You’re watching Chicago Med and Dr. Hannah Asher walks onto the screen. You do a double-take. Wait, is that the girl from Pitch Perfect? Or maybe the lead from John Tucker Must Die? You pull out your phone, hit Google, and realize you aren't alone.
The Jessy Schram and Brittany Snow confusion is a legitimate internet phenomenon. People have been mixing up these two actresses for nearly two decades, and honestly, it’s easy to see why. They share more than just a hair color. They share a specific "vibe" that has defined a certain era of television and film.
The Dopple-Ganger Effect: Are They Actually Related?
Let’s get the big question out of the way first. No, Jessy Schram and Brittany Snow are not sisters. They aren't cousins. They aren't even distant relatives. They are just two extremely talented women who happen to possess nearly identical facial structures, bright blue eyes, and that specific shade of "Hollywood Blonde" that makes casting directors drool.
Both actresses were born in 1986, which adds another layer to the weirdness. It’s like the universe decided that 1986 needed a very specific type of star power. Snow was born in Tampa, Florida, while Schram hails from Skokie, Illinois. They grew up on opposite sides of the country but ended up occupying the same niche in the industry.
There’s a hilarious thread on Reddit that pops up every few months where fans of Chicago Med insist that Brittany Snow has joined the cast. When they find out it’s actually Jessy Schram, the reaction is almost always: "I've been lied to my entire life."
Where You’ve Actually Seen Them (Because It’s Easy to Forget)
The reason the confusion persists is that their career trajectories have been remarkably similar. They both dominated the mid-2000s "teen" market and then successfully pivoted to more mature, procedural, or dramatic roles.
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Brittany Snow is arguably the more "mainstream" name. She became a household face with American Dreams—where she played Meg Pryor—and then solidified her status in Hairspray and the Pitch Perfect franchise. If you’re thinking of the girl singing in the shower with Anna Kendrick, that’s Brittany.
Jessy Schram, on the other hand, is the queen of the guest-star-to-series-regular pipeline. She was Hannah Griffith on Veronica Mars (Logan’s girlfriend during that weird plastic surgery arc), and she played Cinderella/Ashley Boyd on Once Upon a Time. She’s also a massive staple on the Hallmark Channel. If you watch those "small town girl moves home and finds love in a snowstorm" movies, you’ve definitely seen her.
The overlap is strongest when you look at their procedural work.
- Brittany was on Law & Order: SVU and Gossip Girl (the Lily van der Woodsen prequel episode that never became a show).
- Jessy was on House, The Mentalist, and Nashville.
Basically, if you feel like you’ve seen "that blonde girl" in every show from 2005 to 2015, you probably have. You just saw two different versions of her.
The Chicago Med Confusion
Currently, the epicenter of the Jessy Schram and Brittany Snow debate is NBC’s Chicago Med. Schram plays Dr. Hannah Asher, a character with a complex recovery arc that has kept her on the show for years.
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The lighting in the ED (Emergency Department) seems to specifically highlight the features she shares with Snow. When Dr. Asher is stressed out over a patient, she makes a very specific "concentrating" face that is a carbon copy of Snow’s character, Chloe Beale, from Pitch Perfect.
I’ve seen fans suggest that the One Chicago writers should lean into the bit. Why not cast Brittany Snow as Hannah Asher’s long-lost sister? It would be the ultimate "meta" moment for television. They wouldn't even need a DNA test; the audience would just accept it as fact.
Career Longevity in a Fickle Industry
Beyond the looks, what’s interesting is how both women have survived the "child star" curse. Many actresses who started in 2002 are no longer working.
Brittany Snow has moved into directing. Her debut film, Parachute, premiered at SXSW and showed a much darker, more grounded side of her artistry. She’s clearly trying to distance herself from the "bubbly blonde" trope.
Jessy Schram has found a weirdly comfortable home in the Dick Wolf universe and the Hallmark world simultaneously. It’s a smart move. One keeps the prestige and the dramatic chops sharp, while the other keeps the steady paycheck and the "America’s Sweetheart" brand intact.
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How to Tell the Difference (A Quick Cheat Sheet)
If you're still struggling, here are a few tiny tells to help you distinguish between the two when they pop up on your TV:
- The Voice: Brittany Snow has a slightly lower, raspier register. If she starts singing and it sounds like a soulful alto, it’s her. Jessy Schram has a higher, "crystal" tone.
- The Smile: Jessy’s smile is a bit wider and often reaches her eyes more quickly. Brittany tends to have a more "pouty" or reserved expression in her dramatic roles.
- The Projects: If it’s a musical or a dark indie film, it’s probably Snow. If it’s a medical drama or a cozy Christmas movie, it’s almost certainly Schram.
Why This Matters for Fans
In the age of AI and deepfakes, there’s something kind of comforting about "real-life" doppelgängers. It reminds us that there are only so many ways a face can be put together, and sometimes, two people just end up with the same winning combination.
Whether you're a fan of Jessy’s work on Chicago Med or you’ve followed Brittany since her Guiding Light days, it’s worth appreciating them as individuals. They aren't just "the girl who looks like the other girl." They are seasoned professionals who have navigated twenty years of Hollywood nonsense.
Next time you see Dr. Hannah Asher on screen and your brain screams "Chloe from Pitch Perfect!", just take a breath. It’s Jessy. She’s great. And Brittany is probably off somewhere directing a movie or being awesome in her own right.
To keep up with their latest work, check out the current season of Chicago Med on NBC or keep an eye on the film festival circuit for Snow's upcoming directorial projects. You can also follow both on social media, where they occasionally acknowledge the comparisons with a healthy sense of humor.