17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen dancer Hayley lands star role as body double for Hollywood actress Vanessa Hudgens
Not many people can say they've been a body double for one of the most famous Hollywood stars in the world.
But that is exactly what happened to Aberdeen dancer Hayley Brown.
After being booked as a backing dancer for the film The Princess Switch 3, the 34-year-old suddenly found herself as a body double for the American actress Vanessa Hudgens.
'I was thrown in at the deep end as I'd danced before but I'd never done stand-in work,' says Hayley.
'So I was sitting there looking around the room and there were all these famous actors and I just thought, 'why am I sitting here'.
'But it was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I just went for it.'
So how did Hayley become a stand-in for a Hollywood megastar?
It all begins when Hayley was just a toot.
'I've danced since I was three years old,' says Hayley.
'I used to love performing at school or in my own back garden, copying dances from music videos at the time.
'I even made my dad make a stage for me to perform on.'
Despite having a love of performing, it wasn't until Hayley was a teenager when she really got into it.
'When I was about 15/16, some of my friends were doing the local pantomime with Attic Theatre so I got involved with that,' says Hayley.
'Sharon Gill, who was organising the panto at the time, then encouraged me to join her cheerleading group so I randomly fell into that.'
Unbeknown to Hayley at the time, cheerleading was like a springboard into the world of performing.
'As part of the cheerleading group we went to Disneyland to perform,' says Hayley.
'It was an amazing experience to compete against cheerleading teams from across the world.'
But although Hayley was performing on the global stage she still doubted herself.
'I still didn't really have the confidence to pursue dance as a career,' says Hayley.
'Also, there wasn't really further education in Aberdeen, I thought you always had to move away to Edinburgh or Glasgow.'
But everything changed for Hayley, who worked in childcare, when she saw one of her friends perform in a show.
'I remember going to watch my friend's dance show and I thought 'oh that's what I should be doing',' says Hayley.
'So I went on to study dance at Telford College in Edinburgh and Morningside Advanced training.
'I can't thank the teachers from Morningside dance school in Edinburgh enough for everything they taught me.'
Hayley's first big break into the film industry happened when she got a part as a dancer in the hit Scottish film Sunshine on Leith starring Peter Mullan.
'I was in the big dance scene at the end,' says Hayley.
'It was quite lucky as apparently, they had finished the film but the directors weren't happy with the ending so they decided to do this big dance scene at the end.'
After completing her training in Edinburgh, Hayley moved back to Aberdeen where she became a dance teacher.
It was during lockdown when Hayley got her next big break.
'Everything stopped during lockdown but people who worked in TV and film could get a permit and still work,' says Hayley.
'So my dance agent put me forward for a couple of films.'
Hayley ended up landing a role as a backing dancer for A Castle for Christmas, a romance/comedy film starring Brooke Shields, Drew Barrymore and Carl Ewes.
'It was filmed at Dalmeny House in Edinburgh and in other locations across South Queensferry,' says Hayley.
'I was in a scene where they have a little ceilidh dance.
'Brooke Shields was lovely, she had a sore ankle but she powered through.
'And Carl Ewes, who was in Stranger Things, was keen to practice his Scottish accent so he remained in character the entire time.'
And just when Hayley thought things couldn't get better, she landed a role as a dancer in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star, a film starring Vanessa Hudgens.
'Initially I was hired as a dancer but then I was asked to stay on as part of the crew and ended up body doubling for Vanessa,' says Hayley.
'I had a similar height, hair colour and skin colour as Vanessa so I was a stand-in for her.
'So basically, I would watch her do a scene as they rehearsed and then when Vanessa went into hair and make-up, I would I stand there and pretend to be her so the crew could set up all the lights and cameras.
'I would also sometimes be her hand double.'
So what was it like to work alongside the High School Musical star who boasts 50.3 million Instagram followers?
'Vanessa was really lovely,' says Hayley.
'I actually don't know how she did it as she played three characters in the film so it must've been mentally and physically exhausting.
'Also, all her characters had different hair colours too so she had to go and sit for hours in hair and makeup.
'I definitely respected the graft that she put into the film.'
Reflecting on the experience, Hayley says it's great to see more films being shot in Scotland as it opens the doors for local performers.
'The Princess Switch 3 was filmed in locations in Edinburgh including Hopetoun House, near South Queensferry as well as at Gosford House in East Lothian and Newbattle Abbey in Midlothian,' says Hayley.
'I always thought you had to go down to London to do these things so it's great know that there's jobs in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
'To be able to get experience in front and behind the camera made me realise that there is a film world out there which is not so far away.'
One of the most surreal experiences Hayley had was when she was a dancer on the third season of the hit BBC programme The Traitors as well as a The Traitors US celeb version.
'The Traitors is filmed in Inverness so we were very lucky that they were looking for people for that,' says Hayley.
'So I was in the most recent series, the third one.
'I was one of a group of clowns with balloons who did a dance as part of one the contestants' tasks.
'It was a surreal experience because I watch the Traitors.
'After filming it was difficult as I knew who was in the final but I couldn't say anything.'
And although working in TV and films may sound glamorous, Hayley says it's far from it.
'While filming The Traitors, we were outside in the mud and the rain for a long time waiting around as they set up the cameras and check the angles,' says Hayley.
'There's a lot of waiting around so you know to take your snacks and a book.'
Most recently, Hayley has worked on Half Man, a forthcoming British and American television series written, created and starring Richard Gadd who starred in the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer.
And when she's not on film sets, Hayley loves nothing more than working as a freelance dance teacher in Aberdeen.
She can also be found modelling or performing in many local pubs, clubs or corporate events and fundraisers.
'I love making people feel good and seeing their confidence grow,' says Hayley.
'I also love getting to meet new people all the time, travelling and being involved with amazing projects and talented people and of course, all the fun costumes.'
With so many exciting projects coming her way, Hayley is embracing this period of her life.
'I'm just enjoying life right now,' says Hayley.
'When I was younger I used to lack confidence and now I just don't care.
'If an opportunity comes up I just go for it.
'It's good as I can inspire younger people now and show them what you can achieve.'
For more information on Hayley, check out her Instagram page @hayleycbrown1
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