WORKING AS AN EXTRA SOMETIMES HAS ITS BONUSES
For once I was at the right place at the right time
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| A scene from Alfie, featuring Jude Law and myself (ok, I'm just in the background) |
In 2004, I was lucky enough to work on ALFIE, the remake of the Michael Caine classic. At the time I was pretty new to being an extra, still non-union, and when I got the call to work on Jude Law's latest I didn't hesitate to say yes. I mean, its Jude Law, not a difficult decision.
Well during the day, as they were setting up the next sequence, I got the chance to actually meet him. During one of our breaks, I was sitting on a sofa, inside an expensive women's dress shop, which was that days holding (the place where the actors kill time when not on the set). And he, Jude Law (lucky for me), sat down right next to me. I must admit, I was a little star struck, and yes, the man amazingly looks better in person then he does on screen.
And for the next 20 minutes or so, I was treated to a little one on one time, after he complained to me about "Your bloody cold New York weather."
You see the days shoot was on a shockingly cold and windy May day, and we were filming outside. The scene is showcased near the beginning of the film, my little moment in the sun (as showcased in the photo above) occurred at approximately the 5 minute mark. Jude Law is riding his scooter, driving thru Tribeca and other areas of Downtown NY. I distinctly remember, that the background players had to wear very light clothes. None of the women were allowed to wear bras, and all the men wore light Summer suits. I mention this, because right before I got my one-on-one time, snow started to fall around us…
Snow, in May, hence the break in the action. It was honestly hysterical watching the PA's trying to keep the fake trees from blowing away… wish I was kidding.
Anyway, its one of the highlights of many that I've had working as an extra on a film project or television show. The first thing they tell you is never talk to the actors, and usually I follow any and all rules, but if the actors talk to you first…usually you don't get in trouble. Usually.
Believe it or not, until yesterday, I had never watched it. So when I discovered it was on cable, I decided to sit back and hopefully enjoy something I had never seen before. And to discover if I actually made it onto the final cut.
Well, happily I did, as the image above showcases. Its always fun to see something you worked on, cause you really never know whats gonna make it onto the screen. What scenes, which take, and/or which angle. Sadly some times when you sit back and watch, you realize that you never made it, that the camera was framed so you miss the cut by inches, like my work on the first Fantastic Four movie.
But no matter how long a go you worked on it, you can usually remember while watching it, what you did and how many takes it took to get what they wanted. So watching the opening scenes of Alfie, all of the days shots were in the back of my brain as I sat back, and realized that what I worked on occurred at the very beginning of the film. And was pleasantly surprised to discover that yes, my longs days work, actually made it to the final film. Which was actually a good thing, I could sit back for the rest of the story and just watch a pro do his job.
Until next time,
Neil
