Rowan Atkinson, famous for playing Mr. Bean. For a long time, he didn't see the similarities until one day, he flicked the TV on and thought his face was on screen—only to realize it was Atkinson.
"I watched it, and I said, that's me, even down to the way he was dressed," Brunelle said. "I was stunned to see my look-alike, so that gave me the idea to find two look-alikes and bring them together.
He continued: "The core of my project and the identity behind it is asking, who am I? What are we? Are we who we think we are?"
In the beginning, Brunelle had a few people in mind for whom he wanted to participate. But the more photoshoots he did, the more media attention and advertisements he got out there, and then people eventually started coming to him.
Now, Brunelle has captured 250 duos, even uniting people with their doppelgänger at the photoshoots.
Capturing The Right Shot
At first, Brunelle had the idea of introducing people to their doppelgängers and focusing on their shock. He expected to capture their surprised expressions, but now he realizes the real beauty is their parallels.
He told Newsweek: "Some of the look-alikes meet for the first time in the studio, but some know each other before. The ones who meet in the studio are surprised for a few seconds, and that's it."
"Surprisingly, they get on really well for no other reason than looking the same. It's two people who look similar, and there's nothing threatening there. They get along well, and sometimes they don't want to leave the studio," he added.
Brunelle asks each look-alike to bring three outfits of differing shades to the shoot. He usually spends an hour or two capturing the photos and makes conversation to help them feel comfortable, as he says they "become more natural."
One of the individuals Brunelle connected with his doppelgänger was Paul Harris, 57, from the United Kingdom. He traveled to Montreal in May 2023 to participate in the project, telling Newsweek that he felt a genuine "thrill and excitement" when he met his look-alike.
It could have been somewhat awkward, but Harris says Brunelle has "a knack of putting people at ease."
"Undeniably, there is a novelty to the project, as people come face to face with a stranger with whom they share a resemblance. But there's also a very powerful message about our common and shared humanity," he said.
Following the initial shock of seeing a "real-life copy" of himself, Harris was overcome with curiosity. Did his doppelgänger have the same mannerisms, the same humor, maybe even the same interests? That is the magic of Brunelle's work.
While Harris didn't stay in touch with his doppelgänger from Montreal, he was delighted with the photographs. The simple, black-and-white images don't come with any background information, as Brunelle lets the likeness of the models do all the talking.
"François presents us with two subjects, their names and the cities where they live," Harris continued. "That's it, nothing more. All other identifiers—religion, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, sexual orientation or nationality—are absent."
Having photographed so many doppelgängers over the past two decades, it's hard for Brunelle to choose his favorites. Although, a few of them certainly stand out.
"The German guys I captured a long time ago is still a favorite of mine because they looked so stereotypical, and how they're dressed makes it a good one," Brunelle told Newsweek. "Another one is a pair I captured in Barcelona. It's two men with bare, hairy chests. When I started the project, I was looking for a picture like that. They're the closest in appearance that they could possibly be, but they're different people."
The pairings don't have to be identical, and Brunelle loves finding duos who look similar but offer so many differences, too. That's part of their story and what makes them individual.
Millions of people have seen Brunelle's work over the years, and he shares images of the look-alikes on Instagram (@francoisbrunelle.doubles).
The project isn't over, though, and he's still on the lookout for more doppelgängers.
Are Their Similarities Only Skin Deep?
The likenesses between Brunelle's doppelgängers are undeniable at face value. But do they go even further than just looking alike?
When spending time with them, Brunelle observed uncanny similarities in their behavior and interests.
He continued: "There were two men who had the same first name, both had wives named Francine, and each had a teenage son the same age. They became friends instantly, and they stayed in touch for years.
"Sometimes they have the same passions. I photographed a guy who presented the weather on TV. He had a little booklet and showed it to the other guy, who said that when he was a kid, he would write down the weather every day. That was a funny coincidence," Brunelle said.
Many look-alikes have stayed in touch with each other after the photoshoots. Even for those who don't, Brunelle is delighted to give them this memory, as he says it's "something they remember forever."
Brunelle's work inspired a 2022 genetic relationships study by scientists at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Spain. They were asked to complete lifestyle questionnaires, and their headshots were analyzed by facial recognition software to learn the true extent of their likeness.
The study's results, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that 16 of the 32 pairs received scores identical twins would receive. Those who shared the most likenesses also shared important parts of their genome and DNA sequences. Doppelgängers were more likely to have characteristics such as height, weight, and even their education levels in common.
Researchers concluded that not only can look-alikes provide clues about similarities in genetics that could be used to further medical research, but they can also highlight how much of our genetic makeup is inherited or "acquired during our lifetime."
Changing The Face of Doppelgängers
For many years, doppelgängers have been portrayed negatively, often viewed as enemies or something sinister.
But Brunelle believes there's something beautiful about finding complete strangers who look alike. Through his work, he wants to show that doppelgängers don't have to be the same sex either, having found male and female look-alikes.
When he first started this project, he never imagined it would get this far, but now he says he has "500 new friends." The photographs will one day be published in a book, and Brunelle hopes to show them in an exhibit.
"I didn't think about the end goal when I started, and I thought I was going to forget about the people I photographed. But I live with their pictures now," he said.
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