You won’t see their faces on camera and their names don’t appear in the credits. They’re not stars, but Mainers Stephanie Hughes Atkinson and Paul Bellefeuille still play crucial roles in Hulu’s new Stephen King-inspired television series “Castle Rock.”
Atkinson and Bellefeuille, both actors by trade, worked as stand-ins on the show last year while it was filmed in Massachusetts. A stand-in replaces an actor on set while the lights and cameras are adjusted. It’s not the most glamorous job in show business — but it’s an important one.
Stand-ins give the actors a chance to concentrate on their performance, to prepare for the upcoming scene. Without stand-ins, actors would spend every minute waiting on the set, with no time or head space left for their job.
[Things really start to unravel on Castle Rock’]
Neither is a stranger to the demands of acting on-camera, either. Atkinson is a veteran of myriad television commercials and short films, while Bellefeuille’s credits include the recent “Super Troopers 2” big-screen comedy.
“I’d always said I wanted to be a standout, not a stand-in,” said Atkinson, “But it’s way more fun than I expected. Day in, day out, working as a crew member, the cooperating and creativity is great. Plus, we’re watching amazing actors first hand and learn more about camera angles — it’s so useful as an actor. It’s so useful for networking. I love it.”
The way it works is this: First the director goes over the scene with the actors. They work out the mechanics of how to play the scene, their actions and where the camera will shoot from. All the while, stand-ins watch and listen, sometimes taking notes.
When the director and actors are done, the stand-ins take over, mimicking the actors’ actions so the lights and camera can be set up. It’s important work requiring patience and stamina. Even simple scenes can take the better part of an hour to set up before the actors are called back to the set.
Atkinson stood in for Melanie Lynskey, who plays the strung-out, and possibly psychic, Molly Strand on the show. As a stand-in, Atkinson resembles Lynskey in all the ways that matter to the camera.
“We’re selected because we’re a match for the actor — height-wise, hair color, sometimes eyes, body type,” said Atkinson, who lives in Hollis. “We help set up the shots so actors can come in and concentrate on acting. We’re part of the crew.”
Paul Bellefeuille worked as a stand-in for Terry O’Quinn, who played Dale Lacy, the warden at Shawshank prison. The character — spoiler alert — drives off a cliff in the first episode.
[Here’s what you need to know about the first episode of ‘Castle Rock’]
Bellefeuille also got to work as a body double for O’Quinn. As the warden prepares to take the plunge, viewers see Bellefeuille, not O’Quinn.
“That’s my foot hitting the gas,” he said. “That’s my hand turning off the radio.”
The dummy in the car, as it goes into the water, is not Bellefeuille, of course — but the dummy is wearing Bellefeuille’s clothes.
It took months to get them back, said Bellefeuille.
Long shots of O’Quinn’s character driving a car, as seen from above, are also Bellefeuille, who calls Standish home when he’s not traveling for acting jobs.
[The horror movie vibe is strong in ‘Castle Rock’]
Atkinson did some doubling for Lynskey as well but can’t yet reveal which scenes as it would give away upcoming plot points. Before working on the series, both Atkinson and Bellefeuille had to sign legal documents promising to keep hushed on show secrets.
In addition to doubling and standing in, “Castle Rock” producers also found background work for Bellefeuille. Look closely, and you’ll see him playing a Shawshank prison guard. At one point, people on set thought that his prison guard persona had probably been seen too many times. They joked that he might become a drinking game.
Take a shot every time you see Bellefeuille, they joked.
Atkinson worked steadily on “Castle Rock” from August 2017 until January 2018. There were many long days and nights.
“There are some moments when you feel like you’re contributing,” she said. “There’s other times when you feel like you’re just standing there, with your college degree.”
Bellefeuille and Atkinson both agree that what helped them get through the tough stretches were the actors they stood in for.
“She was always so grateful,” Atkinson said of Lynskey.
Atkinson would sometimes stand for hours in the cold weather, wearing lightweight clothing that matched Lynskey’s. But underneath, Atkinson could wear warm layers.
[‘Castle Rock’ a goldmine of Stephen King references]
“So, it felt odd that she was so grateful,” she said. “She’d come out in a mini skirt for the scene and she’d be like, ‘Thanks Steph.’”
Only Lynskey is from New Zealand and, with her accent, it sounded more like, “Thanks, Stiff.”
Sometimes Lynskey would notice that Atkinson seemed cold and would loudly say how cold she looked. Then, magically, the crew would produce a warm jacket and hot drink.
“She was always concerned with my welfare,” said Atkinson.
Bellefeuille agreed, the gratitude from the actors helped him get through the long hours.
“The actors were so generous with us,” said Bellefeuille. “At the end of every day I worked with Terry O’Quinn, he would come over to me, shake my hand and thank me. Your jaw drops.”
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