On January 22, 2019, Drew Barrymore was a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. While promoting another project, Colbert asked Barrymore about the film she is currently shooting in New York City titled The Stand-In.

In the film, Barrymore plays two roles: a star actress as well as her lookalike stand-in. The film reportedly tells the story of a stand-in who gets her own chance as a star.

Barrymore talks about her roles in The Stand-In about seven minutes into the interview in the video below:

Other Screen Depictions of Stand-Ins

To date, there have been a number of films and shorts made that depict what it is like to live and work as a stand-in.

Of note is the 1937 film Stand-In in which we covered in detail in this post.  That film showed what stand-in work was like in the 1930s!

Of course, there is also the memorable couple of (porn) stand-ins dramatized in the 2003 film Love Actually.

We have uncovered additional screen depictions of stand-ins as well.

Stand-In (2015)

A television pilot shot in 2015 (with help from a Kickstarter campaign) about a stand-in faced with a predisposition to cancer. Watch a behind-the-scenes trailer below:

The Stand-In (2011)

A comedy short about a stand-in getting a big break. Watch it below:

The Stand-In (1999)

A low-budget feature film using stand-in work as a metaphor in the pursuit of dreams of making it as an actor

Stand-Ins (1997)

A film depicting stand-ins in 1937, with Katherine Heigl as the stand-in for Rita Hayworth (or Katherine Hepburn if trivia is to be trusted). Watch the trailer below:

Will Interest in Stand-In Work Increase with Barrymore’s Film?

We expect the profile of Stand-In Central may rise upon the release of another film about stand-ins. Barrymore’s film has the potential to add to the mystique of stand-ins and the dreams many stand-ins have of being upgraded to principal work or even getting their own career breaks as an actor.

Should you want to learn what is actually involved in working as a stand-in, we would suggest studying up! Our downloadable ebook The Stand-In Handbook goes into rich detail about working as a stand-in. (Hint: It’s a lot more than just standing!)

The Stand-In Handbook is available here on the Stand-In Central website. To learn more about the ebook, watch our latest commercial:

Do you know of any other screen depictions of stand-ins? Maybe a movie or a television episode? If so, share any insights below in the comments section below!