Most people think that we were first introduced to Dylan and Cole Sprouse on their hit Disney Channel show, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, however, we knew these twins when they were just babies even if we didn’t exactly know it yet.
The twins have gone on to have some very successful careers, even stepping away from the spotlight for a little while to attend college and pursue their other dreams besides acting. They’ve tried living normal lives, getting regular jobs, and pursuing their other passions. Although they’ve both made their way back to the acting world at some point, they’re still just Dylan and Cole Sprouse, the twins we’ve come to know and love over the years.
These are 15 little known facts about Dylan and Cole Sprouse’s rise to fame.
15 They Were Born In Italy
Dylan and Cole Sprouse might seem like two down to earth all-American boys, however, the two weren’t actually born in America. Dylan and Cole were born August 4, 1992 in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. There’s honestly no way to tell, especially when they speak, since they moved to America not long after.
14 Their First Acting Role Was In Grace Under Fire
We all know Dylan and Cole from Disney’s Suite Life of Zack and Cody, however, the twins had a few roles before their big break on Disney. Their first big role was on the TV comedy, Grace Under Fire. The twins both played the role of Patrick Kelly, the son of the main character, Grace. They shared the role, switching out throughout all 112 episodes from 1993 to 1998.
13 Cole Starred In Friends
The twins didn’t always go after acting parts that were for both of them. Cole had the opportunity to get a huge part alone, as he auditioned and got the role of Ben Geller, Ross Geller’s son on Friends. Cole played Ben from seasons 6 to 8, with three other actors playing a younger version of Ben before him.
12 They Went To New York University
When the twins stepped away from Disney for a while, they decided that they wanted to try having a somewhat normal life and go to college. In 2011, they took the plunge and applied to New York University. The two got into the prestigious school, thus starting their lives as two regular kids.
11 Dylan Opened A Meadery
Dylan proved that he had some other talents and interests as he tried his hand at making alcohol. After some research, Dylan decided to build a commercial brewery in Brooklyn. From then on, All-Wise Meadery was born and Dylan became one of the youngest master brewers in the entire country.
10 Cole Is A Photographer
When Dylan got involved with his meadery, Cole got involved with photography. Cole became interested in photography as a way to escape from his depression. His photos are so good that he’s had the opportunity to take photos of some famous celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Sophie Turner and even Sam Smith. He’s constantly posting photos on his instagram.
9 Cole Is The Younger Twin
They may be identical twins, however, the two do have some differences between them. First of all, Cole is the younger twin. Dylan is older than him by a whole 15 minutes — something we’re more than sure that Dylan has held over Cole’s head for years.
8 They Have An Instagram Of Fans Taking Pictures Of Them
Being a celebrity, you’re constantly having your picture taken, and it can probably get a little annoying. As a result, Cole decided to have a little fun with it by creating an Instagram where he would post photos of strangers that were too afraid to ask for a photo, but Cole caught them trying to take a sneaky one. Check it out on @camera_duels!
7 Dylan Has A Famous Namesake
Dylan’s full name is Dylan Thomas Sprouse, and not many people may realize that he actually has a pretty famous namesake. His parents named him after the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas best known for his poems “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “and death shall have no dominion.”
6 Cole Also Has A Famous Namesake
Just like his brother, Cole also has a pretty famous namesake as well. Unlike Dylan, Cole wasn’t named after a famous Welsh poet. Instead, he was named after a famous musician — Nat King Cole, who was most known as an American singer and jazz pianist.
5 They Left Disney To Go To College
When Dylan and Cole made the decision to attend college, they had to make the difficult decision of whether or not they’d like to continue on with their acting career or take a big step away from Hollywood and Disney. As a result, they made the difficult decision to leave Disney and attend school full time, living a normal life.
4 They Switched Places At Their Graduation
When Dylan and Cole graduated in 2015, they decided to pull one last prank — they switched places! In true identical twin fashion, the two pulled a switcharoo during the ceremony, going up when each other’s names were called and accepting each other’s diplomas. No one even noticed.
3 They Started Acting To Help Their Family
The Sprouse twins were put in the spotlight at a very young age, as the first made their debut at just 8 months old. Cole once revealed in a now-deleted Tumblr post that he and Dylan started acting at such a young age because their family needed money. If it wasn’t for that Cole admitted that he probably wouldn’t have gotten into acting.
2 Dylan Had A Normal Job After Disney
After leaving Disney and attending university, the twins started drifting off into separate lives. While Cole went back to acting — you can see him in the CW’s Riverdale — Dylan took on more of a normal job. He worked as a waiter, servicing coffee and lattes to unsuspecting patrons, not expecting a former Disney star to be waiting on them.
1 They Pitched A Final Season Of Suite Life But Disney Said No
We all know that The Suite Life of Zack and Cody got it’s own spinoff, The Suite Life On Deck. The twins decided that they wanted to bring the series to an end, so they pitched a final season — that the twins would produce — that would allow their stories to come to an end and effectively pass the torch to another character and effectively have another spinoff type show. Apparently, Disney execs laughed in their faces and told them no.