The Sprouse Twins' Mom Encouraged Them to Be Different from Each Other as Kids — Here's How They Did It

Cole and Dylan Sprouse turn 32 on Aug. 4. Look back at their first PEOPLE story from July 1999

The Sprouse twins may have looked identical as kids, but their personalities certainly weren’t carbon copies.

Dylan and Cole Sprouse, who turn 32 on Aug. 4, 2024, began their professional careers when they were only 6 months old at the suggestion of their maternal grandmother, Jonine Booth Wright, a drama teacher. By their 12-month mark, the brothers were regulars on the ABC series Grace Under Fire as Brett Butler’s son Patrick. Professionally and personally, the two have often been attached at the hip since birth.

In PEOPLE’s profile of the twins for the July 19, 1999, issue, their mother Melanie Wright said that she taught her sons the same set of values, like chores, prayer, politeness and “responsibility.” However, she also pushed them to differentiate themselves from each other.

Dylan, born 15 minutes before Cole, was the more outgoing twin who liked the Beastie Boys and wanted to be a stuntman like Melanie’s then-boyfriend Spike Silver. On the other hand, Cole was a budding geologist who loved singer-songwriter Neil Young.

Related: Dylan Sprouse Shares 'Funny' Story of Bumping Into 'Big Daddy' Costar Adam Sandler in Paris

What they did have in common was a talent for acting. Adam Sandler, who starred alongside the twins in his comedy Big Daddy, told Melanie that the brothers’ acting was “so good it makes me sick to my stomach.” In addition, Cole and Dylan had a shared childish wit at age 7. When asked by PEOPLE what they like about each other, Dylan answered, “He’s a nut.”

“Nothing,” Cole responded. “Except he’s really nice.”

The child stars went on to star in two hit Disney Channel series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Suite Life on Deck. After their stint on the network, which made them one of their generation’s most notable faces, they pursued creative endeavors separately. Cole played Jughead Jones in The CW teen drama Riverdale for seven seasons, and most recently led the 2024 comedy horror Lisa Frankenstein with Kathryn Newton. Meanwhile, Dylan has had roles in romance films like After We Collided, Beautiful Disaster and its sequel Beautiful Wedding.

Although they haven’t appeared on screen together since 2012, a reunion down the line isn’t impossible.

On the July 31 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Dylan revealed that he would love to star in a project with his brother again, but there’s “not very many good roles for twins.”

"It's usually pretty hokey. I remember Cole distinctly being kind of bitter about Tom Hardy being a twin [in 2015's Legend]. He doesn't like when people play two different real people,” the actor told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. “I looked at him, and I was like, 'Cole, I don't think they were looking for guys like us to play that role, anyway, if they're hiring Tom Hardy.’ “

Related: Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin's Relationship Timeline

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As they’ve grown up, the twins have branched out in their personal lives, too. Dylan married supermodel Barbara Palvin on July 15, 2023, in Hungary, while Cole is dating model Ari Fournier.

Still, the duo remain involved in each other’s lives. Appearing on Ripa’s podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa in April 2024, Cole called his brother and sister-in-law “so wonderful” and “perfect together.” As for when the couple will start a family, Cole said that they are “taking their time and figuring it out.”

“I absolutely see them taking that step sometime soon and it'll be nice because then my father will stop asking when I'm gonna do it, you know?" he added jokingly.

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