Part 2: Get Cast as a Body Double
By Wyatt Elling
Don't Forget to Read Part 1: What is a Body Double?
Now that you know what body-doubles are and what they do, you probably want to know how to start getting work in the field. The first thing you should do is pick out your best features. Do you have movie star legs, the abs of an Olympic athlete, or the hands of a queen? Most body-doubles supplement their whole-body doubling work with a specific body-part. You also shouldn't rule out nude doubling if you've got particularly honed features. Unlike doing regular nude scenes as an actor, someone else is taking credit for your body. Nude doubling allows you to make the most money, secretly appear in a real movie, and associate your body with a real movie star without getting embarassed. Nude doubling isn't credited, but producers remember who they like.
You might be surprised, but body-doubling roles are usually handled more like modeling jobs. Appearance and body type are much more critical than acting ability, and directors need to be sure that the double is an exact fit. Most body doubles have comp cards of their specific features. Your body-doubling comp card should feature at least one full-body picture that clearly shows your size, body-type, and skin color. The other pictures should show your "ancillary" doubling body part clearly and flatteringly from several different angles.
When you're in the body-doubling industry it's critical that you stay in very good shape. You need to exactly match the images on your comp card, and the specific characteristics listed. If you get called in to audition for a body-doubling role or a part-doubling role and you're not in the shape you were in photos, you've wasted everyone's time and you won't get called in again. This rule is especially important, because casting directors and actors will often choose body-doubles from casting books of body photographs. Being in great shape is also a major asset during a production, as you'll be expected to be in better shape and to work harder than the star you're doubling for. Linda Hamilton's twin sister did her body-doubling and stunt-work on Terminator and Terminator 2, and between the two movies the character was required to get into incredibly good shape. That meant that Linda Hamilton's sister had to get into incredibly good shape.
When you're ready to start looking for doubling work, you should call all the casting and modeling agencies in your area to see if they have special body-doubling departments. Set up an appointment with the biggest one, since they'll have the steadiest work and the most relationships with producers. When you meet with them, they'll be able to professionally categorize your doubling skills and start finding you work. Be sure to mention any "table-top" skills that you have as well. Table-top skills are seemingly mundane tasks that are usually done with the hands. These skills can include making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, slicing a vegetable, twirling a pen, holding a product in a particular way, pouring a glass of milk, dealing a hand of cards, and the like. Most actors can perform these tasks, but perfection is part of the Hollywood illusion. If you can smoothly execute these kinds of activities and have the arms and hands of a model, your worth as a body-double will increase.
Most casting directors put in a call for a specific body part or body type to a casting director or modeling agency. The agency then puts a book together of photographs or comp cards of eligible clients. Casting directors then go through the photos, usually with the actor being doubled, and settle on finalists. Body-doubles then show up to an audition that functions a lot like a modeling go-see. They meet the casting director, they show off the body-part or nudity being cast, and leave. Sometimes this process is skipped all together, and the double is cast from a photograph.
But how much does body-doubling pay? This varies based on the body-part being doubled and the size of the production. A full-body double usually earns around $800 dollars for a full shift, and a body-part double earns around $150 for a shift, though their shift is generally shorter. Nude doubling can pay double the wage of regular doubling, depending on how long the scene is and how much is shown. Also, famous celebrities tend to have favorite doubles in mind when shooting risqué scenes, doing general body-doubling, or performing high-profile stunts. These in-demand doubles can earn much more than usual, and can build reputations as the bodies behind the stars.
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