IS THIS AN EARLY PICTURE OF PAISLEY LAD PAOLO NUTINI?

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Beverley Lyons 

YOU might think this is a picture of Scots singing talent Paolo Nutini - but it’s not.
The Paisley heartthrob had an even more famous doppelgänger in 1916 - in the shape of the superbly talented Charlie Chaplin.

 Paolo’s fans have been going crazy over the facial similarities between the famous silent movie star from London and the Sunny Side Up and New Shoes singer. 

Though decades apart they both appear to sport the same hairdo, have similar eyes, lips and jawlines and even seem to have the same taste in trendy clothes.

The picture of a 27 year old Charlie was posted online by Brazilian digital colourist and restorer Marina Amaral who decided to restore the old image and show it to her followers.

She told them: “Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977.”

As soon as she showed off her new image it was shared throughout the net. 

Sound engineer Martina Brennan said of the pic: “Image of Paolo Nutini. #Charliechaplin #paolonutini #lookalike #1916.”

And she wasn’t the only one. 

Gazza from Glasgow added: “Looks like Paolo Nutini” while  Lydia Hannah said: “Yes he does resemble him.”

Jen McPartland from Manchester also commented on a black and white original version of the photo saying: “This is a picture of a young Charlie Chaplin !! Who else can see the similarities with Paolo Nutini?? This along with the famous speech of Charlie's that Paolo put into his song iron sky !! That some weird synchronicity right there 😲 #paolonutini #charliechaplin #ironsky #lookalikes

Both talents do have some other creative things in common.

Like Paolo, Charlie Chaplin was an accomplished  songwriter having had hits with his composition Smile from Modern Times in 1936 and his Oscar winning music for Limelight as well as Petula Clark classic This Is My Song.  

Meantime Paolo’s monster song Iron Sky from the album Caustic Love features an audio excerpt of the famous speech Charlie Chaplin gave in his film The Great Dictator in (1940). Like Chaplin Paolo feared that man is slowly being replaced by machines and pleads for unity and humanity in our world.