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If you ask experts how famous people stay relevant, you’re likely to hear a surprising answer: “they simply don’t.” Because the truth is, celebrities are people just like me and you, and just like us, they undergo defining transformations throughout their lives. Moreover, the audience changes too. People who were relevant back in my millennial teenage years (Ricky Martin and Mischa Barton, anyone?) are now replaced by new opinion makers, actors and actresses, leaders, influencers, singers, and performers. The question remains whether Harry Styles or Gigi Hadid would have been relevant back in the 2000s.
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Although the lives of celebrities may look picture-perfect, the truth is, fame comes with a price. For many celebrities, it is simply hard to walk out of the house without having to deal with fans that often don't respect the concept of "personal space."
Now add the era of social media that puts every actor, singer, model and athlete in the spotlight 24/7, where fans expect them to engage with them, deliver content, share the details of their lives, and explain if something questionable happened. No wonder more and more celebrities are coming forward to reveal their well-hidden mental health stories like Selena Gomez did just recently.
It’s impossible to draw conclusions on how celebrities keep up with their time and audience, and their secrets of staying relevant. You look at J.Lo and wonder how she has managed to keep up, not just maintaining but further building up her name and its brand still today.
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It’s interesting to think of the performers who were already always in the shadow of their famous counterparts, known as the stunt doubles. This mysterious profession has long been talked about, as the viewers never give a chance for the stunt doubles to stand on an equal or even similar level of fame to the main actors. While exceptions exist, like Tanoai Reed, the right-hand man of Dwayne Johnson, a vast majority of stunt actors challenge the very concept of a celebrity and basically demolish it.
So to find out more about stunt doubles and their role in Hollywood, we spoke with Christina Kleppinger, a casting specialist with Backstage who, along with the UK casting specialist Hannah Williams, shared some incredible insights into the world of stunt doubles.
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Kleppinger explained that actors don't always need their stunt doubles when shooting a movie. “Anything that might be dangerous, or require a specific physical skill that the actor may not have. For example, fight scenes, falls, gymnastics, horseback riding, as well as vehicle work (cars, helicopters, etc.).”
The incredible skill sets of stunt actors are not the only thing needed in this job. Depending on the specific actor their stunt double is portraying in the film, a “very specific look may be needed.” If that’s the case, then a “casting director can also get involved to help find a stunt performer that matches the actor that they're doubling.”
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While actors are acting specialists, stunt doubles are movement specialists, Kleppinger explained. “They need to be proficient at the skill to make performing the stunt (sometimes repeatedly) safe, while still making the movement look realistic. They need to be able to embody the character so that the movement in the stunt stays consistent with the actor's portrayal. They also need to have enough on-set experience to understand the process and how to work best with the production team,” she said.
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We also asked if stunt double actors ever get as famous as the star actors, and Kleppinger confirmed that it may be the case! “Jackie Chan began his career as a stunt double and a stunt choreographer, and Chuck Norris began his acting career as a stunt performer. More recently, Zoe Bell, who began her career as a stunt double for Lucy Lawless on Xena, took on a lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof as well as several other acting roles,” she said. “And Jessie Graff, who has a long career as a stunt performer, has also taken on acting roles in recent years.”
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