History Main / ObviousStuntDouble

This can also be PlayedForLaughs where the switch is excessively obvious, or exaggerated in the sense that the face remains hidden but there are other factors that betray this as being someone else such as body language. The nature of technology and viewing habits has also evolved, things that were previously hidden through image resolution or AspectRatio become an issue when given a hi-def upgrade and uncropped frame. With better ability to review the content the mix-up may be hidden through a DigitalFaceSwap.

Alice is a famous actress working on her latest movie. The time has come to film the scene where she rides a motorcycle through flaming hoops over a shark tank. But, wait, Alice is far too delicate, precious and non-expendable to be put through that! A StuntDouble is needed. But Alice's usual stunt double is in the hospital, so what do they do? Hire Alice's friend Bob. Sure, he looks nothing like her, but it's not like anyone will notice.

This is a subtrope of PaperThinDisguise or SpecialEffectsFailure (depending on whether the example is in-universe or not), often overlaps with FightSceneFailure, and is also related to StockFootageFailure. TheOtherDarrin is something similar, where a character gets a new actor because the previous one left the show. Happens less often now than it used to (before everyone had Hi Def devices to watch everything on, when directors didn't have to worry that the double would be obvious at all), thanks to film and TV-makers now being able to [[DigitalHeadSwap digitally stick the real actor's face on the stunt performer]].

* The ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' films used a lot of methods to hide the fact that the hobbits were not, in fact, three feet tall, from forced perspective tricks to children in wigs or prosthetic masks to very occasional use of CGI. (In general, if you can't see their faces, it's probably a double.) For the most part, it's downright seamless. However, the extended cut of ''Film/ReturnOfTheKing'' features one obvious shot: during the negotiations with the {{Mouth of Sauron}}, a shot of Pippin sitting in front of Gandalf is very clearly not Billy Boyd.
* Name pretty much any ''Creator/StevenSeagal'' DirectToVideo movie (such as ''Kill Switch'') and you can guarantee that any shot that doesn't explicitly show his face will be a stunt double who's several pounds lighter and often has a different hair color. Not just fight scenes either; even scenes of him simply standing or walking around are liable to be stunt doubles due to Seagal not staying in shape. The previously mentioned ''Kill Switch'' not only has a stunt double used in a scene where Seagal's character is sitting down and not doing anything, but also a fight scene where Seagal's only appearance is an extreme close up of him shifting to the left, which is played twenty times in that one scene (sometimes inverted), including when one of his opponents is supposed to have him in a headlock.

* In episode 2 of ''WebOriginal/GenerationLoss'', Vinny being [[spoiler:killed by a falling anvil]] is represented by an abrupt jump cut to a rubber dummy that barely resembles him.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''** It's obvious Sandy's doubling for Mermaid Man in the unofficial movie they make.

* The 2012 ''[[Film/TheThreeStooges2012 Three Stooges]]'' movie did this as an homage to the original shorts, by having the Stooges suddenly become floppy-limbed stunt dummies anytime they needed to take a big fall. Thanks to modern movie editing, they didn't even have to do the camera cutaway; instead the dummies fall and it seamlessly transitions to the actors picking themselves up!

*

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', it's obvious Sandy's doubling for Mermaid Man in the unofficial movie they make.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'': During the live-action Patchy the Pirate segments in the "Truth or Square" special, it's very obviously not Creator/TomKenny's hand running through the rolodex; not only is it more effeminate-looking, it doesn't have the white ruffle from Patchy's sleeve.

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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'': During the live-action Patchy the Pirate segments in the "Truth or Square" special, it's very obviously not Creator/TomKenny's hand running through the rolodex; not only is it more effeminate-looking, it doesn't have the white ruffle from Patchy's sleeve.
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* In ''Film/ThePrincessBride'', Buttercup pushes Roberts (played by the blonde Creator/CaryElwes) down a steep hill, then, after realizing he's really her long lost love Westley, dives after him. We then get a scene of the two tumbling down the hill. At one point, Westley's bandanna comes off and we see his redheaded, bearded stunt double tumble down.

* Name pretty much any ''Creator/StevenSeagal'' DirectToVideo movie (such as ''Kill Switch'') and you can guarantee that any shot that doesn't explicitly show his face will be a stunt double who's several pounds lighter and often has a different hair color. Not just fight scenes either; even scenes of him simply standing or walking around are liable to be stunt doubles due to Seagal not staying in shape. The previously mentioned ''Kill Switch'' not only has a stunt double used in a scene where Seagal's character is sitting down and not doing anything, but also a fight scene where Seagal's only appearance is an extreme close up of him shifting to the left, which is played twenty times in that one scene, including when one of his opponents is supposed to have him in a headlock.

[[quoteright:350:[[Recap/StewieGriffinTheUntoldStory https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/combine_images_1_5.jpg]]]]

** In ''Recap/StewieGriffinTheUntoldStory'', there's a scene of Stewie leaping out of a hotel window. It cuts to what appears to be Dennis Franz in red overalls making the dive.

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', when shooting a Pikachu film, Ash's Hawlucha is the stunt double to the hero Super Pikachu (played by none other than Ash's own Pikachu). There was actually a full-body suit for Hawlucha to wear, so he can actually pass for a Pikachu...if it weren't for the fact that Hawlucha is ''larger'' and more musclebound than Ash's Pikachu. In one of the InUniverse HilariousOuttakes, Hawlucha seemingly forgets that he's ''just'' a double, and an embarrassed Pikachu (from his hiding place) is signalling Hawlucha to switch places with him.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture'': The scenes in which Marty is rammed by Biff's car while he's riding the makeshift skateboard feature a stuntman who is obviously much taller than Creator/MichaelJFox and also has darker hair. Also, when George spies on Lorraine while she's getting dressed, the girl we see is clearly not Lea Thompson.

* In episode 1 of ''WebOriginal/GenerationLoss'', Vinny being [[spoiler:killed by a falling anvil]] is represented by an abrupt jump cut to a rubber dummy that barely resembles him.

** Another example happens in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Sound designer Ben Burtt appears as an Imperial officer, who gets killed when Han Solo knocks him over a [[RailingKill railing]]. In the closeups, it's obviously Burtt, but for the shot of the officer actually being struck and backflipping over the rail, an older stuntman with a completely different body build is substituted (the same stuntman appears as another officer in the background of other scenes).

* In episode 1 of ''WebVideo/GenerationLoss'', Vinny being [[spoiler:killed by a falling anvil]] is represented by an abrupt jump cut to a rubber dummy that barely resembles him.

* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'': Creator/LyndaCarter's double, Jeannie Epper, didn't quite have the same curves. But it was an improvement over her [[GenderBender male stunt doubles]].

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase The Chase]]", Creator/WilliamHartnell's usual stunt double Edmund Warwick plays a Dalek EvilKnockoff of the Doctor. With his face clearly visible on screen for literally minutes. And, inexplicably, in scenes where only one actor had to be around. He does look a lot like Hartnell, but not so much that they're not readily distinguishable.

** Pay attention to when the Doctor drags the guard out of the way in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E5TheGreenDeath The Green Death]]" - he's replaced by an absolutely terrible dummy.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E4TheAndroidInvasion The Android Invasion]]" had a duplicate Fourth Doctor (Walsh again) with a highly OffModel wig.
** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]" has a sequence where the Doctor falls off a cliff and is suddenly replaced by a dummy. Tom's usually convincing double Terry is also betrayed by a synthetic wig that stays springy when wet compared to Creator/TomBaker's plastered-down real hair in the closeups, and is several shades redder than it.

** In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', it is ''amazingly'' obvious that the T-800 who jumps the motorcycle into the [[DownLADrain Los Angeles River]] drainage canal is ''not'' Arnold.

* The ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' films used a lot of methods to hide the fact that the hobbits were not, in fact, three feet tall, from forced perspective tricks to children in wigs or prosthetic masks to very occasional use of CGI. For the most part, it's downright seamless. However, the extended cut of ''Film/ReturnOfTheKing'' features one obvious shot: during the negotiations with the {{Mouth of Sauron}}, a shot of Pippin sitting in front of Gandalf is very clearly not Billy Boyd.

* The opening credits for ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' required Creator/RayRomano to perform desperate athletic feats, such as propelling himself across the living-room on a tea-trolley and somersaulting towards the door to lock it in order to prevent his parents getting in. It only becomes apparent a stunt double was used if you look really closely. [[note]] The stunt double landed awkwardly, face-first into the door, and broke his nose. Imagine Ray Romano's famous nose getting damaged in this way. Would he have taken the door with him?[[/note]]

* The ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' films used a lot of methods to hide the fact that the hobbits were not, in fact, three feet tall, from forced perspective tricks to children in wigs or prosthetic masks to very occasional use of CGI. For the most part, it's downright seamless. However, the extended cut of ''Film/ReturnOfTheKing'' features one obvious shot: during the negotiation with the Mouth of Sauron, a shot of Pippin sitting in front of Gandalf is very clearly not Billy Boyd.

* Salem from ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': it is fairly easy to tell the difference between when he is being portrayed by a real cat and when he is being portrayed by a puppet.
* The short-lived ''Series/MasterNinja'' has Lee Van Cleef as a veteran soldier turned ninja. Whenever his character is fully masked, it becomes obvious he's suddenly about twenty pounds lighter and much more athletic.

* This happened frequently on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' but was particularly noticeable during the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness first season]].

* The opening credits for ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' required Ray Romano to perform desperate athletic feats, such as propelling himself across the living-room on a tea-trolley and somersaulting towards the door to lock it in order to prevent his parents getting in. It only becomes apparent a stunt double was used if you look really closely. [[note]] The stunt double landed awkwardly, face-first into the door, and broke his nose. Imagine Ray Romano's famous nose getting damaged in this way. Would he have taken the door with him?[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' episode, "Lights, Camera, Adam!", Timmy becomes the stunt Cleft for The Crimson Chin Movie. The Main difference between him and the main Actor playing Cleft is that the main Actor playing Cleft is a much taller teenager and Timmy is a short 10-year-old.