Hollywood at Harvard: Celebrity Doppelgängers
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Dr. N. Gregory Mankiw conducts the River Charles Ensemble on Saturday afternoon on the Science Center Plaza. Dr. Mankiw was joined by members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals to depict a colorful rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for Arts First Weekend.
Celebrities grace Harvard with their presence pretty regularly (what up Kanye West), so it's not all that surprising when you spot a famous person walking through the Yard every once in a while. But sometimes those double takes aren't the real Hollywood/ Washington bigwigs, but Harvard affiliates with an uncanny resemblance to the people who never follow back you on Twitter/ Instagram. Here's a list of some doppelgängers we tracked down on campus. If you see them, don't forget to ask for an autograph and tell them you love their work, especially their appearance on Flyby!
DRAKE
By Hyemi Park
Name: Davon Robertson
Year: Freshman
Hometown: East Providence, RI
Extracurriculars: Football and DAPA (in training)
Thoughts on doppelgänger: “Drake is a hell of a rapper. Starting from his first song I heard, ‘Best I've Ever Had,’ I have been a big fan. He gets a lot of criticism for being ‘emotional’ but I feel like he just has a lot of haters that believe today's Rap/Hip Hop should only be about ‘violence’ and ‘toughness.’ He’s a great actor, being on Degrassi and SNL. It definitely has not been a bad thing to look like him, and it’s a great icebreaker as well.”
VINCE HOWARD FROM FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Name: Siyani Chambers
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Golden Valley, MN
Extracurricular: Basketball
Thoughts on doppelgänger: “I think it’s pretty accurate.”
JESSE EISENBERG
Name: Alex Miller
Year: Junior
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Extracurriculars: Harvard Din & Tonics (a cappella), Theater
Thoughts on doppelgänger: “Neither of us was punched by the Phoenix.”
VANESSA HUDGENS
Name: Eriko Kay
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Extracurriculars: OAASIS (Organization of Asian American Sisters in Service), Japan Society, Harvard Vestis Council
Thoughts on doppelgänger: “I definitely had my High School Musical re-run days.”
MACKLEMORE
By Hyemi Park
Name: Jonah Hahn
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Northampton, MA
Extracurriculars: Harvard Political Review, Harvard Men’s Frisbee, Rootstrikers, CityServe
Thoughts on doppelgänger: “My oh my, I’ve spent about ten thousand hours trying to discern whether the comparison has wings. It’s a really thin line because despite my own doubts people on campus often tell me that I look like him. I remember in high school when my friends started listening to Macklemore, one jokingly said I should be him for Halloween. Another time I walked into a club and someone just shouted, ‘What’s up? You look like Macklemore.’ Maybe that was because I was rocking the leather jacket that day. Who knows? Although I was unsure of the resemblance, ultimately I’ve joined the other side. I’ve decided to celebrate my Irish appearance; I think that my doppelgänger is gold. I’ve certainly got some love for Macklemore, and if people think I look like him, then that’s fine by me.”
KIMMY GIBBLER FROM FULL HOUSE
Name: Natalie Doyle
Year: Senior
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Extracurriculars: Volleyball, Peer Advising Fellow, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Initiative to End Childhood Malnutrition
Thoughts on doppelganger: “We’re both from San Francisco, but she’s the only one with smelly feet. I promise.”
And now for some honorable mentions, faculty superstars and their superstar doppelgangers.
DEAN DINGMAN and DENNIS QUAID
GREG MANKIW and GREG MANKIW
By Jiho Kang