By Maddie Orton
Arts Correspondent
Their meeting was something out of a movie. And with the upcoming documentary Twinsters, it’s about to become one. Almost two years ago, New Jersey-native and Korean adoptee Samantha Futerman received a Facebook message that changed her life: “I don’t want to be too Lindsay Lohan,” it said, “But where were you born?” It was from Anaïs Bordier — the long-lost twin sister she didn’t know she had.
“She told me she was adopted as well and was born in the same city on the same day. And she had found all of this out online,” Futerman said.
Futerman is an actress. So the big discovery came when Bordier’s friend saw a YouTube video featuring Futerman and passed it along, struck by the similarity. Bordier was struck too. And after lots of research, she tracked down Futerman’s name and got in touch.
“And I was blown away because I never realized that I could’ve possibly had a twin. But at that moment I kind of innately knew that it was too crazy to not be true,” said Futerman.
Futerman and Bordier were both listed as single births. Futerman grew up in Verona, New Jersey with her parents and two brothers, while Bordier, true to the Parent Trap parallel, was raised in Europe — just outside of Paris.
Despite growing up on different continents, the twins found each other to be remarkably similar when they first connected online face-to-face.
“When I heard her laugh, I got so freaked out. It was one of the first things I heard on Skype and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so strange!’ And we spent I think three hours checking our nails, and our teeth are the same. Neither of us had braces,” Futerman said. “We were checking our ears and everything.”
Even their mannerisms and tastes in food were similar.
A DNA test would later confirm what the women already knew to be true.
“In her, I always see my reactions. And when she’s reacting a certain way, I know what that feels like. So there’s just this extreme level of comfort with each other,” said Futerman.
Not surprisingly, a book offer came out of the news: Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited. Futerman and Bordier wanted to write it for fellow adoptees.
“Sometimes that’s all you need is someone else to be there and have gone through it,” Futerman said.
And thanks to their decision to document this journey — from first Skype conversation to first in-person meeting and more — soon anyone will be able to share their unique experience.
“My friend said to me, ‘Just tape the message, the Skype that you guys have. Why not? What’s there to lose?’ I said, ‘You know what? You’re right.’ And now I have this three-hour long, amazing conversation of the first time I ever talked to my sister,” said Futerman. “I have this amazing archival piece of our relationship.”
Footage that would eventually contribute to the Twinsters documentary began to accumulate.
“Since I had my camera, I just turned it, I just started talking about what was going on. I mean, how else does one who’s slightly creative cope with something like this?” Futerman asked. “And then eventually I said, ‘Do you want to share the story?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’”
Beyond sharing their DNA and one incredible story, Futerman now shares one more special thing with Bordier — her adoptive family.
“We’re pretty close to each other’s parents. And our parents actually have a really good relationship. And they email more than I think we do,” Futerman said.
Which says a lot.
“I talk to her every day. I’ll wake up to 20 text messages of her being like, ‘Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!’” said Futerman.
“It’s pretty amazing, yeah. Just, I’ve learned so much in this entire process. You can accept anyone into your life and they can be your family,” she said.
Futerman says she hopes Twinsters makes the film festival rounds in 2015 and gets a theatrical release. In the meantime, she’s working with her friend and fellow Korean-American adoptee, Glee’s Jenna Ushkowitz, to create Kindred: The Foundation for Adoption.