Lisa Ann Walter was ’shocked’ by ancestry connection to 'Parent Trap’ co-star: ‘I cried'

Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix always knew their friendship was meant to be. Now, they have proof that their connection runs deep.

On Ancestry's new YouTube series, “UnFamiliar," the pair learned their great-grandparents actually lived on the same street as each other in New York City in the early 1900s.

Walter found out the unexpected news when she got a surprise visit from Hendrix while filming the exclusive clip shared with TODAY on Sept. 18.

"Shut up! Oh my God," Walter said as she hugged Hendrix in Elizabeth Street Garden, which is the same lower Manhattan neighborhood their great-grandparents resided in.

According to marriage records from the New York City Municipal Archives, Walter's maternal great-grandfather, Francesco Mansueto, lived at 250 Elizabeth Street after he immigrated from Italy to the U.S., while Hendrix's great-grandfather, Dominick DePersio, resided at 190 Elizabeth Street.

Mansueto's marriage certificate also states that his wife, Clotilda Vinetti, who is Walter's maternal great-grandmother, lived at 261 Elizabeth Street.

"That is bizarre!" Walter said in the clip.

"I know," Hendrix replied after telling her the news.

Speaking to TODAY.com after the surprise reunion, Hendrix said she believed their great-grandparents had to have known each other because they were both of Italian descent and lived in the same neighborhood.

"I think given that time in history, people who emigrated stayed within their community when they got here and so this would have been a predominantly Italian area so they had to have known each other," she said as Walter agreed.

"They would have gone to church together," the "Abbott Elementary" star said. "They must have been in the same parish if nowhere else."

Although these details about their ancestors were new, Walter said she wasn't really surprised. In fact, she said their generational connection just reaffirmed her suspicions that she and Hendrix were meant to be friends.

"It's almost not a surprise," Walter said on the show. "Why in the world would we have met and become besties in six hours?"

"It was fate," Hendrix replied.

Walter and Hendrix's friendship dates back to 1998 when they played enemies in Lindsay Lohan's famous film "The Parent Trap." Since that movie, the two have remained close friends over the years, giving each other birthday shout-outs on Instagram and also going as each other's dates to the 2023 SAG Awards.

While discussing their friendship with TODAY.com, the pair said they had an "instant" connection the first moment they met, and it was so intense that Walter said she immediately knew they would "grow old together."

“It’s like a soul connection. I wanted to take care of her. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. I don’t know. I just felt deeply connected to her."

As for Hendrix, the "Country Club" star explained that it was Walter's charming personality that drew her in.

"Lisa's so warm and inviting and we're similar in a lot of ways and different in a lot of ways. So, we complement each other just in the places that we need to," she said.

Two months after the clip of the reunion went up on YouTube, Walter is still reliving the reunion of a lifetime. During Glamour's 2023 Women of the Year Awards on Nov. 7, Walter recalls the moment she was surprised to see Hendrix in New York City — and how she didn't know what was going to happen next.

"All my three (sons) were with me ... they said, 'Come on, we have a surprise for you' and they brought me to this little park down in the neighborhood where both my sets of great-grandparents live. And out of the bushes magically walks (out) my best friend in the world, Elaine Hendrix — Meredith from 'The Parent Trap.'"

Walter remembers thinking that Ancestry was going to tell her that she and Hendrix were related, but that she was still stunned when she learned that their great-grandparents had lived right down the street from each other.

"I was shocked and I cried," Walter said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com