In a recent article for the Rockland/Westchester Journal News titled “Tarrytown resident, stand-in for Tom Selleck on ‘Blue Bloods,’ reminisces on final season,” stand-in Stephen Medwid shared about his long experience on the television series Blue Bloods standing in for lead actor Tom Selleck.

Not originally landing the stand-in job, Stephen eventually was chosen as Selleck’s stand-in, leading to a run of fourteen seasons standing in for the actor and work among people on the production who have effectively become his “family.”  Although he says no one wants the production to be over, Stephen said he won’t miss his commute to get to work, which can take one to two hours or more, with an average work day lasting ten to fourteen hours.

Stephen says the stand-in work on the show is “complicated and involved,” providing a basic rundown of his job as a stand-in on the TV show. By the sounds of the article, Stephen’s stand-in work is a bit more involved than what a typical stand-in does. He works also as a photo-double for Selleck, which is not all that surprising.  But Stephen’s work also includes making sure “there are no surprises or delays once [Sellectk] steps in to do a scene” and checking “there are no wires in the way or that people are not in his eyeline.”  Stephen explains, “Sounds simple but it’s not.”

Despite the extended time on the production, Stephen is far from good friends with Selleck. Stephen says, “We’re two ships passing. If he’s on set, I’m not and vice versa. We do, however, occasionally have an extended conversation but it’s rare.”

In addition to standing in and photo-doubling for Selleck, Stephen has stood in for other tall actors on the show, as well as had speaking roles. Stephen even had his own stand-in on the show, primarily for scenes with distance, given a knee replacement he had in the prior season.

Stephen came to stand-in work from the field of boxing sportswriting, about which he is writing a memoir and a one-man show. We wish Stephen much luck as Blue Bloods comes to end production in June 2024!

Read the article:
“Tarrytown resident, stand-in for Tom Selleck on ‘Blue Bloods,’ reminisces on final season”

Have you worked as a stand-in on Blue Bloods, too? Have you had a long run as a stand-in on a television series? Share your anecdotes in the comments below!