The Parent Trap is one of those classic movies that feels like a warm hug.
In fact, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, the story of identical twins Hallie Parker and Annie James never gets old.
In case you’ve forgotten, the movie follows the story of Hallie and Annie (both played by Lindsay Lohan), who are reunited at summer camp after being separated at birth.
Watch the trailer for The Parent Trap below. Post continues after video.
With the girl’s parents living on opposite sides of the world, the pair hatch a plan to get their parents back together by making a secret identity swap.
Now, after weeks of speculation about a possible remake or reunion, the cast have announced that they are reuniting to celebrate the film's 22nd anniversary.
Director Nancy Meyers shared the exciting news on Instagram, alongside a teaser video which featured Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid (who played Nick Parker), Elaine Hendrix (who played Meredith Blake) and Lisa Ann Walter (who played Chessy).
"Sorry for the mini delay but the Secret’s Out! @katiecouric and I got THE PARENT TRAP cast back together for the first time since we made our movie. We had a blast," Meyers wrote on Instagram.
The reunion will take place over on Katie Couric’s Instagram on July 20 at 9am (local time).
The reunion will also include writer-producer Charles Shyer and actor Simon Kunz (who played Martin), and will help raise funds for José Andrés’ non-profit organisation World Central Kitchen.
While we wait to see the cast reunite, we decided to take a look back at the 1998 film.
Here are 14 things you didn’t know about The Parent Trap.
1. The crew were looking for “a little Diane Keaton” to play Annie and Hallie.
Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jena Malone, Mischa Barton, and Mara Wilson all auditioned for the role of the twins, with castings held in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, London, Miami, Minneapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York City.
“I saw Lindsay on a tape from New York,” director Meyers said.
“I said, ‘There’s something electric about this girl.'”
2. Annie and Hallie were named after the director Nancy Meyers and producer Charles Shyer’s real daughters.
The real Annie and Hallie also made an appearance in the film.
The real-life Hallie asks where the Navajo bunk is at Camp Walden, while the real-life Annie brings Elizabeth the first-aid kit at the hotel.
Two decades later, Hallie Meyers-Shyer is now an actress, director and writer. She directed the movie Home Again in 2017.
3. Lindsay Lohan had an acting double.
As Lohan played both of the twins, each scene was filmed twice.
In order for her to do this, the actress had a number of stand-ins, including actress Erin Mackey, to give her a visual reference point.
Mackey is seven years older than Lohan, and now works in musical theatre, appearing in numerous Broadway productions of Wicked.
4. One of the main camp counsellors is Janice from Friends.
Marva Kulp, Jr. is played by Maggie Wheeler, who you may recognise as Janice from Friends.
5. Joanna Barnes appeared in both the original and the remake.
Actress Joanna Barnes appeared in both the original 1961 film, and the 1998 version.
In the original, Barnes played the wicked girlfriend, before playing the wicked girlfriend (Meredith's) mother in the following version.
In both movies, Barnes' character was called Vicky.
6. The secret handshake took Lohan hours to learn.
The classic secret handshake from the movie consisted of 18 moves.
Simon Kunz, who played Martin, and Lohan, spent "two or three" hours creating and learning the handshake.
7. The subtle Beatles reference.
When Hallie first arrives in London, she's seen crossing the road with Elizabeth as The Beatles song 'Here Comes the Sun' plays.
When the pair cross the road, they cross in the same place that The Beatles did on the cover of their album, 'Abbey Road'.
The cars parked in the background of the scene are also positioned identically to the album art.
8. Lohan's family were extras in the movie.
When Hallie first arrives in London and greets Martin at the airport, Lohan's real-life mother and siblings are used as extras in the background.
The young boy who was accidentally sent to the all-girls Camp Walden was also played by Lohan's brother, Michael.
9. It was Lohan's first movie role.
Lohan was just 12 years old when she appeared in The Parent Trap. She also had her ears pierced specifically for the role.
10. Lohan used an ear piece while filming.
While filming as the two twins, Lohan would film the take for one twin, before wearing an ear piece for the next take so she could hear the dialogue she had recorded as the previous twin.
11. Real chocolate was used in the prank scene.
When Marva Kulp, Sr. and Marva Kulp, Jr. investigate Annie's cabin, they had chocolate dumped on their heads.
The chocolate was actually real, and hardened on the pair when they travelled from the set to the showers.
"It was an open air golf cart, so with the air blowing on us, the chocolate hardened, and so by the time we got to the showers, we were like chocolate bunnies," Maggie Wheeler, who played Marva Jr, recalled.
"We had to move our limbs and crack the chocolate off."
12. In a deleted scene, Hallie met the Queen.
In a scene which was later cut from the movie, Hallie met Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace.
Listen to the latest episode of Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.
13. The word actually is used... a lot.
The word was used 23 times throughout the movie.
14. Lisa Ann Walter had identical twins after filming the movie.
Lisa Ann Walter plays Chessy, Nick Parker's housekeeper, in The Parent Trap.
Three years after the film was released, Walter gave birth to identical twin boys on October 11 – the same birthday as Annie and Hallie in the movie.
This article was originally published on May 26, 2020, and was updated on July 20, 2020.
Feature Image: IMDb.
For more on this topic:
Sign up for the "Mamamia Daily" newsletter. Get across the stories women are talking about today.
Top Comments