Dylan O’Brien’s Optimistic Take on Twinless Ending

Warning: Spoilers for Twinless.Twinless is a movie about two men who bond over the deaths of their respective twin brothers; except, it isn’t. Dennis, played by the movie’s writer-director James Sweeney, is making up the fact that he had a twin to get close to Roman (Dylan O’Brien) after falling for his now-deceased twin brother—whose death he witnessed.

Dennis keeps that secret for most of the film, but once it is out, it destroys the close relationship he had been building with Roman. Twinless’ surprising ending shows the two once-friends meeting, potentially one last time, after Dennis’ big reveal.

In interviews with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley, Twinless director, writer, and star James Sweeney and stars Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Graham shared their thoughts on the movie’s ending. Check out their comments below:

ScreenRant: I have one quick spoiler question to wrap up with. Is that fair? And we’ll save it until after release. So the rekindling between Dennis and Roman in the diner at the very end, I have my own interpretation of why Roman reached out in the first place. I’d love to know for you guys, is this a moment of closure for those two characters or the start of a new chapter in their friendship?

James Sweeney: I mean, I hate to give you an anti-climactic answer, but I think part of what we were tracking throughout this film, and I guess the nature of art in general is you create something and then you leave it and it is kind of up to the audience to decide. I’d say personally, I have my own interpretation, but I am really mostly curious in what audiences think. What do you think?

ScreenRant: Well, I want to hear what Dylan thinks first.

Dylan O’Brien: I don’t know whether to protect or share this. I personally, I have an optimism about the ending. I mean, not even an optimism. I think it’s there in that you see them heal throughout the scene with each other. You see, there’s such important, again, it’s so well done in the detail. At first, he doesn’t take the bite of the sandwich, and then he takes the bite of the sandwich again. You see the walls coming down. So I do think, I’ve always felt that, and maybe it says something about my relationship to forgiveness. I think it’s important in healing.

And yeah, I do think that they survive this at some point. And I do think Roman has a heart for where he was coming from. Again, these guys know each other so well. It was such a special relationship. I don’t think that he would just toss it away. I think I love so much more for Roman’s evolution that I think at one point in his life, he would’ve never forgiven this f–k. You know what I mean? He would’ve been like, ‘That f–king piece of s–t. But now he’s able to, and I think that’s a beautiful piece of his arc.

ScreenRant: I’ll wrap with this, Lauren, to come back to you. This is the full spoiler question. We get the revelation of what was happening with Dennis and the manipulative behavior he had towards Roman and towards Rocky and that family. We see that Roman finds out that truth. Do you think he would reveal that truth to Lisa as well? Is their relationship at a place where you think he would confide the full scope of what happened?

Lauren Graham: Yes, I do. I feel like actually in Twinless part 2, that might be part of their road to healing.

What Dylan O’Brien’s Ending Interpretation Means

O’Brien was clearly hesitant to weigh in on the movie’s ending, suggesting that he is at least in partial agreement with Sweeney’s desire for audiences to draw their own conclusions. But the fact that the star of the movie has chosen to adopt an optimistic perspective on Twinless’ final moments is validating for any audience member who feels the same.

What’s surprising about the actor’s thoughts is the notion that Roman and Dennis may actually stay in each other’s lives. It wouldn’t be a stretch for Roman to want nothing to do with Dennis, even after the pair has come to understand one another.

Saying that he doesn’t believe Roman would just “toss it away” (meaning, their relationship) suggests O’Brien has much faith in his character’s ability to grow and change. But, considering he was the one to bring Roman to life, O’Brien is something of an authority on what the character is capable of.

In addition, it’s that kind of nuance that made Twinless one of Sundance Film Festival 2025’s best films.

Our Take On Twinless’ Ending

O’Brien’s comments speak to the beauty of Twinless’ ending, and, really, it’s hard to imagine a more successful conclusion for the film. Even if the director himself has chosen to embrace the ending’s ambiguity, O’Brien’s interpretation seems like a realistic and rewarding take.

It’s encouraging to think of Roman and Dennis continuing a cordial, maybe even close, relationship once the emotions have died down, with the two eventually coming to an understanding. As O’Brien said, it would signify growth for Roman and would reward Dennis for being honest.

Regarding Graham’s comments, Twinless is not the kind of movie that begs for a sequel; its story has been resolved on a satisfying, if bittersweet note. Still, as Graham said, there is still healing to be done between some of the characters from the film.

Another movie exploring these newfound relationships (and, most likely, dropping the twin focus) with the same tone as this one would likely be an exciting continuation of the story.

After all, ScreenRant’s Twinless review called it a surprisingly emotional, often hilarious cringe comedy that sees Dylan O’Brien at his best and boldest. Who wouldn’t want more of that?

Twinless

8/10

Release Date

September 5, 2025

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

James Sweeney

Writers

James Sweeney

Producers

David Permut, Ali Jazayeri, Elizabeth Destro, Miky Lee, Dylan O’Brien

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  Dylan O’Brien

  Rocky / Roman

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