A long time ago (2004, before I became a writer), in an upstate New York town far, far away (Athens), yours truly had the pleasure of being an extra on a Steven Spielberg film ("War of the Worlds") for one night. It was the scene where a flood of refugees rushes down a hill toward a ferry in hopes of escaping the alien ships, and the experience was nothing short of incredible. Throughout the shoot, I could hear the director's voice projected over microphones strung along the street we were running down, but I never saw him until the very end, when he came out and thanked everyone all 1,000 of us. He said, "You've all been fantastic I wish I could take you back to L.A. with me!" I'll always respect him for that. And I still have my Paramount pay stub to prove I was there.
With " War Horse " receiving all manner of accolades this awards season, I got to thinking: Did the extras on the set of that film have a similarly special experience? So I got in touch with , London-based production professional and supporting actor extraordinaire. Graham played three characters over the course of his one-month stint as an extra in " War Horse ," and has also appeared in "Hugo," "Captain America" and "The King's Speech," among other films.
Graham filled me in on what it was like to work on the "War Horse" set, a place filled with beauty and danger (in the form of Styrofoam explosions and equine bodily functions).
I have nothing to compare it to, but something tells me a Spielberg set is different than any other. I definitely agree with that. I've done about six big Hollywood blockbusters in the last year, and it was a completely different experience. And Spielberg is actually my favorite director.
So how does being a professional extra work exactly? I've actually got six casting agents. You just kind of get in with every single one of them and they just take a commission out of your paycheck.
Your IMDb page says you played a Scottish Highlander at auction in "War Horse" what exactly did your role entail? I played quite a few things. I was a Scottish Highlander first, and we had to wear kilts, which was another experience out in the cold wilds of England. Wearing that at Christmas wasn't too fun, but it was a lovely outfit the detail of all the costumes was incredible. Spielberg is so on those little details. I don't think I've seen anyone else be that involved in it. He was coming out: "Oh this isn't right," "Is this the right era?" and things like that. We got a lot of face time with him and he was really with us, whereas some other directors basically sit in a tent all day with a microphone, shouting at us.
Said Graham: "I only did this for one day and it was the last day of principle photography."Send Corrections
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