The stunt double is a visible yet invisible body, a mostly uncredited worker on set who performs daring acts in the place of the star. Since the 1910s, Hollywood production companies began constructing actors into “stars” to increase their value on and off screen. This mechanism automatically introduced the stunt double; a replaceable crash-proof body. From her research, Bernice Nauta concluded that she would prefer to be her own stunt double, instead of using the Hollywoodesque, “star-factory, identity-commodifying methodology” of hiring a stunt double to perform the dirty and risky jobs of life.
In Cast – Non Appearance, Nauta dissolves her identity into an actor who plays her part, allowing her to explore the self from the role of her own stunt double, falling into a parallel reality. Nauta re-enacts memories and scenes from everyday life that can be classified as stunts: moments involving fear, danger, and risk.
The project comprises 4 short films: Cast Non Appearance, 06:52 min I fell for stunt doubles, 05:35 min Backstage, 05:50 min Ditch jumping re-enactment, 07:03 min