Jenna Ortega And Fred Armisen Are Identical Twins In SNL's Parent Trap Remake
With the release of "Scream VI," Jenna Ortega is appearing on multiplex screens everywhere this weekend. However, she also got to act on the small screen, by hosting the March 11, 2023 episode of "Saturday Night Live."
The "Wednesday" breakout star is primarily known for her roles in horror — she's been called the genre's latest "scream queen," — but this episode gave her a chance to show off her comedic chops. From an "X-Men" parody where she played a Rogue stand-in to a send-up of "The Exorcist," Ortega's "SNL" hosting gig was rife with movie parodies.
The most off-the-wall parody was of "The Parent Trap" — which starts with the premise that Ortega is starring in a new remake of the film. In both the 1961 original and Nancy Meyers' 1998 remake, two young girls discover they're identical twins of divorced parents and plot to reunite their family by swapping places. In both versions, a single actress (Hayley Mills, then Lindsay Lohan) played both twins thanks to some movie magic: filming the actor in both roles and editing the takes together. But in set-ups like this, you need body doubles for the actor to act convincingly.
Who is Ortega's body double? Fred Armisen (who on top of a long tenure on "SNL," played Uncle Fester in "Wednesday").
Fraternal body doubles
The sketch is set in a Hollywood set that recreates the summer camp cabin the two twins end up sharing. Ortega is wearing the same white shirt and green shorts that Lohan wore in the 1998 version. The director of the movie (Bowen Yang) explains that they've updated "The Parent Trap" for the 2020s (note the wall decorations in the girls' opposing bunks, which include Harry Styles and "Euphoria" posters). However, the scene of the twins realizing the truth is, "such a classic, we just wanted to leave it like it was."
Yang explains the body double set-up to Ortega (and the audience). Since Ortega's usual body double is out sick, however, Brooklyn-accented crew member Ray (Armisen) stands-in as Annie while the actress herself plays Hallie. If you've seen "The Parent Trap," you know the beats of this scene. However, it goes off the rails when Ray tries to improvise. In the process, he winds up stealing the show.
"Saturday Night Live" airs Saturdays at 11:30pm ET on NBC, and is also available on Peacock.