Body Doubles Who Look Exactly Like Famous Actors
There are numerous reasons why an actor might be temporarily replaced by a stunt or body double during filming. Maybe there's a particularly revealing nude scene involved (for more on how to hire a butt double, consult this Slate article), or an especially dangerous maneuver or fight scene requiring heights or high speeds. Sometimes, the lighting people just need a stand-in before shooting the real thing. Alternately, why pay for an expensive actor to come to set if the shot will be from behind or from far away? A body double will get the job done just fine, without the massive costs associated with a Hollywood Star.
A double doesn't have to be a star's doppelgänger. They can often just be of a similar height and build and simply costumed to resemble the actor in a particular scene. If a body double is standing in for a nude scene, their face won't even appear. However, the following professional body doubles bear an uncanny resemblance to the people they stand in for. Read on to find out who looks exactly like these famous actors.
Reese Witherspoon's double causes a commotion
Reese Witherspoon's fans were blown away when the actress put up an Instagram post in August 2018 cheesing with her nearly-identical body double Marilee Lessley. "Meet Marilee! She has been my double in 5 movies and now she is helping out on #BigLittleLies!" Witherspoon wrote. "Don't we look alike?!"
Followers reacted with a resounding "Yes!" Even fellow actresses Julianne Moore and Hilary Swank reacted with surprise at the similarities between the two. According to People, Lessley has been doubling for Witherspoon for years. Witherspoon reportedly told fans, "I met Marilee on Legally Blonde 2 and she looks so much like me and everybody said we look so much alike so she became my double!"
Lessley also shared some Instagram love for her look-alike, writing in a 2016 post that Witherspoon was there for her during an especially difficult time in her life. "Reese came to me on this shoot as she learned about all the tragedies and trials that had unfolded in my life that month and she asked how she could help," Lessley said, noting that if "someone super famous and awesome is trying to throw you a life preserver and help you out, or anyone for that matter...don't be stubborn!!! Accept the blessings and be grateful!"
Amy Schumer's stand in struck stuntwoman gold
We wouldn't blame you for doing a double take at this photo of Amy Schumer with her look-alike stunt double Meredith "Bama" Richardson. The Alabama native has worked with Schumer in two movies and has been working as a stunt performer since a 2012 appearance in the TV series Treme. She's also performed stunts in Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Richardson told the Montgomery Advertiser that she decided at age 10 that she wanted to work as a Hollywood stuntwoman. She moved to New Orleans at age 21 and has been working in stunts ever since. "I was an all around gymnast. I did all the events, competed in all of them," Richardson said. "So I kind of like to attack stunts the same way, because I like to be an all around stuntwoman. I kind of like to just go head on at whatever they throw at me." Spoken like a true daredevil.
Ben Affleck calls his body double a 'legend'
Richard Centrone has been working in stunts since 1995, so perhaps it's apt that actor Ben Affleck called him a "legend" in a May 2018 Instagram post from the set of Triple Frontier – their fifth movie together. "Grateful to work with such incredible people," Affleck wrote.
Cetrone also appeared as Affleck's double in Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, The Accountant and Justice League and lent his stunt expertise to films such as Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Live Free or Die Hard.
On the Holy Batcast podcast, Cetrone said he particularly enjoyed working with Affleck on Batman v Superman. "[H]e's a really good guy, Ben. And I told him, you know, 'This is so cool we get to do this together' and it was sincere. It was really fun ... And things like that touch his heart, you know? He's a good dude, he really is."
Emilia Clarke saw double on Game of Thrones
English-born, Spanish-raised actress and model Rosie Mac didn't even audition to be a stand-in for actress Emilia Clarke on Game of Thrones' fifth season, but her similar appearance ended up landing her the job anyway.
She told Elle, "By coincidence I had uploaded an image of me with a similar hairstyle to [Clarke's character] Khaleesi, and an agent picked it up and sent it in. I got an amazing call saying that I had been chosen as the double of Daenerys Targaryen. I thought it was a prank call!" Even Clarke noted the similarities between herself and Mac. "We had little side jokes — like, 'Hey, I'm seeing double,'" Mac said.
According to the Express, Mac had an on-set romance with another double, who was coincidentally standing in for Daenerys' love interest. Alas, the fling between the two stand-ins was "very short-lived," with Mac dishing that "it became obvious that romantically it was not going to work out."
It's all in the family for 'The Rock'
There's a pretty good reason why Tanoai Reed (far left) makes such an excellent stand-in for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (far right.) They're distant cousins! According to Mel magazine, they met for the first time when Reed, "who was working on a movie set as a teamster, was serendipitously drafted for a stunt job. That's also when Johnson learned something Reed had known for years: The two men are related — Reed's and Johnson's great-grandfathers were cousins."
After more than 17 years working together, these two have grown really close. Reed told Mel, "DJ gives me credit more than any other actor gives his stunt man." In July 2018, Johnson surprised Reed in a Facebook video, telling the world how much he appreciates his stuntman. "He's been an incredible partner and brother to me ... It's been an honor and I want to say from the bottom of my heart, I love you, I thank you, and enjoy your new truck." Johnson then revealed a brand new vehicle that brought Reed to tears. Aww.
Chris Hemsworth's double has to eat, a lot.
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth is known for being quite handsome, and in the words of BuzzFeed, his double is also "ridiculously good looking." Professional stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton reportedly began working for Hemsworth on the set of Snow White and the Huntsman, followed by Thor 2. He's been the go-to guy for rigorous action scenes ever since. "[Hemsworth]'s a great dad, great husband, great friend... all-round legend," Hanton said. "We have become very close friends now, I love him."
Hanton told News.com.au that to bulk up for the role of Thor, in particular, he and Hemsworth had to eat eight meals a day and train twice daily. Hemsworth has rewarded his double for all of his hard work with some impressive gear. According to Hanton, "Chris knows that I'm a big lover of watches so Chris is always buying me watches which is a bonus for sure." Not bad at all.
Jared Padalecki's double is 'not a stupid man'
Stuntman Mike Carpenter had to maintain a strict fitness regimen to convincingly double for Supernatural's Jared Padalecki. "That was a lot of work, especially a couple of years ago when he just got massive," Carpenter told the Impedimenta blog in 2013. "I saw he was just getting bigger and bigger and I was in the gym, it didn't end."
Judging from photos of Carpenter and Padalecki together, it seems all that hard work paid off. Carpenter, who has performed stunts Blade: Trinity, The Incredible Hulk, and Twilight, told the blog that regardless of the danger involved in his job, it's important he take great care of himself physically. His philosophy: "I'm a stunt man not a stupid man." He told the blog, "I wanna work today and I wanna work tomorrow and the next day. For me, I wanna be prepared and safe and look after my body because it's my tool."
Will the real Zach Galifianakis please stand up?
In the TV show Baskets, comedian Zach Galifianakis plays two roles as twin brothers Chip and Dale. In order to film Galifianakis playing against himself, production needed someone to stand in as the other twin. Enter look-alike actor Dillon Peddicord, who, according to The Ringer, "served as a stand-in and body double for Galifianakis in 27 of 30 Baskets episodes" as of March 2018.
Peddicord told The Ringer he was hired for the position only after he grew out his facial hair to mimic Galifianakis' signature beard. "Zach and I look incredibly similar," Peddicord said. "When we are in the same outfit, it's difficult to distinguish us, especially from afar." He also added that as a result of needing to actually interact with Galifianakis during scenes instead of simply serving as his stand-in, he has a much closer relationship to his leading actor than doubles usually do. "One woman I met, she barely interacts with the actress she's been doubling for for years, because she comes in on the days when she's not available," Peddicord explained. "Working directly with Zach and actually participating is a really rare opportunity."
Tom Hardy's body double even learned his accent
New Zealander Jacob Tomuri first worked as actor Tom Hardy's stunt double on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road, and the two have continued to film together ever since. In Legend, the film in which Hardy plays infamous criminal twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray, Tomuri also served as a stand-in for Hardy to act against.
Tomuri even perfected a Cockney accent for the role, telling Viva, "I wanted to make sure that I was on point with everything — with Tom and the other cast members — with what I was doing, so the audience couldn't let go. Not only was the accent important to nail, but I wanted to replicate Tom's characters as much as possible, from their posture to their mannerisms."
Tomuri told Stuff that he and Hardy grew close when they lived together for eight months while filming The Revenant. "We have got a good friendship going on. It is a good professional relationship on set, and got to have a laugh off set as well."