Mystery EP: Opinion on Jessica Parker Kennedy (Merkin?) and Laura Vandervoort's Body Double.
Mystery EP is an experienced producer based in L.A. He chipped in from time to time - when requested - to offer his expert views and opinions derived from his years working in the biz including on various cable shows.Roger
Jessica Parker Kennedy claimed in an interview she had merkin on for full frontal scene(s). A clear view of her 'bush in Black Sails [Episode 2]. Was it a merkin or she's trying to BS us?
Mystery EP The word merkin is being used a lot and I think its maybe being misused in some cases as well. What is generally used in the industry is something called a privacy patch. The patch is just a big sticky patch. It basically looks like two triangles facing each other with a strip connecting them or a thong if a thong didn't have a waste band. Now, that is the most common form of privacy protection for actresses doing nude scene where they have to appear fully nude but aren't going to be filmed full frontal.
The merkin is actually very rarely used. You see it a lot in Spartacus and it is basically a privacy patch with hair attached to it.
JPK does not appear to be wearing any form of privacy patch, merkin or other. However, she may not have been telling a total lie. Its possible the hair/makeup dept glued some pubic hair on to her, not for privacy sake, but in the event she showed up to set clean shaven or with not enough hair for the sake of period realism. This was done a lot in the show Magic City. Women would show up to set clean shaven for full frontal scenes and would have to have pubic hair added to their bodies, not because they were embarrassed and unwilling to go FF, but because they were not "period appropriate" down there.
As you can see in the shot, even if she were completely clean shaven, the position of her leg and the covers would not have revealed anything other than the upper pubic area so the point is, she did not need a merkin or a privacy patch to "protect" herself. She was either not wearing anything at all or she had some hair added to her bare skin with glue in order to make her look more period appropriate. The only thing that looks a bit suspicious in the images is the dark edge along the upper (left) thigh as it gets closer to the covers. I'm not sure why that is so dark and it gives me the impression there is something unnatural there, but this may not be the case. There seems to be very little to suggest she's wearing anything heavy duty like a patch.
The Body Double conundrum. Having watched Laura Vandervoort in Bitten amid cries of BD, I'm convinced it's her. Is it possible nudity was stipulated in a way that Laura agrees to show off her butt and side-boobs but shot in a way to suggest a BD was involved. To protect the particular actress from off-the-cam hoopla and she can fib to loved ones it wasn't her. Or is it some sort of a basic cable guideline? No face and butt shot in same frame?
I'm not actually aware of any deals like the one you suggest. If an actress were as uptight as to stipulate the way the nudity were to be shot, she might just as well ask for a Body Double. It wouldn't make much sense to tell the production they're not allowed to show her face if she's willing to do the nudity herself. That doesn't mean this isn't her but a deal like that would mainly not make sense because of 2 reasons:
1) If she were important enough to demand how the filmmakers film the scene she'd be important enough to demand a BD and therefore there'd be no reason to make a deal like this for her.
2) A deal like this wouldn't protect her from loved ones watching (ie boyfriends and husbands) because they will undoubtedly be able to recognize whether or not the body actually belongs to the actress whether the face is shown or not. So my guess is - its always suspicious when they don't show a face in a scene that an actress is doing nudity in but that does not mean this is definitely a BD. And I think time will tell, either via interview or in future episodes, whether or not she's been doing the nudity herself.
Roger
Laura Vanderwoort was harping on and on about the nudity she had to do in interviews/press conference (I counted like 5-6 times she mentioned the N-word). So she was lying through her teeth : (
Mystery EP
Don't be so sure though, just yet. Sometimes a body double will be used for some scenes while the actress may do others herself. I don't want to start any speculation here, but the shot (Episode 1) where she is getting out of bed the body looks different to me than the shot where she is walking in the woods. There seems to be a bit more hip to the woman getting out of the bed. That said, I always find it suspicious when the filmmakers don't show any part of the face.
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