Body Double for a Day: Working on the Set of CSI Miami

Kids' Management called late one afternoon and wanted to know if my son, Layne, would be willing to work as a body double for a day. CSI Miami on CBS, starring David Caruso, was looking for a young boy who could hold his breath for long periods of time and keep absolutely still. Of course, my son had to look exactly like the star since there was a close up of both face and the entire length of the body. The character, 11-year-old Jesse Tavez, was accidentally killed on the episode "No Man's Land," by a stray bullet. It was quite a unique experience for both of us.

In any case, we left home for Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach around 4:00am for a 7:00am call time. We eluded most of the traffic and actually made it a half hour early. I cannot stress enough the importance of early arrival. The assistant director in charge of the kids thanked us profusely and then led us to Layne's dressing room which was a few doors down from co-star Eva La Rue. This was the first time we were actually given our own room, and who knows it might have been our last.

Therefore, we took full advantage of a private bathroom, a sofa and loveseat, closet, our very own television set, a working microwave and a personal school teacher. We were truly spoiled, and thought things could not get any better but they did.

There were teaching moments throughout the day and I made sure Layne knew how blessed he was. After all, how many 13-year-old kids can make a few hundred dollars a day and served snacks and meals fit for kings and princes? Not to mention he is usually treated like kings and princes. Nonetheless, he is still to respect his elders (which includes the caterer, the guard, the driver etc.), and all the people he is lucky enough to work with.

Eventually, Layne was taken to the make-up artist and his wardrobe was sent down to his changing room. It was a little disturbing to see him wear a bloodstained shirt with a bullet hole. But since he was playing a child who had been shot I can see the logic. A little fake blood was painted on his stomach and his face was pasty and pale.

It was a very quiet set, something we were not accustomed to-a bit somber, of course, as we were dealing with a sad scene of discovering a dead child. At this point Layne was given a quick lesson on how to stay perfectly still once the director said, "Action." Take a deep breath and stop breathing, or at least stop your chest from rising and falling, for the duration of the shot. Relaxing your muscles is a must and you'll have to stop shaking even if the ground is stone cold. Make sure your eyes aren't twitching, you can't swallow and don't even think about scratching that itch.

The ground that morning on the back lot of Raleigh Studios was extremely cold. Layne's body has zero fat which didn't help out with the "goose bumps" issue. Yet he prevailed with aid from two very pretty assistants whose jobs were to make sure Layne was comfortable all day. They covered him with blankets, rubbed his hands, shielded him from the wind and delivered a cup of hot chocolate at all the right moments. Needless to say I was a proud momma when I heard the words "thank you" generously flowing from my son's mouth.

Somehow Layne was able to stop shaking when the cameras rolled and he never flinched when the actor, playing the dead child's suspect father, stepped over his face with a large bloody shoe.

Layne and I didn't meet any of the cast of CSI Miami but he had a chance to hang with all their body doubles. Together, from a short distance, they looked like the cast of the show. We learned that it's essential the body double has many of the same features as the star he or she is doubling for. However, the doubles are not perfect matches though they come very close.

Furthermore, their job seems to be more important than first thought, thus the pay rate increase. They do all the leg work, so to speak, and perform the scenes a star might not feel up to or have time for. It would be pointless for the Lead star to run through a forest all day, for example, if their faces aren't shown (or maybe they're just out of shape). It's very time consuming and for a one hour series that shows up on your television screen once a week there just aren't enough hours in a day for the stars to be part of every shot. Layne's role had about 20 seconds on-screen time. It required a little over eight hours to shoot those 20 seconds.

In the end, we could say it was a wonderful working day. Another discipline was learned-stay still, don't talk, don't breathe. Employees from both CSI Miami and Raleigh Studios were sweet, very helpful and treated us like we were the stars of the show. My son might never be famous, but he is learning the business, as well as how to save his hard-earned money and more importantly, he is beginning to count his blessings.

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If you are interested in doing body double kind of work, find yourself a reputable managing company like Central Casting. They will also keep you working as extras or background and the occasional commercial. Kids' Management in Burbank has a wonderful reputation working with children between the ages of six months to eighteen years old. They will educate you on Child Labor Laws and so forth. For the most part, Kids' Management will obtain the same wages for your children as those who have joined AFTRA or SAG. If you like you can read my Associated Article, "Tips From A Parent Of A Child Actor," so you can start gathering the right paperwork and avoid scams.