15 Obvious Times Body Doubles Appeared On Screen

15 Obvious Times Body Doubles Appeared On Screen
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Repost from TheTalko (12-06-17): 15 Obvious Times Body Doubles Appeared On Screen

Whether it is filming a movie or a television episode, we must give a round of applause for the number of hours and hard work it truly does take to get it from production to post-production. Filmmaking is hard period. So, for those of you who go off the bat and claim that Hollywood is filled with pretentious people…well, you are both right and wrong. Not ALL filmmakers and TV show creators are like that. Like any other job industry, people in the film and television world make errors and those boos-boos both behind and in front of the camera.

That is where the beauty of outtakes come into the picture; often, screened during a film’s end title credits. Hollywood filmmaking has gained a reputation for including some “goofs” in the final product. That would be the use of body doubles for the talent. If you are one of those people who wants to nitpick or are simply curious about the films who could not hide the use of their actors’ body double, then read on! Let’s analyze these fifteen different on-screen moments together:

15. The Avengers: We’re Pretty Sure They Replaced Scarlett Johansson With A Man

When the next Marvel film adaptation comes to theaters, y’all running to see it. That was the case for 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the second installment of the trilogy (and counting). Actress, Scarlett Johansson first made head waves in 2011 when she was cast as Black Widow. Fans loved it. Fans hated it. Whatever the case may be, all we can say is that most of us have grown up with Johansson’s work. After all, she is a child actor. So, most of us are familiar with Johansson’s looks. And all we can say is that screenshot of Black Widow is, in fact, a man. Just look at the muscular and jawline definition. Like other film’s like The Princess Bride, Johansson had a male body double for her fight scenes.

14. That One Friends Episode: When Monica Is, Well, Not Monica

Let’s admit that we miss these six friends! Remember when everyone wanted the “Rachel” haircut? Or, how about the history the cast made when their paychecks went up to $1,000,000 per episode?! Friends has been named one of the best sitcoms of this time. The show has many pivotal moments such as the Ross and Rachel ongoing joke of “taking a break” to Phoebe’s socalled smash hit, “Smelly Cat.” So, it is a shame to notice the show’s goofs. In this screenshot, we see the side by side of fan favorites, Phoebe and Monica. Phoebe talking to Monica and we see that it is, in fact, her in the first photo. However, in the next cutaway camera shot, there is a different lady sitting next to Phoebe, aka Monica’s body double. Just look at the nose; not to mention the body double’s hair being pulled back.

13. Buffy: the Vampire Slayer: That Sure Is Not Sarah Michelle Gellar

In 1996, a young New York actress named, Sarah Michelle Gellar, made her stardom debut as Buffy Summers (also known as Faith) in the television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Gellar even made a cameo appearance in Scream 2, where she spoke of Buffy. The teenage vampire was hard to miss out on because she was a fan favorite for both teenage girls and boys. So, whatever the story was for not having Gellar present in one of the show’s fight scenes, all we can say is that is not her standing across her opponent in this shot. Buffy is a high school student and the woman is clearly, not Gellar but her stunt double, who appears to be in her thirties or forties. Talk about an obvious camera angle.

12. Twilight: It’s A Bird, It’s a Plane…That Is Not R-Pat’s and Kristen Stewart Smiling

Time sure flies by! Nine years ago, Twilight made its debut in theaters. Leading male and lady, Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart, also became a fan favorite when their on-screen romance turned to an off-screen one. Months leading up to the film’s release, fans of the books were stoked to see how some of the famous scenes would be captured on the big screen. Ironically, director, Catherine Hardwicke had received some backlash for the book’s famous woods scene. It is a pivotal moment in both the book and film where Edward shows more of his vampire moves to Bella. But the romantic scene is sort of an overkill when there is a visible use of R-Pats and K-Stew body doubles. Also, a giveaway is the fact that K-Stew’s body double is smiling; something that the actress has received heat for not smiling “ever.”

11. The Princess Bride: We Were Pretty SURE That The Bride Is A Woman…

In 1987, The Princess Bride became a sensational hit. The film became known for its not-so-familiar cast at the time (hey, Robin Wright and Billy Crystal) to its family-friendly storyline of love, hope, and love. Plus, the director, Rob Reiner, was also a fan favorite due to his previous film release, Stand By Me. Like most films, there are outtakes and goofs when it comes to production. In one particular scene, the Princess Bride (Wright) falls over, sending her down a hill. During a close-up camera shot of the Princess Bride, we notice the facial features of a man. This is, in fact, Wright’s stuntman. Not a stuntwoman. One cannot help but wonder why they could not use a woman for Wright’s stand-in. Fun fact: this is also the same hill where Peter Jackson shot his Lord of the Rings sixology.

10. Face/Off (1997): That One Time When Nic Cage Is NOT Part Of A Cool Meme

Remember how the actor, Nicolas Cage, was literally everywhere? Well, all thanks to memes because we are forced to know how he exactly looks like from head to toe. So, it turned us into experts when it comes to defying moments if that is the real Nic. Cage or his body double. Well, that was the case for his movie, Face/Off, which also co-starred John Travolta. During this scene, Cage’s character, Castor Troy, is being pursued by Sean Archer (Travolta). At some point, Troy is dangling off a speedboat, gripping the end of a rope for dear life. In this brief coverage shot of Troy, it is clear that it is not Cage but his stunt double. Th dead giveaway is the hairline, as well as the spikier hair which the body double has; neither that Troy has throughout the film.

9. Your Highness: When All Star Wars’ Fans Are Crushed Because That Is Not Portman’s Bum

What is considered to be one of the worse films of 2011, actor, Danny McBride, made his feature film writing debut with Your Highness. The film is not horrendous. It is obvious that the film is your typical stoner, buddy-buddy, comedy film; hint the title itself and the main character’s obsession with getting and staying stoned. Regardless, the film received a lot of heat, including a scene where a body double was used for the actress, Natalie Portman. Portman’s character, Isabel, jumps into a lake, stripped down to knocked off version of Princess Leia’s bikini. The scene stirred an online debate if the camera shots—behind Portman—were, in fact, her own. The record was set straight when rumors started going around that the producers hired a stand-in. Allegedly, they were unhappy with Portman’s frame. They brought on her body double from Black Swan.

8. Game of Thrones: Lena Heady’s Somewhat Doppelganger

Actress, Lena Heady, became a household name in 2011 when her new television show, Games of Thrones, made its series premiere. The rest is sort of history, considering the amount of praise and backlash that the show has received due to its sexual content and violence. Well, that was the case for Heady’s character, Cersei Lannister, who was killed off in a brutal way. Lannister was killed in a walk-of-shame, an infamous moment of the show where Heady strolled completely naked in front of hundreds of extras, including the crew. On top of that, the angry villagers threw items at Lannister. Heady’s body double was not as obvious like most films; however, it started to when Heady went public that the nudity shots were not her but her body double. Heady praised her body double, who took most of the brutality and emotionality of the scene.

7. Wedding Crashers: Not All Get Naked, Even For A Fake ‘Intimate’ Scene

“Should I play like I’m interested, but I’m not that interested, but I think she might be interested but do I want to be interested, but now she’s not interested?” Vince Vaughn says it perfectly in 2005’s Wedding Crashers. Vaugh’s character, Jeremy Grey, finds himself in a bundle when he meets Gloria Cleary, played famously and infamously by Isla Fisher. During production, Fisher was sort of an up-and-comer, but the role of Gloria turned her into the scene-stealer. Fisher won a lot of awards for her portrayal as the “that girl,” including the Teen Choice Awards. During her acceptance speech, Fisher gave a shout to her body double for one of the film’s infamous scenes. Fisher probably broke many hearts of the fanboys when she claimed that a body double was used during the borderline S&M adult scene between Gloria and Jeremy.

6. Moonraker: Bro, Like That Isn’t Even The Same Dude…

This 1979 James Bond movie took place on a spacecraft. Bond was literally fighting in the air to prevent a global genocide. The film even scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects; not too bad at all. However, the film appeared to have a budget within a healthy range (cough — $34,000,000,000 to be exact) and forgot to cover up one element to the film. And boy, it is noticeable. Actor, Roger Moore, who portrays James Bond in this movie, is seen jumping out of an airplane. The camera uses its wide shots, mediums, and then close-ups. It is clear that Moore is not in any of these camera angles aka the close-ups. In this screenshot of the fake Moore having his arms eagle spread-out, it is clear that is not his face nor does his hair even looks real. Talk about lies.

5. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Patrick Stewart Lookalike…You Are Not Fooling Us

Star Trek will never die out. Like Star Wars, there are one too many sequels and reboots for the movies and TV show versions. In the late sixties, actor, Patrick Stewart stepped into the role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show went on and became a household hit, winning multiple of Emmy Awards (eighteen of them to be precise). But some fans felt a tinge of disappointment when a quick shot of Captain Picard was captured…and it turned out to not being him during a fight scene. The complexion and hair are similar, but the dead giveaway is the nose frame. It is possible that Stewart was unavailable for pickups; therefore, the crew used his body double for the camera shot.

4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): When It Is The Elephant In The Room Because That Is Not The Arnie We All Know

In 1991, the Terminator cast and crew had teamed up a few years after the first installment of the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The film was a box office hit and is still considered one of the highest grossing franchise movies. Not bad at all for Arnie and the team. The film even scored a few Academy Award wins for sound design and visual effects. But like The Mummy Returns, Terminator 2 found themselves in a similar buckle of body doubles being visible on the screen. During one of the film’s famous scenes, the Terminator and John Connor are speeding off from the cops; however, in the wide camera shot, it is Arnie’s body double and not Arnold. Like, come on! If you got the budget, there are other ways to cheat, if Arnie was unavailable for the day.

3. Point Break (1991): That Time We Are Not Thrilled To See Keanu Reeves Because Hello Fake One

Point Break is a film that starred two of Hollywood’s biggest names, Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. It was also the director, Kathryn Bigelow’s, earlier directorial work prior to making her Academy Award-winning film, The Hurt Locker. It is a shame to say that there is a scene in Point Break where we clearly see Keanu Reeves’ body double. After a big showdown, characters, Johnny (Reeves) and Bodhi (Swayze) have no choice but to jump out of an aircraft. It is the only option for the characters to survive. Johnny puts his full trust in Bodhi, considering he has no parachute of his own. Regardless of Johnny wearing a set of, what appears to be, googles, it is still obvious that those eyes and facial features do not belong to Reeves. Whatever the case may be, the film remains a cult hit.

2. Friends: Made the list TWICE! (In This Case, When Rachel Is Not Rachel)

Whoa, whoa hold on there, Friends! You say you would be there for “us,” as mentioned in your glorious theme song but instead, we caught another continuity error. Friends certainly knows how to stay in the limelight, even ten plus years since it came to an end. Like the Phoebe and Monica screenshots, a similar matter had occurred for a scene involving characters, Joey and Rachel. In this specific photo, we see Joey in the middle of talking while Rachel stands a few feet behind him by the front door to Monica’s apartment. But in another cutaway camera shot, we can tell that is NOT the Rachel we have come to know; instead, it is her body double. Just look at their different pattern blouses for the dead giveaway. Not fooling us on this one.

1. The Mummy Returns: Yo, Brendan Fraser! We Remember How You Look Like And That Is NOT You.

Yo, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz! We know that is not you. Two years after the box hit of the first film, 1999’s The Mummy, the gang got back together to shoot the sequel, The Mummy Returns. The film is a fun watch, answering many of the fans’ questions on the heroes, Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan, who are happily married and have a son named, Alex. During one the film’s most anticipating moments, Rick and Evelyn find themselves at the end of the rope, believing that they are going to, well, die by the mummy. There is a wide camera angle used during the scene; only, it is not Fraser and Weisz but their body doubles. Just look at the facial features—to be honest, the stand-ins look ten years younger than the two leads.

Sources: TV Tropes; What Culture; So Is It Any Good; NY Daily News; Daily Mail, UK; Digital Spy; IMDb

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot