When actor Stephanie Bowles got a call out of the blue a few years ago to be a last-minute stand-in that night for Andie MacDowell on Wim Wenders' feature film The End of Violence, she was asked by the assistant director, "a relative of a relative of a relative," as Bowles put it, if she had any previous stand-in experience.
"I didn't even know what a stand-in was, but I was so excited just to get on a movie set that I lied and said yes," recalled Bowles, who had moved to Los Angeles two months before from Chicago, where she worked in theatre. Fortunately, Bowles had a friend visiting her who knew about stand-in work and filled her briefly on what she would be asked to do. She was also fortunate to work on that film with another stand-in, filling in for Bill Pullman, who showed her the ropes. "He taught me how to be a stand-in, basically. I stayed on that movie until the end as Andie's stand-in and photo double. From there I just started booking [stand-in work]." Bowles has since stood-in for Gwyneth Paltrow on Bounce, Madeleine Stowe on Imposter, and Amanda Peet and Ashley Judd on High Crimes, among others.
Details of the Job
Like many people who do stand-in work, Bowles fell into it without having prior experience or knowledge of what the job required. Still, there are some pointers worth knowing ahead of time should you ever get that call to stand-in for an actor, or you're interested in working as a stand-in.
The first thing you should know is that being a stand-in does not mean that you will just be "standing around." A stand-in (or the "second team," as stand-ins are referred to on-set) is an off-camera body double for an on-camera actor and takes the place of the actor while the camera department (and sometimes the director) prepares to shoot a scene. While stand-in work falls under the category of background performing, stand-ins answer directly to the camera department.
As Laura Mancini, a part-time stand-in, explained of the job: "You are basically a member of the camera, grip, and electric team, because without you they wouldn't know exactly how to shape the light, where to put the lights, or how to set up the shot without seeing that person—you—in that space."
As the majority of background actors will tell you, much of their day on a set is spent in "holding," meaning that they are usually kept away from the action until they are needed to shoot a scene. Stand-ins, on the other hand, are almost always where the action is, as they are expected to be on-call at all times during a shooting day. In many cases the stand-in is spending as much time on the set as the real actor is. That's because half the shooting day is typically taken up with preparing the lighting and camera work.
"People who are interested in stand-in work should be prepared to take it seriously," said Mancini, whose stand-in credits include the film Showtime (in which she stood in for star Robert De Niro's daughter, Drena), the Disney Channel series Even Stevens, and currently the WB's Family Affair. "Unfortunately you do not get the breaks you would get [as an extra]. They don't want you sleeping in corners or sneaking off to make a phone call. Stand-in work is serious and you're considered to have a very important job. Being close and being attentive and watching every detail of what happens in each scene is very important."
If there is a rehearsal with the actors, the stand-ins must be present to observe the actors' actions and the blocking of the scene, as the stand-ins will often repeat the same blocking for the DP when lighting the scene. For example if an actor answers a telephone in a scene with his left hand, the stand-in must do the same if asked by the DP to repeat that action.
"You must pay attention, because if not, they will have to call in the script supervisor to check and see which hand they used to pick up an object," explained James Henderson, who has stood in for three Steven Spielberg films: A.I., Minority Report, and the upcoming Catch Me If You Can.
Added Bowles, "A stand-in should automatically know when it is the right time to go to the bathroom or to go to craft service. A good stand-in is sort of like a butler; you don't notice them. They are just always available—this invisible, helpful presence. You don't ever want to tamper with the movie-making."
Double Duty
While it is not always a requirement that a stand-in have acting experience, it certainly does not hurt and can often come in handy, particularly if you are asked to "photo double" for the actor you are standing-in for. Photo doubling refers to shots in which the double substitutes for the actor in close-ups of hands, feet, extreme long shots, or the back of the head or body (excluding nudity, which falls under the job of a body double, should the actor require one).
If you are working as a stand-in on a SAG film/TV show and are asked to photo double during a workday, there is no bump in pay as the performer is paid the higher of the two rates, which in this case is stand-in. The current SAG stand-in rate is $125 for the first eight hours; photo doubles are paid $120 for the first eight hours. However, a stand-in on a SAG commercial would get paid for both jobs if asked to photo double. (See extras story, above, for SAG overtime rates.)
Acting chops can also come in handy should a stand-in be asked to run lines or help block a scene, sometimes with an on-screen actor. "When I worked on the series State of Grace, because I stood in for Mae Whitman, every now and then I was able to block a scene for the actors or I'd run a scene with one of the actors while the other actor was getting made up," said Suzy Starling, who because she's short (4-foot-10), has almost always stood in for children. Because of the child labor laws restricting the number of hours minors can work, short adults, particularly little people, are always in demand to stand in and photo double for child actors.
It is also not unheard of for a stand-in to get bumped to a dayplayer role on a film or TV show, especially if well-liked by the crew. "I got a dayplayer job on Bounce," recalled Bowles. An extra in a scene was initially tapped to say an added line, but "the AD went, 'Wait a minute. Why are we bumping up an extra whom we've never met? Let's bump up Stephanie, who has been on the set for months and has been a devoted worker.' So I got a bump. I got $125 for stand-in for that day, and I also got the dayplayer rate that day."
While filming Bounce, Bowles also got the opportunity to practice her craft while standing in. "Don Roos was the director on that movie, and he would actually have us read the sides and do the scene. He would want to have a look at it [before bringing the actors in to shoot it]. Usually they don't want you to act, but he did."
Likewise, James Henderson found working as a stand-in on writer/director Ron Shelton's upcoming movie Dark Blue to be a creative, stimulating experience. Said Henderson of the director, "He actually treated the stand-ins as understudies, and he would have us run the lines, run the entire scene after the actors did their rehearsals. We would run through the scene several times before they brought the actors back in."
Henderson, who moved to L.A. from Texas three years ago to pursue acting, has also found stand-in work to be an excellent way to learn the technical aspects of on-camera acting. "You learn about blocking, the types of lenses that the DP or director might use to get close-ups, how to find your key light," he said. "You are constantly like a sponge absorbing everything."
Bowles agreed. "Doing stand-in work has made me much more comfortable on a movie set." The work has also motivated her in her own acting. "There is nothing more inspiring than watching a really great actor work up close. Sometimes you can't believe how good they are. And it is equally inspiring to watch an actor do a scene really badly. You think, Jeez, why are they making the big bucks? I could do this. It inspires you to really pursue your acting craft even more—to do whatever it takes, to do another mailing, to get yourself in another play."
Getting Started
While there is no surefire way to get hired as a stand-in, those we spoke to for this story had a few suggestions.
Said Mancini, "If you are working as background on a production and you are very attentive and always volunteering and the crew remember you on the show, you could always mention to a production assistant or coordinator that if they do need a stand-in at any time you would be interested, especially if you resemble any of the actors in the show. The other thing to do is if you know any actors who are your height, weight, size, and shape, and you think you would be a good photo double or stand-in for them and you know of a production that is currently filming with one of those actors, you can submit a headshot and resumé and a little color photo of yourself with your information on it—your sizes, contact numbers, and union status—to that production company or directly to the extras casting director if you know who is casting it and inform them that you are interested in doing stand-in work for that particular actor."
If you have ever done any stand-in work, make sure you note that when you register with extras casting services. In other cases, just being registered as a background performer can lead to unexpected stand-in gigs, as was the case with Henderson, who got tapped to stand-in for Jude Law on A.I. because he fit the approximate stats. "[I was hired] because of my height and body weight—I am only 150 pounds for a 6-foot frame—and Jude is around that size."
If you are lucky enough to get a stand-in job, make sure you arrive early. Wear comfortable shoes, as you're going to be up on your feet often. Bring a folding chair so that you can rest your feet between set-ups. Bowles suggested arriving on the set in dark clothing "because you are often sitting next to or near the camera and if there is a window or mirror in the shot, if you are wearing a white T-shirt, your reflection will show."
Though the wardrobe department on a set will often supply stand-ins with what's called "color coverage"—colors that are similar to what the actor is wearing that day—many stand-ins suggest bringing your own color coverage so that you are more comfortable and come off as pro.
The best way to get rehired as a stand-in is to act like a pro throughout your time on the job. Let the AD or second AD know that you would be interested in working with him or her again. Also, if the camera crew members enjoy working with you, they often will request you on future shoots. BSW