Dennis Quaid said his onscreen daughter is “the most gifted child actor” he’s worked with.

Dennis Quaid was floored by Lindsay Lohan’s Parent Trap screen test: ‘I thought there was 2 people’

Dennis Quaid said his onscreen daughter is "the most gifted child actor" he's worked with.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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on March 12, 2026 6:48 p.m. ET

Dennis Quaid; Lindsay Lohan. Credit:

Santiago Felipe/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Dennis Quaid thought he was really seeing double when he screen tested for *The Parent Trap**.*

The actor, who played father and winemaker Nick, recently recalled working with his onscreen daughter Lindsay Lohan on the 1998 family film. Lohan played twins Annie and Hallie so convincingly that Quaid believed at times that she actually had a sister.

"She was 11 and I did the screen test with her," he told the YouTube production company Out of Order. "I thought there was two people myself. Because she just went right into this English accent."

Lindsay Lohan in 'The Parent Trap'.

Lorey Sebastian/Disney

The *Mean Girls* star had to switch between the twins who are polar opposites from England and America. Although he knew that it was just Lohan playing the role, he said it was a testament to her talent that she could realistically play both girls. He also explained how the film captured Lohan's performances, sharing that they would film scenes twice and layer them to create one cohesive picture.

"She is the most gifted child actor, or actor, that I think I've ever worked with," he gushed.

Quaid said *The Parent Trap* started a new chapter of his career after spending much of the 1990s playing bad boys. After the film, he was tapped for more family-friendly movies like 2002's *The Rookie* and the 2005 remake of *Yours, Mine, & Ours.*

Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson in 'The Parent Trap'.

Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett

The *Substance* actor also opened up about his late *Parent Trap *costar Natasha Richardson. The actress, who played the twins' mother Liz, died after a skiing accident in 2009. She was 45 years old. Quaid said "my heart breaks every time" he watches their wedding scene together.

He teared up recalling his time working with Richardson, who he said was "just an incredible person." Quaid praised the legacy she left behind, especially since *The Parent Trap* has become a classic shared across generations.

"If there's anybody I'd want to work with again, it would be her," he said. "She was a great person, besides being an amazing actor to work with. She really was."

Check out the entire interview with Dennis Quaid on Out of Order below.

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