Being a stand-in. Good or bad for a career?

A redheaded man enters a fire station in uptown Manhattan. The evening’s shoot is a very important scene in which Damian Lewis (playing as Bobby) in the series Billions, must give a speech to fire station #43. It’s a long speech, and requiring much preparation for the lead actor. But before Damian, VIP actor enters the set, there begins the great preparation for the filming.

It is night, and so the lighting in the fire station is rather difficult to figure out. The light team is using several lamps and spotlights. In the corner is a filter, which dims one of the lamps so it does not shine too brightly on the fire truck. The 25 background actors, all playing the fireman, are in costume and have been put into position. So now they are standing in front of one of the trucks, a distance from where Bobby will give his speech, and behind the camera and on both sides of the set there are people climbing ladders, hanging light stands and others whispering feedback to the assistant director on a radio.

Suddenly from a distance comes another red headed actor. He looks uncannily similar to Damian Lewis, but once he lands on his spot, the background actors no longer recognize him at all. Still, for the sake of the light and sound and all the important team members who are preparing the shot — this red headed actor could not be more important. And so, stoically and confidently, he stands and waits at the center of the set. He takes instruction from the director now and then. He moves here; he moves there. He even speaks a line or two when asked. But who is this man?

Answer: He is Damian Lewis’s stand-in.

A stand-in is one who works alongside some of the most important people on set. And once stand-ins do their job, there they go, walking away right when the shooting begins, only to have set-up and prepared everything for the star to take it from there.

Much like a background actor, a stand-in actor is a very important piece of making a film successful. While a stand-in serves so many integral roles, it’s also important to understand the ins and outs of doing stand-in work and how it affects your acting career positively and sometimes negatively.

With that said, let’s review some important facts about stand-in work below:

1. When a casting director looks at a resume and sees that an actor has a lot of stand-in work, this might suggest that this actor had a lot of auditions there that they didn’t book and yet still wanted to be on the project and so they’re working as a stand-in.
2. Stand-in work is not so different from background work. When you are starting out as an actor, it’s okay to have around 3 background credits. This is great, it means you are working on set and you have experience. You can have two or even three stand-in credits, which demonstrates that you really understand the process of film making. But once you get past 3 stand-in credits, then this begins to discredit you as an actor. It actually puts you in a box that can sometimes be difficult to exit into regular acting roles.
3. Being a stand-in is like taking a master’s class in film making. There is no closer seat an actor can sit in to observe all of the preparation for that which is film making. From lighting to sound, to the director and writer toiling over certain difficult decisions — stand-ins see it all and even work directly with the decision makers on set.
4. Stand-in credits means 3 separate projects doing stand-in work. If you are working as a stand-in for one series, and happened to be asked to work in all 4 seasons — this is a great thing for casting directors to see. It indicates you are reliable. You are asked to return to set for a long period of time, which also suggests that you are professional and easy to work with.
5. Regardless of how much you learn doing stand-in work, there must be a point where an actor puts their foot down and says, “No more background work, no more stand-in work. I am only doing principal acting work.” And if you are not booking those principal roles, then probably you should enroll in another acting class. You should keep working on your craft. And you should really try to avoid booking another background or stand-in role, because in the long-run this will hurt how casting professionals perceive you.
6. After you do stand-in work, add a special skills area in the film and television part of your resume. Remember, stand-in work is not a role. But it is a good thing to add, in moderation, as valid experience.