Jean-Claude Van Damme may have a prominent martial arts background that made him a legitimate action star, stretching — puns intended — way back to the 80s era. And while it was common knowledge that you don’t watch a Van Damme movie for his dramatic acting prowess, that doesn’t stop the Muscles from Brussels from trying to expand his range beyond showcasing his signature split kick.
This is especially true with Van Damme wanting to prove to himself that he could act, in order to dismiss skeptical Hollywood executives like Cannon Films co-founder Menahem Golan, and producer Joel Silver of Predator and Lethal Weapon fame, who were both doubtful of his potential. At the time, Golan felt his thick Belgian accent would hinder the star-making progress, while Silver found his ego and unprofessional on-set conflict were unacceptable when Van Damme was first cast as the titular alien hunter in Predator, before he got fired and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall.
Chad vs. Alex: The Two Sides of Van Damme
So, 35 years ago today, then-newly minted star Van Damme, who reached international stardom after headlining Bloodsport and Kickboxer in the late ’80s, finally found an opportunity by challenging himself in his first dual roles in Double Impact. In the 1991 action movie that saw him reunited with Lionheart director Sheldon Lettich, he plays long-lost identical twins, Chad and Alex, who were separated since they were just babies after their parents were brutally murdered by a Hong Kong triad led by Raymond Zhang (Philip Chan) and his right-hand henchman, Moon (Bolo Yeung).
The movie then jumps forward over twenty years, first introducing the adult Chad, who is teaching the eager young women (among them Julie Strain, fresh off her newly-crowned Penthouse Pet of the Month for June 1991 in an unnamed student role) in the aerobics class about the importance of stretching.
Far from the usual tough-guy persona we have grown accustomed to from the martial arts star at the time, Van Damme’s Chad is more of a soft-spoken and easygoing aerobics and karate instructor, whose fashion sense for all things bright and pastel looks uncharacteristically misplaced. Rewatching his scene in the aerobics class remains one of his most awkward moments ever seen even today, ranking alongside his bar dance in Kickboxer.
And yet, it’s hard to deny Van Damme knows how to let loose while retaining his graceful martial arts moves. His Chad character contrasts well with Alex, whose polar-opposite personalities frame a quintessential Van Damme on-screen persona — rugged charm, fierce determination, and downright no-nonsense, preferring to let the action do the talking. His slicked-back hairstyle and muted choice of clothing offer a cynical visual contrast that mirrors Chad’s rather optimistic worldview, making their contrasting personalities one of the highlights in the movie.
How Van Damme’s Twin Scenes Were Filmed Without CGI
Now, unlike today’s seamless special effects for showcasing identical twins seen in the likes of Michael B. Jordan’s Oscar-winning dual portrayal in Sinners, achieving such a moviemaking illusion over thirty years ago was a significant technical challenge for Lettich and the team while filming Double Impact. It began with Van Damme, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Lettich, designing the star’s distinct personalities and appearances for Chad and Alex, allowing the audience to recognize the differences instantly upon watching the movie.
The crew must rely on the split-screen seam whenever a scene requires Van Damme to appear on the same screen as the twins. It was practically done on set, where the crew positioned a custom black matte box in front of the lens with the camera mounted on a heavy tripod. Once the camera was locked into place, no one was allowed to touch the equipment or even adjust the focus since any single, unwanted movement entering the frame would misalign the composite shot later on.
Besides, to sell the illusion of the identical-twin appearances, Van Damme and the crew had to film “Side A” and “Side B” separately. In other words, Van Damme would step into the frame as Side A, performing his dialogue and/or action as Chad accordingly. And for him to react with “Alex”, either Georges Bejue or Mark Stefanich would serve as the stunt double and stand-in. The matte in question came in handy to block the right side of the frame.
After the shot was fulfilled, Van Damme had to change his clothes and appearance before showing up as Alex while the crew meticulously rewound the same film roll during the wardrobe break. The stand-in would then switch places to play “Chad”, while Van Damme became Alex for Side B, complete with the matte being flipped to block the left side. Such a tedious back-and-forth process took several months from filming on set to post-production work, where the latter must be painstakingly examined to ensure screen transitions and audio were synchronized.
Imperfect Effects, But a Career-Defining Performance
As much as Lettich and the crew were trying their best to accommodate the arduous composite shot for the identical twin appearances within its limited $16 million budget, the effects are far from perfect since the glaring lighting differences remain unavoidable for the then-largely analog filmmaking era.
Still, the otherwise technical shortcomings benefit from Van Damme’s committed dual performances as Chad and Alex, proving he has what it takes to act rather than just kicking asses. Released in the summer of 1991, on August 9, Double Impact went on to make $80.5 million worldwide and became a global box-office hit. Van Damme would go on to play dual roles three more times to varying degrees of success, including Timecop (1994), Maximum Risk (1996), and Replicant (2001).
Where to Watch Double Impact: Fans looking to revisit the twin trickery can stream Double Impact free with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV, or rent it on Prime Video and Apple TV. Collectors can also look out for the upcoming 4K restoration from 88 Films’ Mvd Rewind Collection, set to arrive on Blu-ray in early 2026.
