History Main / TextualCelebrityResemblance

* In ''ComicBook/WormwoodGentlemanCorpse'', Wormwood's PerceptionFilter human appearance is stated several times to look like Creator/BradPitt, although the visual likeness isn't very close.

* In ''ComicBook/XMen'' novels, ComicBook/{{Storm}} is now [[CelebrityParadox described as resembling]] Creator/HalleBerry.

* Used in-universe in ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'', where Wilbur tells Lewis that his father - away on a trip at the time - looks like Creator/TomSelleck (a picture of Selleck is even used when Lewis tries to figure out the Robinsons' family tree). Actually, Wilbur does this to throw Lewis off, as [[spoiler:his father, who's an ''older Lewis'', is voiced by Selleck in a CastingGag but looks nothing like Selleck]].

** Gabe thinks his boss at the music store looks like an older Music/{{Beck}}.

* ''LiteratureBeautifulMusicForUglyChildren'':

* Spoofed in Creator/RobertRankin's ''Literature/ArmageddonTheMusical'' series: The main character resembles Creator/HarrisonFord to such an extent that [[CelebrityParadox people ask him for his autograph]] and think he's being a jerk when he signs his own name. One of the books has a subplot where a group of minor characters gain MediumAwareness and try to get the narrator to describe them as resembling various Hollywood stars;[[note]]Well, two, really, which led to confusion about which Julia Roberts was which character.[[/note]] the ButtMonkey wants to be played by Creator/TomCruise but ends up as [=Danny DeVito=] instead. There's a full cast list at the end.[[note]]Which reveals that the ButtMonkey was somehow able to recast himself with Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger.[[/note]]

* Spoofed in Creator/RobertRankin's ''Armageddon: The Musical'' series: The main character resembles Creator/HarrisonFord to such an extent that [[CelebrityParadox people ask him for his autograph]] and think he's being a jerk when he signs his own name. One of the books has a subplot where a group of minor characters gain MediumAwareness and try to get the narrator to describe them as resembling various Hollywood stars;[[note]]Well, two, really, which led to confusion about which Julia Roberts was which character.[[/note]] the ButtMonkey wants to be played by Creator/TomCruise but ends up as [=Danny DeVito=] instead. There's a full cast list at the end.[[note]]Which reveals that the ButtMonkey was somehow able to recast himself with Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger.[[/note]]

* ''Literature/JohnDiesAtTheEnd'' has a lot of fun with this. For example, there's a cop the narrator says reminds him of Morgan Freeman, despite looking nothing like him. He then refers to him as Creator/MorganFreeman for the rest of the novel. It then subverts this by having a character named Creator/JenniferLopez who looks nothing like the singer. The narrator has to actually make the distinction for the reader, saying it's not ''the'' Jennifer Lopez, just a girl with the same name.
** It's even clarified that the Narrator doesn't recall the name of the black actor that the cop actually looks like, he just uses Morgan Freeman as a stand-in for that actor's name.

Exploited by Creator/AAPessimal, when wizard Ponder Stibbons temporarily leaves the Literature/{{Discworld}} to take an academic residency at [[Series/TheBigBangTheory Caltech]]. Ponder wins a prize at a cosplay night at the Comic Book Store simply because he looks like a slightly older Harry Potter. The delighted reactions of California fangirls to a Creator/DanielRadcliffe lookalike, one who even has a British accent, is all the description it needs.

* The first volume of ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' establishes that Juffin Hally looks like an aging Creator/RutgerHauer; Shurf Lonli-Lokli, like a young [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Charlie Watts]]; and Melamori Blimm, like Diana Rigg in [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService her Bond Girl days]]. Also, Kofa Yokh's appearance is compared to Creator/GeorgesSimenon' Inspector Maigret. This becomes a plot point late in the second volume, where Max almost lets himself be convinced that [[AllJustADream all of them were just figments of his imagination]], based on his favorite movies--a possible instance of the author admitting to lazy writing, as this technique is never used again throughout rest of the series.

-->-- '''''Fanfic/MyImmortal'''''

Creating new characters and describing them in detail so the reader has a quick and easy understanding of what they look and sound like is tough. Much easier? Describing them as looking or sounding like a famous celebrity! If the reader knows the celebrity (and that might be a big ''if'', depending on the target audience and the amount of time that passed since the work was published), it allows for a quick reference and something the reader can picture quickly. If not, then the reader is cheated out of a description in what might seem like lazy shorthand.

-->-- ''Fanfic/MyImmortal''

* An InUniverse example in ''[[Literature/XWingSeries X-Wing: Rogue Squadron]]'' where Imperial Intelligence operative Kirtan Loor is said to look like a young Grand Moff Tarkin, a resemblance which he deliberately tries to emphasize.
Creator/PeterCushing presumably doesn't exist in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

* An InUniverse example in ''[[Literature/XWingSeries X-Wing: Rogue Squadron]]'' where Imperial Intelligence operative Kirtan Loor is said to look like a young Grand Moff Tarkin, a resemblance which he deliberately tries to emphasize. Sir Creator/PeterCushing presumably doesn't exist in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

* The first volume of ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' establishes that Juffin Hally looks like an aging Creator/RutgerHauer; Shurf Lonli-Lokli, like a young [[Music/TheRollingStones Charlie Watts]]; and Melamori Blimm, like Diana Rigg in [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService her Bond Girl days]]. Also, Kofa Yokh's appearance is compared to Creator/GeorgesSimenon' Inspector Maigret. This becomes a plot point late in the second volume, where Max almost lets himself be convinced that [[AllJustADream all of them were just figments of his imagination]], based on his favorite movies--a possible instance of the author admitting to lazy writing, as this technique is never used again throughout rest of the series.

->''Draco was wearing a black MCR t-shirt and blak jeans and a leather jacket. He looked just likee Gerard Way, and almost as fucking sexy. Vampire looked like Joel Madden.''