Twin actors Eitan and Matan Friedman play Ethan and Caleb Birenbaum respectively in the new Happy Madison production Don’t Say Good Luck, with the film having been released on Netflix on Friday 14th August, and Eitan and Matan worked with their on-screen family Sunny Sandler as their sister Sophie and Melanie Lynskey and Max Greenfield as their parents Elizabeth and Ted. In the NBC series Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Eitan and Matan played Brett’s (Ben Rappaport) Sons, and in the 2025 Netflix mini-series Zero Day, they played the Twin Boys of Evan Green (Dan Stevens). Eitan and Matan were directed by Christopher Nolan in the 2023 feature film Oppenheimer, in which they played Peter Oppenheimer, and they played Roy Bryant Jr. in the biographical drama film Till, which is based on the true story of Mamie Till. Previously, Eitan and Matan have filmed for Lady and the Tramp, The First Lady, Dwight in Shining Armor and short film Ismaël / Because of the Sun. Upcoming for Eitan and Matan are a 16-time Emmy-nominated series, which they’ve just wrapped, and they have booked another TV series, which they will film in New York. We caught up with Eitan and Matan about the new Netflix release of Don’t Say Good Luck (in which they play Ethan and Caleb Birenbaum), working with their on-screen family Sunny Sandler, Melanie Lynskey and Max Greenfield and filming for Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Zero Day, Oppenheimer and Till.

How does it feel now that Don’t Say Good Luck has been released on Netflix, and how was it watching the film for the first time?

We are super excited, and we know that everyone watching it will love it! It was so nice watching the film for the very first time because almost every scene that we filmed was included. Very little was cut!

Can you tell us about the musical teen drama comedy film and your characters, Ethan Birenbaum (Eitan) and Caleb Birenbaum (Matan)?

Our older sister, Sophie (Sunny Sandler), gets the lead in her high school musical at the same time that our mother’s (Melanie Lynskey) cancer returns. Our characters are Sophie’s pesky little brothers, who are too young to fully understand what is happening with the family’s new crisis.

What was it like filming with Sunny Sandler, who played your sister Sophie, Melanie Lynskey and Max Greenfield, who played your parents, and the rest of the cast, and had you seen any of the actors on screen previously?

We had only seen Sunny in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. Everyone was fabulous! Sunny became our older sister on the very first day.

Melanie has a daughter who, we found out, was born in the same hospital and around the same time as our younger twin brothers, Ari and Yosef. We became close with Melanie. She’s such a good mother.

Max is hilarious! He played with us and entertained us during breaks. If we forgot any of our lines, Max would cue us. He is so talented.

How did you feel finding out you’d both booked your roles in Don’t Say Good Luck, and how different was it from your other projects?

We were shocked to find out that we booked this project because we submitted our auditions and then forgot about them. Then, a month or two later, we were contacted! This project was different from anything else that we have ever done because they wanted us to just be kids and have fun with it.

What do you remember from your first day on set, and how did you find the experience filming for a Happy Madison production?

Our first day on set was a scene where Max and Sunny drop us off at school. Matan remembers calling Sunny by her real name instead of Sophie. He said, “I love you, Sunny”. It just came naturally, like she was already his sister.

Eitan remembers Jackie Sandler taking behind-the-scenes pictures of them and how proud she was.

What were Ethan and Caleb like to play, and do you have any similarities to the characters?

Our characters are very similar to us. We are a family with two sets of twins, so pestering our siblings was easy!

Do you have any stand-out highlights from filming Don’t Say Good Luck that you can share?

One of our favourite highlights was getting to work with a stuntman named Manny. We had to learn and practise how to run into someone without actually hurting them. It was a lot of fun!

You both played Brett’s (Ben Rappaport) Sons in the NBC series Grosse Pointe Garden Society, how was this?

Ben is a great guy, and he’s from Texas, just like our mother. Our scene was super funny because Ben walks in on a private moment that we were not supposed to see. Ben covers our eyes with his lunch bag and our baby sister’s eyes with his hand.

The funny part was that every time he covered the baby’s eyes, she would move her head to peek out. The entire crew kept laughing!

What was it like being involved with the 2025 Netflix mini-series Zero Day as Evan Green’s (Dan Stevens) Twin Boys?

Zero Day was our first action-packed thriller to work on. Matan was so brave and faced his fear of the dark on this set.

In one of the scenes, Matan wakes up after hearing a noise in the house. The SWAT team had flipped the breaker, so the hallway was pitch-dark. Matan walked out into the darkness and was greeted by numerous SWAT team members with flashlights shining in his face. He nailed it!

The director, Lesli Linka Glatter, was such a joy to work with! During breaks, she let us play with all the toy props, including driving the battery-operated car around the set.

How was your time working on an episode of Found in Series 1?

The entire cast and crew were wonderful. This was our first time appearing in a photograph as part of a show. We didn’t know that we could be characters in a TV show just through a picture. It was fun! They took a lot of pictures that day.

We understand you both took on the role of Peter Oppenheimer in the 2023 feature film Oppenheimer; how was it being directed by Christopher Nolan, and what was it like being part of the cast?

Actually, both of us and our younger twin brothers all took turns playing Peter at different stages of his life. This was one of the most memorable sets we have ever worked on. The city was custom-built at Ghost Ranch.

Cillian (Murphy) went off by himself most of the time, but now we understand why. He was so focused on his role, and it paid off.

Emily Blunt will always be our favourite set mommy! During breaks, she would walk with us to look for rocks and sticks since we were in the middle of nowhere. She even sang Peppa Pig songs with us. One time, our brother Ari fell asleep in her arms. Our mother tried to take him from her, but Emily wanted to carry him around during the break so he wouldn’t wake up. Emily is truly the best!

Can you tell us about portraying Roy Bryant Jr. in the biographical drama film Till, which is based on the true story of Mamie Till?

While filming this movie, production was very careful and made sure that we were comfortable with the content. This was the first set where we brought a teddy bear with us to use as a focal point instead of looking at the camera. It worked!

What do you enjoy most about being in the acting industry together and being on set for the same films and TV shows?

We enjoy meeting new people and showing our skills. We love the challenge of working in a new genre. They say comedy is one of the hardest genres to do, and we were fortunate to work side by side with Adam Sandler for a couple of months!

How did you both get into acting, and can you tell us about some of the other roles you’ve played?

When we were around 10 months old, our mother started a twin playgroup so that we could play with other twins. A casting director reached out because they needed a set of twins. The film was Disney’s live-action Lady and the Tramp, and that was our first time working on a set.

We have also played the Roosevelt children alongside Kiefer Sutherland in The First Lady, Young Nick Reeves in Dwight in Shining Armor, and appeared in a short film titled Ismaël / Because of the Sun, which we filmed in the desert near Joshua Tree.

What are each of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

Matan loves to watch Sesame Street or any shows with puppets. He also likes videos that teach him how to draw and play the piano.

Eitan loves sports and just recently watched the movie The Blind Side and enjoyed it so much.

How do you both like to spend your free time?

We play and do activities with our family and friends. Matan takes piano lessons, and Eitan takes guitar lessons.

How do you each typically prepare for new auditions and roles?

We are both on a set almost every day of the week, including weekends, working on short films. Living day after day on a set, you learn at a young age what directors expect from you.

We read our sides the night before to refresh our memories, whether we’re preparing for an audition or for a day on set.

Do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about, and what are you hoping the rest of the year brings for your careers?

We just wrapped a 16-time Emmy-nominated TV series in LA, and now we’ve booked another TV series that will be sending us back to New York!

We are hoping that after everyone sees Don’t Say Good Luck, they will become familiar with us and what we can do as actors. We’re excited to see what comes next!

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