Twin Tuesday: Matt and Ben Reinstein

Noy Alon

Editor in Chief

As Denebola continues to profile different sets of twins at South, Freshman Matt and Ben Reinstein agreed to sit down with Denebola and discuss how being twins effect their own sense of individuality.

What is your favorite thing about being a twin?

Ben: I mean it’s just like having a brother, so I always know he’s going to be there for me, so yeah I guess that’s the best part.

Matt: Even though I don’t hang out with him all the time, it’s always nice to know if I don’t have anyone to hang out with there is always a back-up.

Is there anything bad about being a twin?

Ben: Yes.

Matt: Yes.

Ben: Sometimes you’re Matt’s brother. Sometimes you’re Ben’s brother. Sometimes you don’t get treated as an individual.

Matt: Yeah and lately Ben has been feeling like I’ve been taking some of the spotlight from him or he’s been taking some of the spotlight from me and you know it’s just normal twin stuff.

What’s your biggest similarity and what’s your biggest difference?

Matt: I think it’s probably that we both really love art, we both really love movies, we both really love music.

Ben: He’s more of a music guy, where I’m more of a film guy.

Do you plan to stick together after high school, and possibly go to the same college?

Ben: Absolutely not, so this isn’t against Matt, but I don’t think I am even going to tell people I have a twin.

Matt: What?

Ben: I mean I will eventually, but not when I meet them because I want to be independent from that. I don’t want be Matt’s brother. I want to be Ben.

Matt: Yeah and I love Ben a lot, but I think it would be better if we went to different colleges and and went different paths.

Ben: Yeah I mean it’s not like we are never going to be in touch like that we just will go our separate ways for a while.

Do you have any funny stories or moments?

Matt: One time, Ben had just lost a tooth.

Ben: But I actually lost a tooth and then Matt got jealous.

Matt: Yeah I got really jealous that he lost a tooth because he had lost eight teeth and I had only lost six, so it’s kind of a competition, so I was so mad. I was really mad.

Ben: I think it was our first tooth. I lost my first tooth and Matt was upset.

Matt: and I pulled my two front teeth out just to catch up with him and go ahead of him.

Do you guys have anything less you would like to add?

Matt: When people ask “Oh, what’s it like to be a twin?” we get that a lot. It’s just I don’t really know what’s it like not to be a twin because I don’t really have a comparison. I mean I have an older sister, so I know what’s it like to have another sibling, but I don’t really know what’s it like not to be a twin. So there’s really not that much to compare.  

Ben: Honestly, people give it much more credit than it actually is. It’s just having a brother. That’s what it is.

Matt: Also, I don’t really care if someone calls me Ben. It’s happened too much where I respond to Ben now.

Ben: Yeah if someone says Matt, I turn my head.