Jennifer waits in her dressing room. It's a small, square room with tan carpeting and cream walls. A long white counter extends the length of the back wall. Above the counter is an equally large mirror, surrounded by lights. Jennifer has been working in the movie business for about 3 years now and if there's one thing that is constant on every movie set, it is the waiting. A lot of waiting.
"Jennifer, we're ready for you", the assistant director says as he leans into the dressing room's doorway.
Jennifer is not getting ready to act in a dramatic scene. Her purpose on every movie set is to be a body double.
Many A-list actresses make arrangements with their directors to have someone else step in during a scene involving nudity. Jennifer's face is never seen but her breasts, bare legs and butt have been in over 100 movies. This seemingly easy job is much more demanding than the average person realizes.
For this role, Jennifer has had to lose 15 pounds. The previous movie she had appeared in was starring a much more curvaceous woman. Not only did she have to lose the 15 pounds, she had to do it in 3 weeks. Jennifer worked out twice a day and only consumed about 800 calories each day. The hard work paid off though.
"Ok everyone, let's take our marks", says the director.
Jennifer opens her white terry-cloth robe and an assistant is there to take it. Black satin sheets cover the bed in front of her and she carefully gets in. About 5 people rush over as she lies down to put her and the sheets in just the right position. She is told to lay on her left side, with her back to the camera. The top sheet hugs her right thigh, as she appears to be sleeping. Meanwhile thoughts run through Jennifer's mind,
"Did he just say something about my ass? Suck in your stomach. Is my arm in the right position? Is my hair okay?
"And, ACTION"
Jake enters and recites his few lines. Jennifer's heart is pounding and she is holding her breath, trying to keep very still. The few minutes seem to last hours.
"And, CUT"
The assistant runs over with the robe, Jennifer gets out of the bed and is escorted back to the dressing room to wait for her next scene.