In episode 181: What does it really mean when a reporter goes undercover? Are on-screen bodies ever achievable without the aid of certain “supplements”? Are your favourite TV shows scheduled so they deliberately clash? Just some of the questions Richard Osman and Marina Hyde answer in this episode of The Rest Is Entertainment.
Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude
Video Editor: Kieron Leslie, Charlie Rodwell, Adam Thornton, Harry Swan
Producer: Joey McCarthy
Senior Producer: Neil Fearn
Head of Content: Tom Whiter
Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport
Download The Secrets Of Undercover Reporting as an MP3
Inside This Episode
Q: How much do actors get paid for playing dead bodies in films?
A: According to SAG union rates, actors playing corpses are paid as supporting actors or background extras at a standard rate of $224 per day. If there’s a photograph of the deceased character required, actors can earn slightly more, but only about $20 extra even for challenging conditions like lying in shallow water or extensive makeup. The pay increases significantly if the actor has even one line before their death, moving them into the “featured extra” category with much better compensation.
Q: Can musicians actually make a living from streaming platforms like Spotify?
A: The economics of streaming are dire for most artists, with Spotify paying approximately 0.0035 pence per stream. To earn minimum wage solely from Spotify streams, an artist would need 567,000 streams per month – a level achieved by established artists like Alison Moyer. Most successful bands that people recognise still have day jobs, with some working in coffee shops whilst supporting major acts like the Foo Fighters. The money now comes primarily from touring and sync licensing rather than record sales.
Q: Do undercover journalists keep the wages they earn whilst infiltrating companies?
A: Most established journalists working for major outlets like the BBC or Guardian donate any wages earned during undercover operations to charity to avoid accusations of obtaining money dishonestly. Simon Goodley from The Guardian always gives away wages and approaches companies afterward, offering to either reimburse them or donate to charity – companies invariably choose charity. However, freelance journalists working on long investigations without guaranteed payment may keep the money as they’ve genuinely performed the work required.
Q: How do actors achieve dramatic weight changes for film roles?
A: Modern productions increasingly use digital manipulation, body doubles, and head replacement technology rather than requiring actors to undergo dangerous physical transformations. Films like The Martian and Captain America used CGI and body doubles for malnourished scenes. However, some actors still undergo extreme physical changes – Tom Hanks lost 50 pounds for Cast Away by filming in reverse order, starting thin and gaining weight throughout production. Christian Bale notoriously consumed only 200 calories daily for four months whilst preparing for The Machinist.
Q: Why do reality TV shows always use opaque gold cups for drinks?
A: The gold cups solve a continuity problem in editing, as producers can’t see liquid levels changing when scenes are cut together non-linearly. Producer Chris Colon, behind shows like Love is Blind, originally used them for practical editing reasons but now considers them “connective tissue” that creates visual consistency across different locations and conversations. The cups have become so iconic that they’re amongst the biggest sellers in the Netflix store, demonstrating how a practical solution became a merchandising opportunity.
Media Mentions
Films
- Conclave
- War and Peace
- The Big Chill
- The Martian
- Captain America
- Cast Away
- The Machinist
- The Deer Hunter
- Cocktail
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Television Shows
- Panorama
- Poker Face
- Thursday Murder Club
- House of Games
- Love is Blind
- Love Island
- Perfect Match
- Married at First Sight
- Strictly Come Dancing
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North
- K-Pop Demon Hunters
- Destination X
- The Fortune Hotel
Music Artists/Bands
- Fontaines D.C.
- Himalayas
- Foo Fighters
- The Sherlocks
- Field Music
- The Doors
- Slow Club
- Self Esteem
- Alison Moyet
- Yazoo
- Ann Cress
- Simple Minds
Hot Takes
“You’ve got to be able to do the short breaths and you’ve got to be able to not blink.”
Simon Goodley from The Guardian, after infiltrating a chicken processing factory eight years ago, “still not go anywhere near supermarket chicken.”
“There’s no possible explanation” why an English person would work at minimum wage in a slaughterhouse unless “have you just got out of prison?”
“It is very, very, very hard to make money. You have to be absolutely at the top.”
About Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem): “The amount of Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s and self-esteems we have lost along the way because there is no money for these bands.”
“Heritage acts are all fine because they can tour forever. But yeah, new young bands coming along” face enormous financial challenges.
On actors taking steroids for roles: “You’re particularly like, oh my God, you were just having so many steroids for this movie, weren’t you?”
About actors on performance-enhancing drugs: “They’re so aggressive and impossible to deal with” during filming.
“You unfortunately can’t have a cinematic career at the same time, so you can’t do both things. You can’t be shooting a movie and spend that long in the gym, so something else is helping.”
About Marvel movie promotion: “Part of the big promotion for a Marvel movie or a Bond movie or anything like that is that you will have a certain amount of interviews with the star in question’s trainer.”
Who’s Who
- Samuel L. Jackson – Actor who played a corpse early in career
- Tom Hanks – Nearly played a corpse but got reprieve
- Kevin Costner – Played Alex’s corpse in The Big Chill
- Lawrence Kasdan – Director of The Big Chill
- Justin Theroux – Actor in Poker Face
- Jen Todd – Producer of Thursday Murder Club
- Helen Mirren – Actress in Thursday Murder Club
- Ben Kingsley – Actor in Thursday Murder Club
- Paul Freeman – Actor in Thursday Murder Club
- Susan Kirkby – Actress who played comatose character Penny Gray in The Thursday Murder Club
- Dave Simpson – Guardian music journalist
- Rebecca Lucy Taylor – Musician (aka Self Esteem)
- The Anchoress – Musician and lecturer
- Alison Moyet – Singer
- Simon Goodley – Guardian journalist
- Chuck Lamb – Computer programmer known as “Dead Body Guy”
- Matt Damon – Actor in The Martian
- Chris Evans – Actor in Captain America
- Orlando Bloom – Actor with upcoming weight loss role
- Christian Bale – Actor known for extreme weight changes
- Charlize Theron – Actress known for transformative roles
- Brad Pitt – Actor in Benjamin Button
- Chris Coelen – Producer of Love is Blind and other reality shows
- Meghan Markle – Mentioned regarding Netflix partnership
Notable Numbers
- $224 – Daily rate for SAG actors playing corpses
- $20 – Additional payment for challenging corpse roles
- 0.0035 pence – Payment per Spotify stream
- 567,000 – Monthly streams needed to earn minimum wage
- 50 pounds – Weight Tom Hanks lost for Cast Away
- 200 calories – Christian Bale’s daily intake for The Machinist for four months
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