Dylan and Cole Sprouse understand that sometimes it takes two. The charming identical twin boys that captivated our hearts over 25 years ago with their lively performance as the precocious little child on Big Daddy with Adam Sandler are no longer young. Neither are they boys. Dylan and his 15-minute younger brother Cole are no longer as close as they were at the beginning of their careers, but they are still very close.
The lovely blond brothers, born in 1992, were only 8 months old when they began sharing parts as a toddler or youngster in commercials, television, and cinema. As Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen of Full House demonstrate, identical twins are a valuable resource in Hollywood due to child labor rules that prohibit youngsters from working excessively long hours.
And for the tiny Sprouses, two was better than one. Their breakthrough role was in the TV comedy series Grace Under Fire, where they played the son of Brett Butler’s lead character Grace Kelly, from 1993 until 1998. Growing from infants to talking and walking six-year-olds, the twins were exceptional in their roles as Patrick Kelly. “As Grace’s 8-month-old, it’s impossible to tell at this point if Dylan and Cole Sprouse are the Olsen twins of tomorrow,” according to Variety’s Tim Grey.
When they played Sandler’s adoptive son in the comedy picture Big Daddy (1999), they dominated every scene with their perfectly placed remarks and hilarious performances. Cole spoke with People in 2022 about Sandler and stated, “Perhaps I’m a little biased because I’ve known him for a long time, but I do like his profession. He strikes a really, really good balance between art and commerce, which I believe is the currency of a true working actor.”
He went on: “He’s walking that line beautifully and he’s raising up all of his friends at the same time, which I think is incredible.” Cole and Dylan’s power couple was broken from 2000 to 2002 when Cole appeared on the popular television show Friends. Cole played Ben, the young son of Ross Gellar, who is played by David Schwimmer. This was the first time Cole acted a role without Dylan.
Cole recalls his favorite Friends episode, “The One with the Holiday Armadillo,” saying, “I remember that quite well.” I was fascinated by the clothes and the practical effects.”He also admitted that the outfits were not his main obsession. He also had a huge crush on his co-star, Rachel. In an interview with TODAY, Cole stated, “I’m fairly sure I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston, which the entire world did at the time. However, as a result, I recall feeling quite intimidated around her. I recall forgetting my lines and suffering stage fright when she sat next to me on the couch in one episode.”
Cole and Dylan reunited in 2002 for the film Master of Disguise, where they played the young Pistachio Disguisey together. At this point, the boys were beginning to establish distinct personalities that would shape their careers as individuals.That was when they played Zach and Cody in The Suite Life of Zach & Cody, an Emmy-nominated Disney series that aired for three seasons beginning in 2005. When the series ended, their characters, Zach and Cody, appeared on various Disney shows such as Hannah Montana with Miley Cyrus and in the film The Suite Life Movie.
The adolescent heartthrobs’ reputation was skyrocketing, but the young men remained composed and attended New York University, Dylan studying video game design and Zack humanities and archaeology. “I needed to take a break and get outside of myself; I needed a reality check, and I needed to see myself objectively. And now I believe I can enjoy [acting], which is a crucial aspect of being an actor,” Cole remarked, revealing that the long-running Disney series made him feel like a machine. “I’m not saying we didn’t have a good time, but it was work.
It’s a career and a business, and it got me into college, which was one of the best things I could have received. But I’m pleased to be operating on my own initiative now.” Cole returned to television after graduating in 2015, this time appearing without his sibling. Their diverse personalities are leading them on separate roads, and as independent men, they no longer play the same function. Cole has been playing Jughead Jones in Riverdale, a supernatural drama TV series based on Archie comic book characters, since 2017.
He is currently dating Ari Fournier, a French-Canadian model whom he met almost two years ago. Dylan, on the other hand, voices video game characters and is engaged to Barbara Palvin, a Sports Illustrated model. He also co-founded All-Wise Meadery, a craft brewery in Brooklyn, New York. Dylan told US Weekly in 2020, “It’s more likely that I’ll write something for us to collaborate on, rather than someone approaching us.” Twin flicks are never enjoyable! That’s just the global truth I believe the universe has bestowed onto us, so if we can discover the proper thing, absolutely.”
It’s hard to imagine how many years have passed since we first met the lovely Sprouse twins on Big Daddy! They’ve both accomplished tremendous things in and out of Hollywood, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.
