Michelle Trachtenberg

Chicago Sun-Times

Questions for the Movie Answer Man:

Q. In your review of "Ice Princess," you wrote, "... the surprise is that Michelle Trachtenberg seems able to skate, too. That didn’t look like a double on the ice, although Variety, the showbiz bible, reports, ’Four different skaters sub for Trachtenberg in the more difficult performances.’ " As you probably have heard by now, there WERE doubles, although I agree it really looked like the actress herself. How do you feel about the visual trickery? - Susan Lake, Urbana, Ill.

A. I would have been fooled if not for the information from Variety. Dennis Berardi of Mr. X Inc. in Toronto produced the visual effects for the film, and writes me: "As one of the effects studios responsible for face replacement on the film, we’re taking your words as a compliment. Miss Trachtenberg indeed demonstrated considerable natural skating ability during filming, and her talents provided the foundation for our studio’s effects work. But Variety was correct. There were four different skaters who took the ice for Trachtenberg (Jennifer Robinson, Sandra Jean Rucker, Cassandre Van Bakel and Lauren Wilson), as well as extensive if invisible visual effects. Our studio was responsible for seamlessly replacing the faces of the stunt skaters with that of Miss Trachtenberg. Ultimately, the best effects are those that look so real that they cannot be seen. So, you actually paid our digital artists the ultimate compliment, by not recognizing their work."