Parent Trap stars discover real life family connection 25 years after movie fame

19 September 2023 , 15:50

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The Parent Trap was a huge success 25 years ago

Lindsay Lohan fans will remember well her Nancy Meyers 1998 remake of The Parent Trap which saw her play identical twins Annie and Hallie who meet for the first time at summer camp after being separated at birth.

The hit flick was released over 25 years ago but has remained a firm favourite with movie fans due to its feel good plot and light hearted approach. However, two stars of the film did not expect to find their own real-life family connection all these years on from the release date - but they have.

Lisa Ann Walter who plays Chessy in the movie recently appeared in the Ancestry YouTube series unFamiliar where she travelled to Manhattan's Lower East Side to find out more about the origins of her family. She was shocked to discover that her friend and Parent Trap co-star Elaine Hendrix (Meredith Blake) has a very similar family history to her.

Lindsay was just 12 years old when she filmed the hit movie (Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Lisa starred alongside Lindsay in the hit flick

It was revealed that both Lisa and Elaine's great-grandparents lived in close proximity to one another, with Elaine's relations residing just a few streets away on New York City’s Elizabeth Street back in the early 1900s.

Elaine explained more to Entertainment Weekly about the find: “It's crazy. And back then there were very specific neighbourhoods that very specific groups of people lived in. Two blocks was like nothing, that was basically next door to one another, and they were part of the same community, and they had to have known each other. So it just makes sense. It's like, ‘Oh, of course. Of course, we have this connection.’”

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Elaine was a key character in the movie

Lisa then admitted that she didn't feel too surprised at finding out about their close connection. She said: “I half expected to be told that we were actually related,” the actor explained. “For real. But then when they said they lived a block and a half from each other, I was like, ‘Yeah. Yup.’”

Both stars have remained firm friends since they met on the set of The Parent Trap in the '90s and have previously hinted at wanting to make another film together. Speaking to Bustle at the 2023 SAG Awards when asked about the possibility of a sequel to The Parent Trap Elaine said: “Oh god yes. We would absolutely do a movie together.”

Ayeesha Walsh