It might be one of the most over-asked questions in Hollywood and the Internet. Is Jeremy Allen White related to Gene Wilder? The actors share an uncanny resemblance, including eye color, hair color, and facial structure.
Jeremy Allen White rose to fame when he starred as Lip Gallagher in the Showtime drama-comedy Shameless. He stayed on the show from when he was 18 til the finale when he was 30. His next role is dominating our feeds (and hearts) as the emotionally frayed and unavailable chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. FX’s The Bear is a critically acclaimed original series following a fine-dining trained chef as he transforms his grimy, family-owned sandwich joint into a next-level Chicago Michelin Star-esque spot.
Though now with the press run of the biopic The Iron Claw, many fans have brought up the fact that he looks like another beloved actor who was prominent in the 70s and 80s: Gene Wilder. With the new Wonka movie starring Timothée Chalamet released at the same time, and Gene starring in the titular role in the OG 1971 film Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, the comparison is on everyone’s minds.
No, Jeremy Allen White and Gene Wilder are not related at all. In the Buzzfeed Puppy Interview (awwww, by the way), Jeremy clears up the fact. “I’m not related to Gene Wilder,” the actor said. “I think a lot of people think I am.” Iron Claw co-star Zac Efron reacted, “That’s hilarious, I can kind of see it.”
Though this isn’t the first time Jeremy’s been asked the question. In an Instyle video, he said, “Everyone’s decided I look a lot like Gene Wilder, which I agree.” He pointed out a meme that said that his The Bear character Carmy was a “ketamine Gene Wilder” which he thought was “was weird and funny.”
In another GQ video, Jeremy answered the question again and said that he would “take a comparison any day.” The interviewer later pushed, “Are you… Gene Wilder?” Jeremy then joked, “I am actually Gene Wilder.”
Seth Meyers even asked the question because he’s been getting a clickbait article with the headline “These Celebrity Grandchildren Look Exactly Like Their Grandparents” with a comparison photo of Gene and Jeremy. The Late Night With Seth Meyers host asked if he’s ever clicked on it, and he said “No, I haven’t. Because I know that’s not my grandfather.” He later revealed that he first got the comparison after the first season of The Bear, and gushed over his love for the late actor, “I love him so much. The first movie that I watched over and over was Young Frankenstein.”
