While we're in Gemini, we're celebrating twins each day at 2:22 pm
Whatever happened to the X-Men franchise's young Shawn Ashmore? He played Iceman in three X-Films from 2000 through 2006 though the character essentially peaked in 2003 in the franchise's single best film (Bryan Singer's X2: X-Men United) where he proved a key player. About four years ago he and his twin brother Aaron Ashmore (also an actor, most famous for playing Smallville's Jimmy Olsen) were still getting press but you don't hear much about either of them these days.
They're both still acting, Shawn still (mostly) in the movies though its low budget horror instead of big budget Hollywood franchises and Aaron (one minute older) still in television where he hops from shortlived series regular gig to series regular gig post Smallville. At 31 years of age neither are as famous as they once were. Those superhero franchises help, whether they're part of the Marvel or DC universes. Hollywood's a difficult place to maintain a career, let alone grow one. More after the jump...
Hailing from Canada (note the flag in the beefcake photoshoot to your left) the brothers have been acting since being discovered as little kids.
Confession: Though I kind of liked the original X-Men film and loved X2 (one of the three or four best superhero films if you ask me) the entire franchise had a problem with casting (in all three installments), with some actors handling their roles well though imperfectly and others seemingly chosen at random or for entirely wrong reasons. Amid that hodgepodge of "huh?" casting choices Shawn Ashmore actually did win me over as Iceman (though I initially disproved) particularly in X-2 since he gets my single favorite moment within the best scene in the best film in the franchise's entire history. I'm talking about the attack on the mansion and that beat where he separates Wolverine from his target with a wall of ice.
Hailing from Canada (note the flag in Shawn's beefcake photoshoot above) the brothers have been acting since being discovered as little kids and still are. But the brothers don't act together often. I always wondered why twin actors don't perform together more often. Shouldn't the Ashmore twins be pitching a TV series that they can star in together to reheat their careers?
Bobby's icy strategy to save the children in X2
Multiple Man's lame brief role in the lame X-Men: The Last Stand
And shouldn't the twins have been cast as Multiple Man instead of only Shawn as Bobby Drake (aka Iceman)? At least shave off a smidgeon of your special effects budget in the audition process!