Hundreds of extras in "Leatherheads" gathered for the movie's premier
Well, I made it!
After anxiously and excitedly waiting for over a year to see if my once-in-a-lifetime experience working on the set of the new Hollywood movie Leatherheads, starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski which hit theaters nationwide on Friday, actually resulted in face time in the movie, I'm thrilled and honored to announce I'm IN the movie!!! WOO HOO!!! Sweeeeet! Can you tell I'm stoked?!
Christine and I couldn't wait to visit our local movie theater here in Spartanburg, South Carolina just after noon for the first showing of Leatherheads to see if my scene as The Doorman opposite Clooney himself ended up in the final version. I was pretty confident that it would since this was the ONLY thing we worked on for an entire Sunday filming about 30-45 seconds worth of a scene. I was looking for it and within 15 minutes of watching the flick on the silver screen, there it was:
That big tall guy on the left standing there looking down with a condescending face at Clooney's character coming off of his motorcycle--THAT'S ME (CLICK HERE to see a blown-up version of this still shot)! In all, this scene was about 8 seconds long total and I was on screen for about 5 seconds. It wasn't much screen time when you think about a two-hour movie, but I felt extremely fortunate to have gotten that much time. Many of the hundreds of extras either got a flash-in-the-pan blip on the screen or nothing at all. I was indeed lucky and appreciated the opportunity to be a part of something so special.
Now, Christine on the other hand was as giddy as a schoolgirl when she saw me standing there and couldn't keep quiet. As soon as she realized that was me standing at attention next to George Clooney on that spittin'-and-sputterin' motorcycle in front of the hotel, I thought they were gonna throw her out of the theater for causing such a ruckus. She started whoopin' and hollerin' pointing her finger up at the screen saying, "Oh my God, there you are, oh my God, there you are!" I tried to get her to put her hand down and lower her voice as people were starting to stare. She was proud and happy to see her man in a real live movie. What a neat moment I'll always treasure for the rest of my life.
Just a couple of hours after the matinee showing of Leatherheads at our local theater, Christine and I got all dressed up in our formal attire and headed down the road a few miles to Greenville, South Carolina where a group of several hundred extras got together to watch the movie together and to reminisce about our time on the set of a Hollywood film. It was neat meeting up with many of the extras who I shared hours upon hours of waiting and waiting and waiting with last year just so we could make it to this moment of glory. Everyone was grateful this time had come and we even got the royal treatment from the local press, too.
They rolled out the Red Carpet for us and had local television personality Jack Roper from CBS affiliate WSPA Newschannel 7 on hand to announce our names as people gathered along both sides of the carpet cheering for us and taking our pictures as we entered the movie theater (when he introduced me and Christine, Jack said, "Next up we have Jimmy Moore and his friend." Uh, yeah, she's my friend known as my WIFE, Jack! I quickly corrected him to stay out of the doghouse). Okay, now that was weird! But I liked it and ate it up, baby! How often do you get a chance to do something that this, right? :D
As the movie was getting close to the end, I leaned over to Christine and said that we should leave early (since we had already seen the film once that day) to beat the crowd over to the BMW Zentrum where the after-party would be taking place. She agreed and we headed out the door. Three seconds later we heard this loud explosion as a bright light filled the stormy sky--a transformer had blown from the major thunderstorm that was moving through the area and the entire block immediately went black. Boy, that was great timing! It turns out the movie had JUST ended and the closing credits were showing, so nobody missed any of the movie itself.
At the earlier showing, we stayed all the way through the ending credits to see if my name would be there as "The Doorman." It wasn't. I guess they only put your name in there if you had a speaking part and I did not have one--although it was VERY close to happening. Interestingly, even if I did end up having that speaking role in the scene I was in, it would have been cut. They chopped off the last 5 seconds of that scene where the line was scheduled to happen and went right to the next scene where Clooney's character clashes with Zellweger's character inside the hotel. Oh well!
All in all, this romantic comedy set in the 1920s about the birth of professional football is a fun movie to watch and I was humbled to be able to play even a teeny tiny little role in it. I'm thankful for the memories that I have from this experience and if given another chance to be an extra in a Hollywood film, I'm there! Actually, there is supposed to be another movie being shot down the road in Columbia, South Carolina real soon and I'm seriously thinking of pursuing it, too. I've got the itch now that's just gotta be scratched. :P
At the after-party, I was interviewed by a reporter from The Greenville News and they quoted me first in their story. It was an unbelievable experience that will give me something to talk about besides livin' la vida low-carb for the rest of my life. If you haven't seen Leatherheads yet, then do yourself a favor and GO SEE IT! It's a great film that just about anyone will love and enjoy.
Here's the trailer in case you've missed it:
You can read all of my blog posts and see lots of pictures I took while on the set of Leatherheads at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Links" blog. Special THANKS to Jim Fair who created the extras web site TheLeatherheads.com and organized the Red Carpet Gala for us to treasure this moment. It's one I won't soon forget! And I can't wait to buy the DVD this Fall!
"Leatherheads" is FINALLY coming to theaters on Friday, April 4, 2008
The wait is almost over and I can hardly contain myself waiting for this Friday when the romantic comedy vintage football film Leatherheads hits movie theaters across America. It was just a little more than one year ago that I was given an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appear in this major Hollywood motion picture starring two of the hottest stars in Tinseltown today--George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. The experience of being on set for what will surely be one of the top films of 2008 is one I'll not soon forget and the anticipation leading up to this Friday to see if any of my scenes actually made it on the silver screen is killing me right now. I WANNA KNOW!!! :D
For my newer readers, it all started back in December 2006 when a local call for football players in the Greenville/Spartanburg, SC market was put out across the media and my ears perked up. Was it because I had the big strapping body of a football player because of my tremendous prowess in my younger years? HA! Yeah right, that's a good one! Remember, I was the fat kid growing up and actually I played in the band in high school.
And yet there I was waiting in line with over 1,000 other guys who were vying for their chance to be in a big-time movie. That alone was a neat experience and my story very well could have ended there. But then I got a call at the end of February 2007 from the casting director wanting to know if I still wanted to be in the Clooney flick. Uhhhh, lemme think about it--YES YES YES (and did I mention YES?!)!!! In fact, I thought I would be a football-playing extra in the film, but...
It turns out they needed me to play the role of The Doorman for the "Emerson House Hotel" (thus, the EHH on my hat) because of my height and slender body type. Uh, okay...whatever it takes to be in this movie, I'll do it. You can read all about how that glorious all-day Sunday event went in my first experience on the set of Leatherheads in downtown Greenville, South Carolina by clicking here.
I'll never forget the amazing job the wardrobe department did to make that hat work on my big head. Everything about the costume fit perfectly EXCEPT for the hat. My enlarged forehead (gee, thanks Dad!) wouldn't even allow it to come close to fitting. So they ripped the back of the hat out and put in some stretchy material so it would wrap around my head. Never mind the fact my brains felt like they were gonna squeeze out of my ears that day it was so tight! But at least it was on my head! ;)
That wasn't even the most memorable part of my story of being The Doorman, though. It turns out, this role was an integral part of the 30-second scene we were shooting because Clooney's character (Dodge Connolly) rides in on an old-timey 1920's motorcycle in front of my hotel where I am standing guard and parks it right there while swaggering his way off of it looking at me stating sarcastically, "Keep it close now, will ya?" The director instructed me to give him the dirtiest look I could and then shut the door behind Clooney after he enters the building. I'm almost 100% sure this scene will be in the final version of the film (did I say HOPING?!). The camera was just a few feet from where Clooney and I were standing during the scene and we did a bazillion takes of just this scene all day long. It's GOTTA be there!
In fact, George and Renee were in town this past week thanking our area for their hospitality during the filming and promoting the movie. Uh, yeah, I think we'll sell out a few theaters in this area just with all the extras and their families alone! But this Friday will be quite an eventful one for me and Christine because we will be participating in a special Red Carpet Gala just for the extras who were in Leatherheads. I'm getting dressed up in a tuxedo and Christine will wear her favorite black evening dress for the opening night festivities. The press will be there interviewing us about what it was like being on the set, so we'll get our few minutes of glamour and glitz!
But I've already told Christine that I wanna go see the movie earlier in the day around noon on Friday to see if my Doorman scene made it. I was also a fan in the stands for several of the football scenes that were shot in Traveler's Rest, SC and Charlotte, NC, but you'll never be able to make out the faces of the extras in those scenes. I'll be zeroing in on The Doorman scene when I'm watching the movie. It's so exciting and I'll be sure to let you know if I made the film or not (cross your fingers for me!).
Be sure to check out all my Leatherheads posts which include lots of pictures from the set, including exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of Clooney and co-star John Krasinski in action. If you happen to go see this movie, then watch for The Doorman giving George Clooney a "dirty look." That'd be me! Is it Friday yet?!
4-4-08 UPDATE: I'm in the movie!!! Christine and I went to see Leatherheads for the matinee showing at 12:30pm and there was my brief glimpse of cinematic glory about 10-15 minutes into the film. Clooney drives up on his motorcycle in front of the hotel and there I am (all 6'3" of me!) standing at attention in my green doorman outfit. They cut the scene short, but Christine about had a hissy fit seeing me in the movie. :D I'll be blogging more about this after our big Red Carpet Gala event tonight. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! :)
"Leatherheads" starring Clooney and Krasinski coming April 4, 2008
Pinch me because now that it's getting closer for the theatrical release of a movie I got to be an extra in, it kinda feels like a dream. But this is no dream and the Universal Pictures film Leatherheads starring George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski is officially set to come out on April 4, 2008. I CAN'T WAIT!
As regular readers of my blog know, it was almost one year ago to the day that I stood in line for several hours for a chance to be a part of the movie magic trying out to be a football player in this period movie set in the 1920's when professional football was born. When I didn't hear anything for the entire month of January and most of February, I just assumed they wouldn't need me.
But then on February 27th I got a call from the casting company for the movie asking me if I still wanted to be an extra. Uh, duh! I originally thought they wanted me to be a football-playing extra for Leatherheads, but they had something special in mind for me instead--a hotel doorman?
I got to play a special role as the doorman in "Leatherheads"
Yep, like that episode of "The Brady Bunch" where the record producer picked Greg to be a solo artist because he "fit the suit," that's how I got chosen to be the doorman. My 6'3" height and "thin body frame" (I LOVED hearing that!) got me the gig. But I almost lost the role because that cap wouldn't fit on my head. The wardrobe department had to cut a slit in the back of it and add some stretchy material to it would go on my noggin!
It was so neat with my first experience in a Hollywood movie standing in front of a makeshift hotel in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. That was a memorable day in my life because she shot a 30-45 second scene over and over about 50 times, but the neatest part was George Clooney's character speaking a line to my extra character. Sweet!
Thinking that day was going to be it for me as an extra, I was surprised to receive another phone call about a month later from the casting department again wanting me to be an extra in some football scenes as a fan in the stands. The filming was to take place in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina--about 45 minutes from my house--over several days. "Can you make it?" they asked. "Oh yeah, I'll be there!"
This time around I took lots and lots of pictures so I could have pictorial memories of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was such a blast and all of us extras were so enamored by the way a movie like this gets shot. They don't call it movie magic for nothing!
In fact, one of the extras named Jim Fair created a Leatherheads extras web site for people who want to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of this movie and the memories of those of us chosen to be an extra. TheLeatherheads.com gives you all the latest information on the movie now set for release on April 4, 2008.
I noticed a trailer for Leatherheads is now available at YouTube:
Here's the direct link to the video if you'd like to share it with your friends to tell them about Leatherheads. This is expected to be a summer blockbuster movie because of the powerhouse Hollywood stars in it and in anticipation of the 2008 football season. When the movie comes out in theaters, don't you know I'll be looking for that scene with me as the doorman giving Clooney's character a dirty look. It's GOTTA be in there!
I'll update you more on the movie as we get closer to April 4, 2008!
"Leatherheads" extra Jim Fair creates an extras commemorate web site
One of the most amazing experiences of my entire life happened this year and it is something I will not soon forget. A truly "once-in-a-lifetime" chance came my way this year to be cast as an extra in a major Hollywood film starring, directed, and produced by legendary movie star George Clooney called "Leatherheads." Plus, it co-stars the beautiful and talented Renée Zellweger and rising superstar John Krasinski, too!
But the draw of this movie is THE George Clooney who has notably appeared in the television show ER and in a series of hit blockbuster flicks like The Perfect Storm, Ocean's Eleven, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and countless others. This new movie set to release in early 2008 will be Clooney's most ambitious one yet since he is so heavily vested in its success. I wouldn't be surprised to see this film about the birth of professional football in the 1920's nominated for a few Academy Awards.
Dressing up in period costume was a neat part of being an extra
Although I was only on set for four total days, it felt much longer! It wasn't all glamour and glitz, but it was worthy of several blog posts I wrote here about being on the "Leatherheads" set. Check 'em all out at my "Leatherheads" links blog post.
If you'd like to see even more stories from extras on the "Leatherheads" set, then you will definitely want to check out the new web site called TheLeatherheads.com. The brainchild of fellow "Leatherheads" extra Jim Fair, this is the perfect companion for the movie and serve as a bit of nostalgia for those of us in the North and South Carolina areas who were privileged to play the role of an extra.
This site is still a work in progress, so be sure to check back often for updates. Click here to read the stories of the other extras on the set. THANKS for creating this site, Jim, and I'll cherish my own special "Leatherheads" page at your web site.
The leather helmets worn by the football players in "Leatherheads"
When I stood in line for about three hours trying out to be a football-playing extra in "Leatherheads" in December 2006, I thought to myself, "This is crazy! There's no way that I'll ever have the chance to be in a major Hollywood movie starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski!"
Boy, was I wrong!
Although it wasn't as a football player, I did indeed have that chance to be on the movie set in early March portraying the doorman at the Emerson hotel filmed in downtown Greenville, South Carolina where Clooney's character delivers a line to me and I give him an incredulous look back. Way cool!
A few weeks later, they asked me to come back to play the role of a fan during the football game scenes filmed in Travelers Rest, South Carolina for the "Leatherheads" movie, a romantic comedy set in the 1920's around the time professional football was born. Although the pay rate for being an extra is only $7 an hour, just to be on that set with Clooney, Krasinski, etal. was indeed an experience I won't soon forget.
Everyone was dressed up in 1920's attire from head to toe
Wearing a big wool coat, scarf, hat, dress pants, shirt and tie, and dress shoes is definitely not the attire of the 21st century, but that's exactly what the men wore day in and day out back then. So we had to dress the part whether it was 85 degrees outside or 45 degrees. It was like we stepped back in time seeing each other dressed like this and the women were all dolled up with their cute hats and bright makeup. I swear, all the women looked exactly alike! Gorgeous, of course. ;)
Is that George Clooney posing with Jimmy Moore?
As you can imagine, there have been literally hundreds of people working as extras for the "Leatherheads" movie and I was privileged enough to meet quite a few of them. One of the most popular extras has got to be Greg Helker, aka G.C. As in "George Clooney"--yep, that's him in that picture with me above. What a great guy, too! The man was so gracious and humble to everyone who spoke with him and wanted to have their picture taken with "Clooney" (actually, he looks a little more like late-night talk show host Jay Leno than Clooney in person).
In fact, I remember Greg wearing a white T-shirt with the message "I'm Not Clooney" at the football tryouts in December. What's really funny is he was just as star-struck as the rest of us on the set watching all the movie stars. Yep, even the Clooney look-a-like was glad to be a part of this movie. It was great to meet you, Greg, and I hope to see you in the film (is that YOU or Clooney, hmmm? LOL!).
What's a football movie without cheerleaders, right?
There were all kinds of extras used in the movie, including football players, referees, fans, members of the press, vendors, and cheerleaders. Many of the extras were dressed completely by wardrobe and others of us brought some of our own clothes which were supplemented with items from the movie set. There were special privileges given to the people who were in 100% vintage costume for close-up shots and they took great pains to keep this period film as authentic as possible.
George Clooney watching the monitor as John Krasinski stands by
On Thursday, filming of "Leatherheads" resumed in Charlotte, North Carolina (about 100 miles north of my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina) and the wake-up call that day for me was really, really, REALLY early...2:30am! EEEK! What's really bad is I didn't get to sleep until midnight, so I barely got any rest at all that night. Why was I up so early? Extras were told to report to the check-in between 4-7am. I wouldn't get home that night until nearly 8:00pm!
Yep, it was a long day for us, but we had to cram in a full day of filming which turned out to be the opening scenes of "Leatherheads" where (NBC's The Office star) John Krasinski's character Carter Rutherford is playing college football for Princeton against Penn. We moved around all over the stadium doing the same scene over and over again from different angles and it different positions. I don't think the average Joe and Jane can even begin to realize all that goes on behind-the-scenes to make a two-hour movie look the way it does. It's amazing!
George Clooney gabbing it up with John Krasinski on the set
During Thursday's filming, we got to see George Clooney and John Krasinski a LOT (but regretfully I have yet to see Renee Zellweger in the four total days I worked on the set--darn!). In fact, Clooney was dressed in regular clothes for the scenes we shot in Charlotte since he was not on the field portraying his "Dodge" Connolly character that day. But since he is the director of "Leatherheads," he had to be there to make sure the movie looks exactly like he wants it to.
David Webb consults with George Clooney about the next scene
Of course, Clooney couldn't direct "Leatherheads" all by himself, so he got ample help from his 1st Assistant Director David Webb. Man, what a pro this Webb guy is! From the first time I saw him on the set in Greenville a month ago, I could tell right away he knows exactly what he is doing and would keep the day flowing right along. He's the one who would say "Action" through the bullhorn. Of course, all of us extras were also accustomed to hearing him say "Cut--back to 1" which meant we would be doing the scene over...AGAIN! :) But you knew when he said "That's a wrap" that they got the shot they were looking for.
Producer Grant Heslov chats it up with John Krasinski
Although we never heard from him on the set, you could see "Leatherheads" producer Grant Heslov walking around observing and quietly giving his input during the filming of various scenes. You may recall Heslov as an actor in such hit movies as True Lies, Dante's Peak (one of my favorite films!), Enemy of the State, The Scorpion King and the Academy Award-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck. Now he's been working with Clooney since August 2006 in a movie company called Smoke House.
George Clooney was constantly moving throughout the day
Speaking of the aforementioned Clooney, he was everywhere on the set that day. In fact, at one point he climbed up in the stands smacking his gum (yep, the man didn't stop chewing for even a moment the entire day!) and coming within just a few feet of us extras. We weren't supposed to talk to him, but a few extras got in some comments to him anyway. Constantly keeping us loose by giving acting instructions with a bit of dry humor, you can tell Clooney absolutely loves his roles as director and actor in "Leatherheads." I am confident that he is going to do this movie justice and make it fantastic.
John Krasinski signs an autograph for a fan
To be honest with you, I didn't even know who John Krasinski was before this movie. I'm just not a big fan of the style of comedy on The Office. I just don't get it. Sorry. But this guy is absolutely hilarious! Even still, when the camera was rolling he was all business and did his job extremely well. Like I said in my previous post, he was more than willing to run the length of the field for his scene and then run back to his starting position for another take rather than hitching a ride back. Classy guy! It'll be interesting to see if he keeps that same good head when he becomes a superstar like Clooney one day.
Catching John Krasinski's back side with extras looking on
There was one scene that you'll see at the beginning of the movie where Krasinski's character runs in the end zone for a touchdown and he is swarmed with people running up cheering for him. A group of guys lift him up on their shoulders like a hero and he's pointing to the crowd. Anywho, they had to do that scene over about three or four times because the extras were inadvertently pushing John's head into the camera which doesn't make for good filming. Their new instructions were to "Get excited, but not TOO excited." How's that work? :)
Football players watch Clooney and Krasinski strategize
For all the glamour and glitz that comes with being a Hollywood star like George Clooney, the reality is a movie like this takes a lot of hard work, grit, and endurance to make it happen. Of course, the payoff for the big boys involved will be when this $60 million movie makes $300 million at the box office when it releases in late 2007/early 2008. But being an extra is not a job I would want to try to support a family on. Not by a long shot, no matter how thrilling it is to do it.
With that said, I have now left the "Leatherheads" set for the last time and it has been a fun ride. They'll keep on filming in North Carolina for about another month and then it will go to production where the fate of the scenes that all of us extras are in lies in the hands of the person with the scizzors on the cutting room floor! Cross your fingers that they will keep a few of my scenes intact. :) I'm pretty sure the 20-second doorman scene will remain if nothing else.
We each got a "Leatherheads" keychain as a memento from the film
Would I do something like being an extra in a movie again? Heck yeah, in a heartbeat, baby! But I couldn't do this kinda work every single day of my life for the money they pay. Give me blogging about the low-carb lifestyle and a "normal" life thank you very much! THANKS for the memories, George Clooney, John Krasinski, and the rest! And Renee, too bad we didn't see you in person, but I'll look for you on the silver screen. Good luck to "Leatherheads" at the Oscars!
A shot of football actors during filming of the movie "Leatherheads"
Ever since I thought I might have a chance at being in "Leatherheads," the upcoming 1920's period film which is actually a romantic comedy about the birth of professional football directed by and starring the one and only Hollywood superstar George Clooney (do you see him in that picture above--probably not since it's so small, but he's the one wearing #7 on the left-hand side), I've kinda felt like good things were about to happen for me.
Then when I got the fateful call late last month that the casting director wanted to use me as an extra in what is sure to be a blockbuster flick when it comes out in early 2008, I was totally surprised but overjoyed at the opportunity.
There's Jimmy Moore in his doorman costume in "Leatherheads"
A few weeks ago, I experienced my first time ever on the set of the "Leatherheads" movie during the taping of a scene where I portray the doorman of a hotel. That was an awesome time since my character was the only extra in the scene that Clooney's character actually talks to. They miked me up to give a line back, but then decided I didn't need one. YES I DO! PLEASE! LOL!
Nevertheless, it was still a fun experience and I thought that was the end of my work as an extra on a Hollywood film. But then I got another call from the casting office for "Leatherheads" earlier this week asking me if I would like to do some more extra work. Uh, let me think about it...HOW MANY WAYS CAN YOU SAY YES?! They said filming would begin on Thursday and last through Saturday if I could make it. You bet your sweet bippy me, myself, and I will all be there.
One of the old-timey cars used on the set of "Leatherheads"
What a weekend it was! The scenes were shot in a town about 45 minutes from my house called Travelers Rest, South Carolina and were all about simulating a football game during the movie where Clooney's team, which he is the quarterback, along with John Krasinski from NBC's The Office, who portrays the rising star of this new football league, are on their way to the big championship game. That's where some nearly 400 or so extras were strategically placed in certain sections of the stands and given instructions to cheer, react, and make the moviegoer believe we are responding to what's happening on the field. Through the magic of CGI, we'll be about 20,000 people when you watch the movie. COOL!
I don't think people have any idea how much time and energy goes into making a two-hour film happen, but I will tell you it's quite exhausting. And I've only been on the set for a few days--I can't imagine what it's like to be a member of the crew for the 5:00am reporting time to be on set and then working until past 8:00pm most nights. You think I'm joking, but those are the grueling hours so they can try to squeeze in every last second of work into each day to make the film what it needs to be.
It was surreal seeing everyone dressed in 1920's attire
You won't hear me complaining about it, though, because this is Hollywood baby! The hourly pay is only $7.00 for extras, but I'd do it for FREE just for a chance to be seen in a film expected to be watched by millions of people worldwide on the silver screen and then when it comes to DVD. Although my second experience on the set began on Thursday, they actually began shooting these scenes in Travelers Rest last Sunday when the co-star of "Leatherheads" Renee Zellweger was on the set. Oh dang, I hate I missed that and wish I'd been there! I still haven't seen her yet.
The extras who were there on Sunday and then again on Wednesday said I was lucky I didn't work those days because the heat was so unbearable. We had record-high temperatures here in the Upstate of South Carolina with the highs reaching in the mid-to-upper 80's in the middle of March. That wouldn't be bad if this was a movie set on a beach or if the costumes were shorts and T-shirts. But they had everyone wrapped up in layers of wool coats, scarfs, and top hats like they wore in the 1920's that got just a wee bit toasty under the baking sun.
This was my outfit as a football fan in "Leatherheads"
When I arrived on the set on Thursday, there was a significant cooling trend that came through and kept the highs in the lower 60's. Ahhhh, much better. Even still, it was very windy, cloudy, and a fine mist of rain was coming down for a while during our filming (FOOTBALL WEATHER!). In fact, at one point the rain began coming down hard enough that they sent us all back inside to eat lunch while they waited for Mother Nature to cooperate. I suppose unpredictable weather is one of those things that filmmakers deal with and can't really control.
We ended up waiting in the extras holding area for about seven hours before a member of the casting crew came in and said, "Okay, you can go home for the day." Yep, that's how it goes. The natives were getting restless from being bored out of our minds doing nothing and we were hoping for more action come Friday. We weren't disappointed. After another 5:00am call time, we were on the set by 8:00am and got in a LOT of filming of various takes, retakes, retakes, and...(did I mention we had some retakes? Hee hee!) before lunch came at 2:00pm.
There were several times when the camera passed right in front of where I was sitting, walking, or standing. It's all orchestrated to make the scene look as authentic as possible. Unlike my scene as the doorman where I'm pretty sure I will be seen, it's hit or miss whether these scenes that the camera caught me in will actually show up in the final cut. We'll just have to wait and see when it hits the big screen.
One of the scenes was with Clooney doing the Statue of Liberty play where Krasinski was supposed to come behind him for the handoff. Unfortunately, these are actors and not athletes, so we saw a few fumblerooskis and dropped balls along the way. It was funny because all of the extras in the stands would start booing them. But it was all in good fun, though, and they eventually pulled the scenes off to make them look believable. Clooney threw a pretty good spiral, too!
Speaking of the aforementioned Mr. Krasinski, who I admittedly had never heard of before this (I just don't get the comedy on The Office), he was a hoot on the set. We were about 100 feet away from him sitting in the stands, but you could hear him cracking jokes and keeping the football actors, extras, and crew loose on the set. I'm sure his name will become QUITE familiar after this co-starring role in "Leatherheads" with Clooney and Zellweger.
One more thing that was funny about Krasinski was when they had him running the length of the field down the sideline for a big play and he'd have to do the take about 10 times. Instead of hopping on the camera cart, he simply turned around and sprinted back to his starting position. That's impressive for an actor although he did look a bit lanky running down the field. I'm sure the magic of Hollywood will make him look like a pro! :)
We were graced with a little extra excitement when one of the football-playing actors portraying the character of "Big Gus" (you'll know exactly who this is when you see the movie--he'll be hard to miss because of his weight) noticed a member of the paparazzi hiding in the woods ostensibly trying to take photos of Clooney for his newspaper or magazine. When "Big Gus" saw this guy, he suddenly started pointing and yelling to the top of his lungs, "Hey, hey, get out of here. I see you, you've been outed. Now get out of here."
Of course, everyone on the set looked in the direction "Big Gus" was pointing and saw an embarrassed photographer scrambling to get away fast enough. As the guy tripped several times while attempting to leave, all the extras start laughing at him and then cheered "Big Gus" for spotting this creep. On Wednesday, police actually snuck up behind another photographer and arrested him, according to the extras who were working that day. The officers found him covered in kudzu attempting to camoflauge himself. It obviously didn't work! Are these people THAT hard up to get a photo of Clooney? Sheez!
I won this "Leatherheads" banner during a drawing on Friday
During some of our downtime in the extras holding area on Friday, they had a drawing for some "Leatherheads" knick-knacks. My name was pulled out of the jar and I won that banner you see above. It'll be a nice reminder of my experience in the film. But I'll have many more memories in my head watching Clooney in his role as both actor and director. This man is very good at what he does and showed it quite often over these past few days. What an honor it was to be a part of his film.
This is the "thank you" letter they gave to the "Leatherheads" extras
As we were wrapping up work on the film for the weekend, all the extras got a signed letter from the Extras Casting Director for "Leatherheads" named Tona B. Dahlquist thanking us for being a part of the movie. Um, I think WE should be the ones thanking YOU for the opportunity to be a part of something like this--so, THANK YOU! I don't know how people do this for a living with all the hard work that goes into it, but it sure is exciting for those of us who live somewhat "normal" lives in comparison.
But my Hollywood experience isn't over yet! They've asked me to travel a couple of hours north to Charlotte, North Carolina for more scenes as a football fan this Thursday, April 5th. If the call time is 5:00am, then I guess I'll be getting up at 2:00am that day to get ready and then drive there. It'll be a long day I'm sure, but hopefully it will be worth my while if I get into the movie for a few more glancing seconds. I'm excited. I'm stoked. Ready or not, world, here I come. :D
