Sisters Rooney and Kate Mara have shared the screen for the first time, portraying identical twins in Werner Herzog's latest film, "Bucking Fastard." The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, draws inspiration from the real-life story of British twins Freda and Greta Chaplin.
Freda and Greta Chaplin gained notoriety for their remarkable synchronicity, speaking in unison, sharing dreams, and developing an obsession with the same man. Their unique bond was central to a high-profile court case in the 1980s. The twins were prosecuted for breach of the peace after allegedly harassing a local truck driver, Ken Iveson, who claimed they had hounded him for years. During the trial, Freda and Greta famously uttered the same phrases simultaneously, a moment that reportedly inspired the film's title.
For "Bucking Fastard," Rooney and Kate Mara play co-dependent twins Jean and Joan Holbrooke. Director Werner Herzog noted that the sisters' lifelong history and close relationship made their portrayal of intertwined twins remarkably natural. "Having had a lifetime together and all the history and a childhood of playing together there was a world between us, we didn't have to work very hard to create it at all," Rooney Mara stated. Kate Mara added that once they found the rhythm of speaking in unison, it felt "very musical."
The film is set in Ireland and features Domhnall Gleeson as a social worker attempting to assist the twins, and Orlando Bloom as their lover. The real-life Chaplin sisters, who lived in York, were known for wearing the same clothes, walking in step, and speaking simultaneously. Their parents reportedly struggled to cope with their extreme closeness, leading the twins to live in hostels and shelters before eventually living independently.
Freda died in 2020 at the age of 77, following Greta's passing from ovarian cancer at 64 in 2007. The sisters are buried next to each other in York. According to reports, Freda visited Greta's grave daily until shortly before her own death. Their story gained further attention through two documentaries made about their lives in the 1980s and 1990s. In their later years, the sisters lived relatively reclusive lives together in their family home, with Freda reportedly leaving the house to a local cat shelter.
