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Usually, we recognize actors only after the fact, once they become famous. But before they became well-established household names, they were known not for their name, but a character that they played. For example, who hasn't accidentally mixed up Macaulay Culkin with Kevin McCallister in the heyday of "Home Alone"? Or called Sylvester Stallone Rocky? Or mixed-up Lawrence Tureaud with Mr. T from the A-Team? You get the gist of it. Despite that, sometimes it doesn't even matter. The actors and the roles that they play often are so fused that they become inseparable in our minds.
Dutch graphic designer Ard Gelinck separates the inseparable and puts the two sides of the actor, the role and the performer, right next to each other for comparison. He does this in such a way that they seem to be hanging out and interacting with each other. And in a way, they are. It gives us a glimpse into the past, a throwback to the days long gone. It makes us reflect on how they and their careers have changed (or haven't) since they embodied the roles that we know them for.
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#1
Sean Connery And James Bond
Gelinck has worked on these types of photo manipulations for about 10 years now, but don't worry—he doesn't seem to be running out of ideas any time soon. Quite the contrary. He continues to delight his 285k loyal followers on Instagram with regular uploads. And we've been covering most of them, so you can check out previous posts about him here, here, and here.
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#2
Heath Ledger And The Joker
#3
Hugh Jackman And Wolverine
He shared more about his experience with Bored Panda: "The 'Then and Now' series is quite old when you consider that me and my brother made the first image for it about 10 years ago," Gelinck told Bored Panda. "About 5 years ago, I edited pictures for a lot of Dutch celebrities and it was a success, so I then started working with foreign celebrity photos. The first one was Madonna, and she even posted my image on her own Instagram."
But the Queen of Pop hasn't been the only celebrity that has recognized and publicly admired his work. Among others are Rob Lowe, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Annie Lennox, BeeGees, Jason Priestly, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Carice van Houten, Sylvester Stallone, Robbie Williams, Michael Douglas, Ricky Gervais, and many more that have also given him a shoutout. "When I think about it, the list is quite impressive," Gelinck said.
#4
Michael J. Fox And Marty McFly
#5
Charlie Chaplin And The Tramp
The digital artist himself thinks that the reason his photomontages are popular is because people enjoy "taking a trip down memory lane." And it's somewhat true. Just looking at them, one can get serious throwbacks to their childhood, or flashbacks of the bustling '80s and '90s. Someone might even get an urge to rewatch their favorite shows or movies with these actors in them. Any way you look at it, Gelinck's work is an experience of its own. What do you think, Pandas? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
#6
Mark Hamill And Luke Skywalker
#7
Christina Applegate And Kelly Bundy
#8
Joaquin Phoenix And The Joker
Emma Knappe 5 years ago
Prolly just the way the creator positioned the pictures
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Christina Uhlir 5 years ago (edited)
This actor is not just a great actor, he is the wise and truly compassionate human being.
Scarlet Phoenix 4 years ago
I think it's because the huge pressure of society made Joker shrink
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#9
Jack Nicholson And The Joker
Dippin Dot 5 years ago
I honestly don't think this was his most famous role.... my pick would have been Jack Torrance.
#10
Sigourney Weaver And Ellen Ripley
#11
Elijah Wood And Frodo Baggins
#12
Brian Cranston And Walter White
#13
Neil Patrick Harris And Doogie Howser M.D.
#14
Henry Winkler And Fonzie
Paul Applewhite 5 years ago
"Hey Fonze, you ever dream about a girl?" "Eyyyyyyy! I'm not the dream-er, I'm the dream-ee!"
#15
Drew Barrymore And Gertie (And E.T.)
#16
Mike Myers And Austin Powers
#17
Al Pacino And Tony Montana
#18
Ralph Macchio And Daniel Larusso
#19
Sylvester Stallone And Rambo
#20
Johnny Depp And The Hatter
#21
Eddie Murphy And Axel Foley
#22
Jeff Cohen And Chunk
#23
Emilia Clarke And Daenerys Targaryen
#24
Sylvester Stallone And Rocky Balboa
#25
Millie Bobby Brown And Eleven
#26
Don Johnson And James "Sonny" Crockett
#27
Emilio Estevez And Andrew Clark
#28
John Stamos And Jesse Katsopolis
CatWoman312 5 years ago (edited)
I remember watching a lifetime movie with him in it and he was some sort of crazy stalker killer that was interesting
#29
Courtney Cox And Monica Geller
#30
Jim Carrey And Lloyd Christmas
#31
Bill Skarsgard And Pennywise
#32
Dwight Schultz And Howling Mad Murdock From The A-Team
#33
Tom Hanks With Richard Drew From The Man With One Red Shoe
Private Custard 5 years ago
Or Josh Baskin, or Captain Richard Phillips, or Robert Langdon, or Walter Fielding, or Pep Streebek, or Forrest Gump, or Jim Lovell, or Captain Miller.........or countless other, more famous roles!
#35
Dolph Lundgren And Ivan Drago
#36
Fred Savage And Kevin Arnold
#38
Dustin Hoffman And Dorothy Michaels
#39
Mayim Bialik And Blossom Russo
#40
Ron Howard And Richie Cunningham
Mama Panda 5 years ago
It would have been neat if the artist had added Opie into this photo. He was so cute back then!
#41
Molly Ringwald And Claire Standish
#42
Gaten Matarazzo And Dustin Henderson
#43
Hendry Thomas And Elliott (And E.T.)
#44
Malcolm-Jamal Warner And Theo Huxtable
#45
Tom Cruise And Maverick
Analyn Lahr 5 years ago
I'd rather see him next to Lestat. But guess Interview With a Vampire isn't as well known as Too Gun, is it?
#46
Tony Danza And Tony Micelli
#47
Denzel Washington And Dr. Phillip Chandler
#48
Keshia Knight Pulliam And Rudy Huxtable
#49
Mr. T And B. A. Baracus From The A-Team
#50
Jason Priestley And Brandon Walsh From Beverly Hills 90210
#51
Anthony Michael Hall As Brian Johnson
#52
David Hasselhoff And Michael Knight
#53
Ally Sheedy And Allison Reynolds
#54
Leonardo DiCaprio And Luke Brower
#55
David Schwimmer And Ross Geller
#56
Alyssa Milano And Samantha Micelli
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What do you think ?
Danielle VanWyck 5 years ago
How is anyone trying to say Johnny Depp’s biggest role was the mad hatter
Suzanne Barrow 5 years ago
I think the problem is that he's such a prolific actor it'd be really hard to choose. I personally would've gone with Captain Jack, or maybe Edward Scissorhands. But I didn't make these, so...
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Christina Eneroth (Eneroth3) 5 years ago
Whata bout George Clohny and the coffee pod commercial?
Harry Nesbit Jr. 5 years ago
Really cool! Thank you for taking time to create these photos. Brought back a lot of memories. One of my favorites was Michael J. Fox (Back To The Future). Thanks again!
Danielle VanWyck 5 years ago
How is anyone trying to say Johnny Depp’s biggest role was the mad hatter
Suzanne Barrow 5 years ago
I think the problem is that he's such a prolific actor it'd be really hard to choose. I personally would've gone with Captain Jack, or maybe Edward Scissorhands. But I didn't make these, so...
Load More Replies... Christina Eneroth (Eneroth3) 5 years ago
Whata bout George Clohny and the coffee pod commercial?
Harry Nesbit Jr. 5 years ago
Really cool! Thank you for taking time to create these photos. Brought back a lot of memories. One of my favorites was Michael J. Fox (Back To The Future). Thanks again!
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