A Simple Favor: Does Blake Lively play both twins?

Paul Feig’s satirical thriller had no shortage of twists – so, here’s whether Blake Lively played both twins and some additional tidbits about making the movie before A Simple Favor 2.

Spoilers ahead as we dive into the campy plot twist; this isn’t a new movie, after all.

A Simple Favor is number one on Netflix in the US, so ride the sexy, tense, rollercoaster on the streaming service before ruining the third act for yourself.

As for the twin thing, Emily and Faith’s shocking switcharoo was brought to life by simple makeup and clever acting.

Does Blake Lively play both twins in A Simple Favor?

Blake Lively played both twins in A Simple Favor.

The makeup and hair departments helped create slight visual differences between Faith and Emily.

Lively was on double duty, portraying a tightly coiled, seductive wife and mother, as well as her long-lost sister, Faith. Stand-in actors and simple post-production effects helped sell the illusion of Blake Lively squared.

Faith, having lived a much rougher adulthood than Emily, was styled differently to accentuate this. Her makeup was purposefully not as well done as Emily’s, her hair undoubtedly wasn’t on Emily’s bi-weekly salon schedule, and she wore cheaper clothes.

Lively also created contrast through her physicality in the performances. Emily had trained herself to mimic the body language of someone with wealth and composure, while Faith had more of a shaky and impulsive quality to her movement and speech pattern.

A Simple Favor’s twin twist explained

In A Simple Favor’s third act, we find out Emily (real name Hope) had a secret twin sister called Faith. Emily faked her death by posing Faith’s body as her own.

Hope and Faith grew up in an abusive household. Unable to take more violence from their father, they hatched a plan to set their house on fire and kill him. It worked, and after, the sisters parted ways to begin a new life.

Hope created a false identity under the name Emily and buried her past. This explains the core mystery of why Emily’s life doesn’t add up.

While Emily carved out a shiny new existence (at least on the surface), Faith fell into a life of implied addiction and poverty — two sides of the same coin, but one much rustier than the other.

Near the movie’s end, they reunited at a Bible Camp for the first time in over a decade. They were happy to see each other, being kindred spirits, but the tone shifted quickly. Desperate, Faith threatened to reveal their crime if Emily didn’t cough up $1 million.

Faith, erratic and melancholic, then swam in a nearby lake. Emily joined, hugged her, and expressed regret, then drowned her in the water.

Emily’s traumatic upbringing molded her into someone who felt she had to claw what she wanted from the world through scheming and deceit. So, she posed Faith’s body to be found and identified as Emily, so that she could claim the money on her own $4 million life insurance policy.

Is A Simple Favor based on a true story?

A Simple Favor is not based on a true story. The movie is fictional and adapted from Darcey Bell’s novel of the same name.

Life insurance scams may happen in real life, but this one was made up.

While it’s a genuine thriller, A Simple Favor had a streak of dark comedy and a playful tone. The lack of real-world implications gave Feig room to have lots of fun with it.

A Simple Favor 2 is already confirmed, with filming wrapping in May 2024, so we can’t wait to see what tasty twists lie in store.

For something else to watch, check out the new movies streaming and our top binge-worthy shows. Or, dig into similar territory with Ginny and Georgia Season 3.