Fans of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia were left stunned after discovering that actor Aaron Ashmore — not his identical twin brother Shawn — portrays Gil Timmins in the series. The revelation sparked widespread disbelief across social media, with many viewers convinced they had been watching Shawn Ashmore, known for his role as Wesley Evers on The Rookie and as Iceman in the X-Men franchise.
Reddit Thread Exposes Widespread Confusion
A post on the Ginny & Georgia subreddit last year ignited a flood of reactions after a user shared their shock at learning there are two Ashmore brothers.
“This whole time I thought I was watching Shawn Ashmore from the Rookie,”
the post read.
“It turns out that Shawn Ashmore and Aaron Ashmore are twins. I had seen Shawn in the Rookie play Wesley, a very sweet and kind husband and very unlike Gil. It turns out the actors are twins!”
The thread quickly filled with similar responses.
“You’re telling me these are two different people?”
one bemused Redditor asked.
“I am glad I am not the only one who got so confused thinking I was watching Shawn Ashmore the whole time.”
Another user wrote:
“I was like omg that’s literally the same person, wtf. Then realising they are twins, and they are genetically, literally the same lol.”
A fourth simply exclaimed:
“WHAT!!!???”
Identical Twins with Parallel Acting Careers
Born on October 7, 1979, in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, Shawn and Aaron Ashmore are identical twins, with Shawn older by one minute. Both have built successful acting careers, often leading to cases of mistaken identity.
Shawn Ashmore gained global recognition as Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, in the X-Men film series. He also appeared in two episodes of Smallville as Eric Summers. Aaron Ashmore played Jimmy Olsen in 53 episodes of Smallville and joined Ginny & Georgia in its third season (2023), appearing in 14 episodes as Gil Timmins.
Early Career: Coin Flips and Commercial Casting
The brothers’ striking resemblance shaped their entry into the entertainment industry. As children, they auditioned for commercials together, and casting directors frequently struggled to tell them apart.
Shawn recounted the experience to US Weekly:
“When we were doing commercials, they would call us back in after we both auditioned,”
he said.
“And [they] said, ‘We love you guys both. And so it’s fair, we’re gonna flip a coin so that you guys can see it’s not preferential treatment.’”
That scenario repeated multiple times.
“That happened four or five times where they’d say, ‘Hey, come on, come in, we’re gonna hire one of you.”
Shawn continued:
“But so that the other one doesn’t get their feelings hurt or they don’t think it’s personal, we’re gonna flip a coin in front of you guys.”
Aaron was initially cast for their first commercial but fell ill on the shoot day. Shawn stepped in as his double — a moment that foreshadowed a career defined by their uncanny similarity.
