I’ve been accepted for the job of stand-in for Neil Patrick Harris Boyd Holbrook on the set of Gone Girl being filmed in and around Cape Girardeau. Stand-ins are selected due to their appearance, having similar build, complexion, and eye color as the actors they are standing in for. My job is to stand in the various positions on the set while cameras are lined up and lighting is rigged. When everything is prepared and they are ready to film, the actors are brought in to perform their parts while the cameras roll.
I drive to Carbondale tomorrow night to stay in a hotel paid for by 20th Century Fox, then work 13+ hour days Monday – Thursday, have Friday off, then work Saturday. I don’t know if the gig will just be for this coming week, or if Saturday they will say, “ok, here’s your schedule for next week.” They feed as little info to me at the last possibly moment that they can.
Gone Girl is being directed by David Fincher, one of the greatest directors of our generation. He has directed Fight Club, one of my top 3 favorite movies, as well as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, Se7en, Alien 3, and many more. I’ve been told that he likes to have his stand-ins recite the characters’ lines while they are blocking the set.
So begins an unexpected fork in my crazy adventure through this life. My next post will tell the story of how I got involved and how this all happened. Stay tuned…