Casting Director Renee Godbout on the challenge of casting photo doubles for actors

It's 9:00 pm and I'm finally finishing my day. What has been occupying my time all day long? The one task I despise more than any other: Finding photo doubles. A photo double is someone who fills in for a principle actor when he or she is off-set. Photo doubles usually resemble that actor in body shape, skin tone, hair, and - if you can find someone really good - facial features.

Photo doubles are often used for actors under the age of 18. Minors are only allowed to work on set for a certain number of hours. On Gossip Girl, I cast an actress who would regularly photo double for 14-year-old actress Taylor Momsen. The cameras filmed all of Taylor’s dialogue and frontal views, then her photo double would stand in for shots taken over-the-shoulder or from a distance.

While working on the Robert DeNiro film Everybody's Fine, I had to find photo doubles for four children. Each child was about 9 to 10 years old, and I needed exact replicas for a shot which will be taken from overhead. Not only was I looking for kids who are the same height, but they also needed to have the exact same hairstyle and wardrobe sizes. This is not an easy task for one actor, let alone four!

I also had to cast a photo double for Kate Beckinsale for a driving scene. Luckily, I only needed to find an actress with the same hair and similar facial features. Her body type had to match slightly so she could wear a similar wardrobe, but an exact match was not necessary. The double also had to have a valid driver’s license and be comfortable driving a prop car. These seem like small details, but added up, they become create quite a challenge.

Now that the photo doubles are cast, they are out of my hands and into those of our capable costume designers and hairstylists. It’s amazing how the right hairstyle and wardrobe choice can transform a photo double into the real thing. It's a long process, but thankfully today is over, and I can move on to my next challenge!

Renee Godbout - Freelance Casting Director. Renee Godbout recently worked on the first season of The CW's popular teen show Gossip Girl at Grant Wilfey Casting. Some past projects include 2 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the pilot for Dirty Sexy Money, and the upcoming Jonathan Demme-directed Dancing with Shiva.