How Celebs With Similar Names Feel About Being Confused for Each Other
Confusing Catwoman and The Little Mermaid is understandable when celebrities like Halle Berry and Halle Bailey share near-identical monikers.
Stars including Tom Holland and Tom Hollander, Dermot Mulroney and Dylan McDermott and more have been convincing Hollywood they’re seeing double for years, but they really just share similar names.
When Mulroney was asked whether it gets old being mistaken for McDermott, the My Best Friend’s Wedding star admitted it doesn’t.
“It's like it was a mental meme for people before they even had them,” Mulroney told Entertainment Weekly in February 2024. “It was viral before there was such a thing and a lot of things they didn't survive, they didn't stay funny when people started meme-ing and going viral. But this one has. It's remarkable.”
Keep scrolling for more celebrities who have spoken about their names being confused for one another:
Halle Berry and Halle Bailey
While Berry is an actress who rose to stardom after 1991’s Jungle Fever, Bailey came into the scene when she and her sister launched their joint YouTube channel when Bailey was 11 and covered Beyoncé songs. She’s since landed roles in 2023’s The Little Mermaid and The Color Purple.
The duo made headlines in February 2024 when they posed together in a series of snaps while attending a Major League Soccer game in California.
“When two Halles link up ?? truly adore you @hallebailey,” Berry wrote via Instagram to which Bailey replied, “I was living for this moment!! thank you for being so kind to me you’ve made my life ????????”
When Bailey was cast as The Little Mermaid in 2021, a fan confused her for Berry.
“Can’t wait to see you under da sea,” a user wrote, to which Berry replied, “… wrong Halle lol. I can’t wait to see her too though!”
Berry also wrote a message in July 2019 to Bailey after news broke that she’d be a Disney princess, saying, “In case you needed a reminder… Halles get it DONE. Congratulations @chloexhalle on this amazing opportunity, we can’t wait to see what you do!”
In reply, Bailey wrote, “This means the world. Happy to share names with you. Love you lots.”
During a May 2023 appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark, Bailey said that her parents considered the similarities between her name and Berry’s when choosing her moniker.
“Yes, well my family, we’ve always loved Halle Berry. I mean, she’s amazing,” she said. “And originally when I was a baby, they wanted to name me Hailey but my last name is Bailey. So that wouldn’t have worked.”
She continued, “And they ultimately decided [on] Halle, and it’s very similar to Halle Berry. But there’s no one else I would rather have a similar name to cause she’s so cool.”
Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney
McDermott is known for his role on 1997’s The Practice and Mulroney has been famous since 1987’s Long Gone. While gushing about his friendship with McDermott, Mulroney said he’s “blessed to have him on a parallel universe track” throughout his entire life.
“I would argue now that together, we have a larger footprint than we would've had as individuals,” he told Entertainment Weekly in February 2024. “We're better for each other than we thought in the first place. It's been amazing and it's only getting richer as again, younger kids think it's funny too, and it's happening all over again. So stay tuned. There's more humor to come, and joy to be wrung out of this bizarre non-identity crisis.”
Michael B. Jordan and Michael Jordan
Michael B. Jordan began acting in 1999 and has since been in films including 2015’s Creed and 2018’s Black Panther. Michael Jordan, for his part, is an NBA legend.
When asked whether the two had ever come face to face, Michael B. Jordan revealed they hadn’t — and shared he doesn’t want to just yet.
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“I never met Michael Jordan. I never want to officially meet him until I’m at a point where he knows who I am and I know who he is,” he told Men’s Health in May 2018. “And it would be our mutual respect thing. Until then it would just be a ‘this guy has your name, ha ha.’ I don’t want that. So that pushes me to keep working too. These things motivate me.”
He also admitted that sharing a moniker with the famed NBA player hasn’t been the easiest journey.
“I’m competitive. I want to compete in anything I do. That came from my name. Growing up in sports and having a name like Michael Jordan and being teased, I had to compete,” he said. “I couldn’t be the guy with the name and not be good at it. That carried over to everything. I’m like, I’ve got to be just as great if not greater than he was in his field.”
Tom Holland and Tom Hollander
Holland made his debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, while Hollander has been in several projects, including The White Lotus season 2 in 2022.
During an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers in January 2024, Hollander said “it’s been very difficult” sharing a similar name to Holland, saying, “Cause, you know, I was here first. But he’s enormously famous.”
When both actors were “briefly” signed to the same agency, there was confusion within the “accounts department” which led to a “terrible moment” of Hollander incorrectly receiving Holland’s paycheck.
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“I got an email from the agency saying, ‘Payment advice, your first box office bonus for The Avengers.’ And I thought, I don’t think I’m in The Avengers,” Hollander recalled. “It was an astonishing amount of money.”
While clarifying that it wasn’t Holland’s salary for the film, but rather his “first box office bonus,” Hollander said, “It was more money than I’ve ever — it was a seven-figure sum. He was 20 or something.”
Despite the similar names, Hollander said he doesn’t “actually get mistaken” for Holland based on their appearances.
“But in non-visual contexts, I am mistaken for him all the time,” he said.
Michelle Williams and Michelle Williams
Williams the actress notably starred in Dawson’s Creek, which aired from 1998 to 2003, before going on to score multiple Oscar noms, while Williams the singer rose to fame as a member of Destiny’s Child.
After the actress won an Emmy in 2019, the singer spoke out about fans confusing the two.
"How come when y’all are tagging and congratulating a person, do y’all see that I’m black?" she said in an Instagram Live video. "When you go to my profile, you search for the 'Michelle Williams,' I am black. OK? I ain’t mixed with nothing; I ain’t mixed with Persian, Russian, I am black."
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The singer added that she had been receiving social media messages in response to the actress’ call for pay equality during her acceptance speech.
"I am trying to figure out, 'Why in the world am I getting cursed out in my comments for Michelle Williams' speech?' which I thought was her truth. I thought it was awesome," the singer said. "I thought she was factual – I could be wrong – but yeah, I just told this woman a few minutes ago on my Instagram, I was like, 'I’m so sorry that my namesake upset you, but can’t you see that I’m black?'"
Despite the error, the singer said she supports the actress’ speech, saying, "She was beautiful. She was brilliant. Honey, she played Gwen Verdon to a T. She was awesome!"
She concluded, "Now get it right, and stop cussing me out."
