43
Liberty native stands in for Jolie in spy thriller
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Corinne Saffell doesn’t look that much like Angelina Jolie.
But when she and the movie star are dressed and made up for the same part, she could be her double.
Saffell, a Liberty native, was the stand-in for Jolie in her new film, “Salt,” which opens today.
“It’s funny because I don’t ordinarily look that much like her, but when I was wigged and all done up, some people said ‘Oh yes, I see it now,’” said Saffell in a phone interview from Santa Monica, Calif., where she lives.
As a stand-in, Saffell was on the set all day, dressed exactly like Jolie — including the same wig.
She was used in several brief nonspeaking scenes, so that Jolie didn’t have to be on the set all day. It’s a common practice.
The scene might be an over-the-shoulder shot, or from a distance, she said. A person watching the film would never know that it is Saffell, and not Jolie, that they are seeing.
“[The crew] will set up lighting, and [Jolie and I] will rotate in and out [of the shooting],” said Saffell, describing a typical day.
She said working with Jolie was a pleasure. “She’s a beautiful woman inside and out,” said Saffell. “If I have to stand in for someone, I’m happy to do it for her.”
Saffell worked side-by-side with Jolie for the four months of shooting, which took place in New York, Long Island and Washington, D.C.
To get the stand-in role, Saffell, who also does modeling, had to go through an audition process.
The daughter of Michelle and Ron Saffell of Liberty, she has had small spot roles in several major movies and television series, including “A Beautiful Mind,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Ugly Betty.”
As a teenager, Saffell danced with Ballet Western Reserve in Youngstown. After graduating from Liberty High School, she attended the University of Pittsburgh for a while before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career.