Seeing a famous person in the flesh can be exciting, particularly if you are a huge fan. Besides the good, old autograph, most of us now also want to get a quick selfie in, proof that we really came face to face with a star. 

The “Not Really Famous” internet group gathers examples of misguided people taking selfies with what they think are celebrities. Instead, a random person on the street got to feel what it’s like to be famous just for a few moments. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the best examples in the list, and comment your own experiences below. 

#1 Omg Matt Damon

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#2 Who Indeed

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#3 These Guys Thought They Met Ed Sheeran

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A bit too late for Halloween, this list still shows us what may have been the origin of the “Doppelgänger,” which has multiple variants across all sorts of different mythology. As it so often is, every mythological tale has some connection, however faint, to real-life phenomena. People who look like other people are no exception. 

Ancient Egypt and much of European folklore has some variant of a creature that looks, acts, and talks like a real person. While this no doubt featured heavily in folk tales and stories to frighten children, one wonders if, perhaps, it was the creation of a particularly wily individual who needed to get out of being placed at the scene of a crime. 

#4 Peter Dinklage Bought Us Drinks!!

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#5 My Friend’s Special Bachelorette Party Guest: Morgan Freeman

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#6 Bond, James Bond

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Interestingly, even in the ages before smartphones, people were encountering doppelgängers all the time. English metaphysical poet John Donne swore that he saw his wife in Paris, in 1612. “I have seen a dreadful Vision since I saw you: I have seen my dear wife pass twice by me through this room, with her hair hanging about her shoulders, and a dead child in her arms: this, I have seen since I saw you,” he wrote to his friend, a Sir Robert. While John Donne perhaps mixed up a dream with reality, there are still many cases of people who just look quite similar to others. 

#7 You’re Not Convincing Me That I Didn’t Get Day Drunk With George Clooney

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#8 Johnny Derp

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#9 Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine On The Street

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These days, perhaps taking some of the magic out of it, people can even upload images of their faces to sites that will find their doppelgängers in the wild. While this might require sacrificing some privacy, it could help someone scratch that itch of finding people just like them on the internet. 

#10 “Hulk Hogan”

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#11 “Me And Criss Angel. He Keep Sayin His Name Was Dave But I Know It Was You Criss”

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#12 Someone Pretended To Be Tom Cruise In A Small Chicken Shop In North Eastern Thailand And Is Remembered There Forever

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What is truly spooky is when scientists actually get some living doppelgängers together in a room to study them. Naturally, they often have an above-average number of genes in common. After all, this is what decides what we look like, the shape of our faces, and the overall dimensions of our bodies. 

#13 George Clooney – Perfect Similarity

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#14 Buddy Was Stoked To Meet Vin Diesel

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#15 Girl From My Facebook Feed Swore She Met Macklemore

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However, the similarities don’t end there, as researchers have found that, more often than not, these people will also share personality traits. Unfortunately, this means that your doppelgänger is probably not acting in such a way that would convince others it isn’t you. Regardless, this research has helped scientists figure out what parts of epigenomes and microbiomes contribute to what we look like. 

#16 Steve Jobs Hiding In Egypt After Faking His Death

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#17 “Last Night, I Met Lorde, In Spain!”

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#18 My Friend Met Chuck Norris In Switzerland!

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Of course, it’s a whole different ball game when a person who looks like you becomes famous. As the various people in this list no doubt already experienced, you will probably end up approached by groups of drunk people demanding selfies. If you are unlucky enough, they won’t even tell you why they want a selfie. 

#19 Wow, What Are The Odds Of Finding Robert Downy Jr. In A Small Texas Mall?

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#20 During The Filming Of Anchorman 2 In Atlanta This Bar Got Overrun Due To A Rumored “Will Ferrell” Sighting

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#21 Dwight Howard

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To perhaps shed some light on the situation, there was a 2010 internet meme, commonly referred to as Doppelganger Week, where folks would post an image of themselves and a celebrity they, supposedly, looked like. Most examples were perhaps a bit generous, but there were a good amount of people who truly could pass as someone famous. 

#22 Told You Tupac Was Still Alive. Just Saw Him At The Barbershop

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#23 Its Either Common Or A Cool Black Guy

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#24 Marilyn Manson

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But, to return to the spirit of the mythological doppelgängers, there is a psychological condition in which a person starts to believe that someone close to them has been replaced by an identical clone. The exact nature of this “replacement” might differ, some believe it’s a paranormal creature, others a clone or just a very convincing actor. 

#25 Walked Into Class And Thought Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) Was My Teacher

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#26 Not Samuel L. Jackson At A Bus Station

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#27 That Time I Totally Didn’t Drink With Gandalf At A Russian Bar

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Called Capgras delusion, after Joseph Capgras who first discovered it in 1923, it describes a variety of delusions, all focused on someone impersonating a loved one or family member. The details will vary, in one case, a woman thought her husband had been “replaced” by her long-dead father. There isn’t a general treatment method, beyond therapy and trying to get the individual to see reason. 

#28 This Girl Thought She Met Drake

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#29 Plumber Can’t Leave House! (I Know, I’m Ashamed Of That Title Also..)

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#30 He Is A Superhero Though

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Fortunately, these folks simply got a bit mixed up. In their excitement, it seems, they did not consider why this famous person happened to be hanging out at their local bar or mall. And if you want to see other examples, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our article on the “Walmart” version of celebrities that people have encountered in the wild. 

#31 I Thought They Were Friends With Matt Leblanc (Joey)

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#32 Obama Visiting Paraguay

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#33 /U/Sorentius Meets “Jake Gyllenhaal”

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#34 That’s Not Iron Man Mate

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#35 My Cousin Thought He Met Christian Bale And Orlando Bloom

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#36 Met Shia At A Kebab Shop In Edmonton, Alberta

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#37 Tom Cruise Out For A Stroll Between Takes!

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#38 Bruno Mars

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#39 “Met An Idol Tonight. Maisie Williams”

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#40 She Thought She Met Usher

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#41 My Dad Tagged Me And My Sister On Facebook In This, His Friend Sent Him This From Hawaii. He’d Thought He Met Kristen Stewart

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#42 Kanye East

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#43 2chainz At Red Robin

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#44 Ran Into “Stan Lee” Yesterday In Miami

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#45 Danny Devito Works A Shift At The Airport Now

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#46 It Makes Sense Zach Galifinakis Would Wear A Shirt From His Own Movie, Right?

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#47 Met Peter Dinklage In Vegas!

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#48 Just Chatting It Up With Rod Stewart Himself!

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#49 Tupac Is Alive!!!!

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#50 Friend Thought She Met Zach Galifianakis

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#51 My Boyfriend Gets Stopped All The Time Because People Think He’s Spike Lee

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#52 Met Tyler, The Creator Today!

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#53 Spielberg Is A Big Sushi Fan

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#54 She Jay-Z

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#55 She Met Calvin Harris.. Or Did She?

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#56 To Be Honest I Thought Y’all Were Making These Up Until I Found This On Facebook

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#57 So Mac Is Taking The Picture…right?

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#58 The Time I Thought I Met Jennette Mccurdy On Omegle

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#59 On A First Name Basis With The George Rr Martin

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#60 Met “Jack Harlow” In Newport, Ca This Week… This Kid Had Us Convinced But We Didn’t Realize The Real Jack Is Actually 6’3”

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#61 The Night I Met Russell Crowe At Applebees

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#62 Can’t Believe He Met Reese Witherspoon!

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#63 Mindy Got A Free Tour

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#64 President Obama!

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#65 Owen Wilson #starstruck

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#66 Hugh Hefner Would Definitely Be Hanging Out At A College Bar

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#67 Hugh Laurie Making Some Cocktails

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#68 My Friends Thought They Met Bill Murray

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#69 Investigate 711

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#70 My Buddy On The Left Met Leonardo Dicaprio Today

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Source: boredpanda.com