For Shawn Ashmore<\/strong><\/a>, he\u2019s had to go against his twin brother, Aaron Ashmore<\/strong>, for roles throughout their careers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we were doing commercials, they would call us back in after we both auditioned,\u201d Shawn, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> ahead of the premiere of his new film, It Feeds<\/em>. \u201cAnd [they] said, \u2018We love you guys both. And so it\u2019s fair, we\u2019re gonna flip a coin so that you guys can see it\u2019s not preferential treatment.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Shawn confessed that the toss-up was not just a one-time circumstance.<\/p>\n \u201cThat happened four or five times where they\u2019d say, \u2018Hey, come on, come in, we\u2019re gonna hire one of you. But so that the other one doesn\u2019t get their feelings hurt or they don\u2019t think it\u2019s personal, we\u2019re gonna flip a coin in front of you guys.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While having a job determined by luck isn\u2019t ideal, Shawn confessed that the method actually helped him and Aaron, 45, handle the rejection.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a really good thing for us to learn that it wasn\u2019t like one person was getting chosen over the other,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIt was like, \u2018We like you both. We can only hire one. Let\u2019s flip a coin.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Shawn and Aaron got their start as kids<\/a> in Toronto working on various commercials. Their first gig came when they were approached by a casting agent for a toy commercial \u2014 which was ideal at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds great. We just have to come in and play with toys,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWe both auditioned.\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron ultimately booked the role but ended up coming down with the flu \u2014 which worked out in Shawn\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom brought both of us to set and my mom was like, \u2018You cast him, but he is sick as a dog. So I brought his twin brother.\u2019 And they were like, \u2018OK, I guess we\u2019ll take the one that\u2019s not sick,\u2019\u201d he reflected. \u201cSo I have to thank Aaron for my big break because if he hadn\u2019t booked that commercial, we might not still be doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n Since that commercial, Shawn has gone on to star on multiple TV series including The Rookie<\/em>, The Following<\/em>, The Boys<\/em> and more. Currently, he\u2019s starring in the horror film It Feeds<\/em><\/a> alongside Ashley Greene<\/strong>. Shawn plays Randall Harris who is the father of daughter Riley who has been possessed. While trying to save his child, Randall takes extreme and violent measures to save her life. When getting into character, Shawn confessed he \u201cnever looked at Randall as a villain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were watching this movie through Randall\u2019s perspective, he would be the hero. In a way, he\u2019s making horrible choices, right? But I understood the bad choices he was making,\u201d he told Us<\/em>. \u201cBecause he is in an impossible situation. He\u2019s just watched his wife wither away from a circumstance that he has cannot understand as he starts to grasp what this thing is, his daughter is at risk, and he is at risk of losing his daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Shawn](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1-Shawn-Ashmore-Says-Casting-Agents-Would-Flip-a-Coin-to-Decide-If-He-or-His-Twin-Landed-a-Role.jpg?w=1000&quality=70&strip=all\")
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