The impact of Lindsay Lohan’s performance in The Parent Trap was so profound that it even led a former Disney CEO to mistakenly believe she had a twin.
Released in 1998, The Parent Trap featured Lohan playing the dual roles of Hallie and Annie Parker. The plot revolves around these twin sisters who unexpectedly discover each other at a summer camp.
The backstory reveals that their parents, portrayed by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, had divorced shortly after the twins’ birth, raising one twin each on opposite sides of the Atlantic – one in the US and the other in the UK.
Complications arise when their father plans to marry Meredith Blake (played by Elaine Hendrix), who has ulterior motives involving his wealth. The twins join forces to reunite their parents, leading to a predictable yet heartwarming conclusion.
The Parent Trap marked Lohan’s debut in film, establishing her as a rising star with memorable roles in films like Mean Girls and Freaky Friday.
While her portrayal in The Parent Trap was acclaimed, Lohan likely did not anticipate that it would be so convincing as to deceive a top Disney executive into thinking she had a real-life twin.
Lohan recounted this amusing anecdote during an appearance on Andy Cohen’s talk show, Watch What Happens Live!
Cohen asked the 38-year-old actress, “What’s a popular role you didn’t end up getting that nobody knew you auditioned for?”
Lohan replied thoughtfully, “I… I really… I mean the first movie I auditioned for was [The] Parent Trap and I haven’t auditioned since that.”
Cohen then inquired about the authenticity of a rumor that a Disney executive had asked her at the film’s premiere if her sister was present.
Lohan clarified that the query had actually come from Michael Eisner, the former Disney CEO.
Lohan recounted, “Yes, Michael Eisner asked ‘where’s your twin?’ and I was so young I don’t know how I even thought to say this but I’ll never forget what I said, I said ‘well you should’ve paid me double because I don’t have one’.”
The audience, along with Cohen, was impressed by Lohan’s clever response at such a young age, prompting Cohen to comment, “This is the daughter of Dina Lohan. Very good.”
Though The Parent Trap was released over two decades ago, Lohan looks back fondly on her experience working on the film.
During a cast reunion in 2020, she shared, “There [were] such lovely and beautifully written moments, funny but just heart-wrenching because it’s like, missing that person in your life and then finally having that person.
“You forget … how much you miss people until you’re actually with them and you haven’t seen them in a while. And I think those scenes really tear me up.”