Jordan Peele is proving himself to be a master of horror, but he's also excellent at slipping sly pop culture references into his work. As reported by Entertainment Tonight, his new movie Us has an unexpected Friends connection — and an Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans of the Central Perk gang to spot if they're not too busy covering their eyes thanks to all of the doppelgänger induced scares. It turns out the actors playing Elisabeth Moss' twin daughters in the film are already famous for playing an iconic Friends character: Emma. Yes, Ross and Rachel's daughter Emma is all grown up and starring in a horror movie.
Twins Noelle and Cali Sheldon kicked off their acting careers by playing baby Emma for the final two seasons of Friends. The duo made their first appearance in the Season 9 episode "The One in Barbados." Now 16, they've mostly been leading normal lives since their days on the hit NBC sitcom, aside from starring in a handful of short films, but Us marks their return to the world of acting in a major way.
Noelle and Cali are part of a star-studded cast that includes Lupita Nyong'o, Moss, and Winston Duke. They're also joined by fellow young actors Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex, who play Nyong'o's children in the film. And yes, the twins are beyond grateful to be in a Peele movie. In July 2018, Cali shared the casting news on Instagram, "So excited to announce that @noelle.sheldon and I have been cast in the next @jordanpeele movie Us! So thankful for this opportunity and excited to work with such amazing actors and @jordanpeele!" And in December, Noelle posted the trailer with the caption, "The trailer for Us is out now! I put the link in my bio. So happy I got to be a part of this movie, it looks amazing and terrifying!"
The twins aren't the only Friends connection that fans will spot when they go see Us, though. Tim Heidecker's character, Josh — Moss' character's husband and the girls' father in the movie — has a tattoo of the twins on his arm. Per ET, the template for the tattoo was actually a photo from their time playing Emma on Friends. Who knew Peele's terrifying new movie would have such a specific shout out to one of TV's best sitcoms?
Given the nature of Us, going into specifics means heading into spoiler territory, but it is interesting to see twins in a movie that features seemingly evil doubles of the main characters. According to the production notes, Cali and Noelle get to have some cool moments in the movie that fans can look forward to. They even get to show off their gymnastic abilities. "They have a couple of scenes where they really steal the show," Peele said in the notes.
It's hard to believe that the twins who once played Emma are now teens starring in a hit horror movie, but it's clear that the actors' baby days are long gone. If Us is any indication, these two have bright careers in Hollywood ahead of them. Ross and Rachel would be so proud.
