The best disguises require commitment. You can play dress-up and tell people you’re someone else, but the keys to getting away with it are unbridled confidence and a willingness to be coy. Maybe that’s why so many fans online are convinced British rapper EsDeeKid is really French American actor Timothée Chalamet, who was recently asked about the viral theory that he’s the masked artist. “I got no comment on that. … All will be revealed in due time,” Chalamet said.
While the rumor remains unconfirmed, if the Dune actor is pulling a fast one, it would fit a recent trend of celebrities reportedly living double lives. It’s believed Riverdale star K.J. Apa’s alter ego is pop singer and internet personality Mr. Fantasy. And many suspect that Kevin James is behind TikTok sensation Matt Taylor, who claims to be an art teacher but bears a striking resemblance to the actor and comedian. Whether these celebrities are donning disguises and living it up Hannah Montana–style, the characters in these movies and series on Netflix — including a hit man, a secret agent, and a thief — are definitely incognito. Read on to learn more.
Retired college professor Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) gets a new lease on life when he takes a job with a no-nonsense private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) and goes undercover at a retirement home, where a necklace has gone missing. The affable Charles pretends to be a new resident to find the culprit, and hijinks abound as he becomes close with the other retirees and attempts to hide his new job from his daughter (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). The comedy series was created by Michael Schur (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place) and based on the Oscar-nominated documentary The Mole Agent.
When Assane Diop (Omar Sy) was a child, his father (Fargass Assandé) was falsely accused by his employer, Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre), of stealing Marie Antoinette’s necklace from a safe. His father was thrown in prison, where he died by alleged suicide, and Assane was left to fend for himself on the streets of Paris. In this thriller inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, Assane returns 25 years later to seek revenge on the wealthy Pellegrini family. Using his charm, disguises, and hard-won skills as a master thief, he vows to expose the Pellegrinis’ crimes and topple their empire. Ludivine Sagnier (French Lover), Antoine Gouy (Gold Brick), and Soufiane Guerrab (Squad 36) co-star.
Glen Powell (Twisters) stars in this romantic comedy, which is based on a true story. He plays mild-mannered professor Gary Johnson, who becomes a contractor for the New Orleans police department and goes undercover as a fake hit man while wearing elaborate costumes. His disguises — including a tattooed country boy, an American Psycho–esque assassin, and a mysterious Russian in a leather trench coat — help him gain confidence, especially when a woman (Adria Arjona) trying to escape her abusive husband comes to him for help. They strike up a romantic relationship that changes them both in this movie co-written by Powell and director Richard Linklater (Boyhood).
Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) is a devoted, down-to-earth mother to her two children and a seemingly loyal wife to her husband, Wallace (Andrew Buchan), the UK’s Conservative minister of defense. Helen is also a professional spy who’s been living undercover for a decade and passing secrets to a shadowy organization called the Black Doves. When her secret lover, Jason (Andrew Koji), is assassinated, her spymaster (Sarah Lancashire) calls on an old friend, Sam (Ben Whishaw), to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam uncover a massive conspiracy that could lead to a world-altering geopolitical crisis.
Disguises are literally transformative in this cult-favorite sci-fi thriller directed by John Woo (A Better Tomorrow). John Travolta (Pulp Fiction) and Nicolas Cage (Gunslingers) star as FBI Special Agent Sean Archer and terrorist Castor Troy, who undergo an experimental surgery that swaps their faces so that Archer can stop a bomb from blowing up Los Angeles. But trading faces means trading much more than they bargained for when the men begin interfering in each other’s personal lives. Joan Allen (Zero Day), Gina Gershon (Bound), and Alessandro Nivola (The Room Next Door) co-star.
