The Life and Times of Hollywood Movie Extras

Hollywood Movie Extras And The Integral Part They Play In Hollywood

People are everywhere. co-workers, mall shoppers, crowds and neighbors. An integral part of film making is populating the screen with everyday people. The movie extra helps the directors world come alive.

You would have a hard time watching a film if just the principal actors appeared throughout the film. They would be riding an empty subway, fighting a war with only six people, or dining in an empty cafe.

The movie extra gives a sense of population, style and atmosphere. Here you'll discover their world of trials, touching moments and some of the mischief they have caused while on movie sets.

The dawn of the motion picture industry in the late 1800’s zapped the nation and the world like a live wire. This fledgling art form was brand new and there were no experts.

New production techniques were discovered almost on a daily basis. Anyone could come to Hollywood and have access to production offices and studios. While some viewed it as a novelty others viewed it as a serious art form.

The birth of the movie star and auteur director elevated regular people to super stardom. Glitz and glamour, money, drivers, prestige and you guessed it, more money propelled people of all walks of life and stature out west to the dream factory of Hollywood.

Hollywood Movie Extras - "You Outta Be In Pictures!"

The early days of Hollywood looks nothing like present day tinsel town. Hollywood was flat and dusty with wide open spaces that reached into the horizon. Back then it was the norm to see sets from previous pictures standing empty on the corner of an intersection.

As the industry boomed and films became more grand and complicated, the need for extras increased. Hollywood became buried in people looking for their chance to make it big and live like a star.

It became so bad and disorganized that citizens were calling for government intervention to regulate in their eyes an immoral industry.

In 1925 a company was started to handle the supply and demand of the movie extra problem. Called Central Casting it handled the logistics of background acting including setting up a job hotline for its members to call for work without having to travel studio to studio.

It also prevented the government from regulating the picture business. Even today Central Casting is the premier background acting company. A place that is usually the first stop for anyone who wants to be in movies or television.

I Can't Guarantee Your Safety But It Will Look Great On Film!

The early days of Hollywood movie extras is quite different from today. The safety measures on sets were very lax and resulted in fatal accidents or injuries.

The 1926 production of Ben-Hur is a prime example of the unsafe practices they employed then.

Livorno, Italy was the location used for the naval battle in this epic film.

While filming the battle a fire on one of the ships raged out of control. Extras laden with heavy armor abandoned ship.

Unfortunately, some of the extras had lied about their ability to swim so they could be in the movie.

Whether or not fatalities resulted is debatable. What is known is that three Roman soldiers showed up three days later to retrieve their clothes. Other stories mention that some of the clothes were never claimed by anyone - implying fatalities had occurred.

On a lighter note, the chariot race in the 1926 release was originally shot in Rome. However more filming was done in Culver City, California. A large arena was constructed and filled with cheering extras.

It was a spectacular race and very real. Those in charge of production promised the winner of the race would receive a cash bonus. The crowd of Hollywood movie extras got really energetic and didn’t need any prompting from the filmmakers to show excitement.

Movie Set Hijinks And A Heartwarming Scene Off Camera

Sometimes extras were showing up for work on the set to get a free box lunch and pay but were doing nothing to earn it.

Some took to sleeping under sets or boardwalks and doing nothing while everyone else was working hard on the pictures.

A crew member noticing what was going on employed another crew member with a horse and pistol to wrangle up the dozing extras.

Stomping horse hooves and yelling woke the lazy group, startling the wits out of them. “Come outta there!” the horseman said “or I’m gonna kill you!” Out they came never to sleep on the job again.

Another story tells of Hollywood movie extras angry and pouting trying to leave the studio before the work was done.

An intense crew member snatched a hammer from a nearby table and ran to the front of the group.

Wielding the hammer like a sword he challenged the extras to try and leave. “First one that tries to walk outta here is gonna get it!” The mass exodus was stopped and work resumed.

A rather touching story involved an elderly man working as an extra.

Every day at the lunch hour he would get his box lunch and walk off away from the set.

One day, a curious crew member followed him discreetly.

Sitting on the ground the old man was passing food through a fence to what appeared to be his wife. Old, frail and obviously poor they shared time and a meal together.

Hard Work Can Be Rewarding And Fun

There are all types of Hollywood movie extras. Some want to work an easy job. Others hope to be discovered or maybe want to work in film and be exposed to the film making process and yet others take their work very seriously.

Mary Dougherty who has experience in film production has done background work for years. She is a professional and always well prepared. Along with being punctual she listens and follows directions with enthusiasm.

For these reasons and her distinctive look, she has been singled out over and over again for close ups, personal direction and has been a central part of scenes while the actors are filmed around her.

She has been directed by Clint Eastwood and acted next to Brad Pitt. “The experience is like being in film school.” she once remarked.

Being an extra can also be fun.

Eric, a school teacher who also has done a lot of extra work was in Oliver Stone’s film The Doors.

He had great time being part of the Miami concert scene. "It had a real party atmosphere about it." he observed. Also while working on Army of Darkness as a Deadite Zombie soldier he ran with many others in an attack on a stronghold.

His costume fell apart as he ran and was the last one to reach the castle.

Famous Extras And The Call Of Hollywood

Many movie stars started off as extras.

Brad Pitt once played a waiter, John Wayne did extra work in many silent pictures and David Niven graced the silver screen many times as an extra before getting the standard rich and famous contract.

Then as now, Hollywood puts out a call like a siren. Enticing people to journey west and seek fortune and fame.

During the depression, this couldn’t have been more true.

Makeshift towns of tents sprung up around the studios and Central Casting was flooded with people registering for their chance to be in the movies.

Today Hollywood Boulevard is still filled with movie star hopefuls. All looking for their big break and ready for their close up.

Hollywood movie extras make movies and television shows look real and exciting. And movie extras are as important to a movie set as the stars themselves.

The next time you watch a movie, look at those stars in the background - without them, Hollywood would be a ghost town.

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