OK so this takes me back to 2018 when I had my very first chance to be a TV Extra.
Having applied online to add my name to a database for ‘Supporting Artistes,’ I was quickly offered several days of work which I politely turned down.
I wasn’t being rude. They were just so spread out. I remember having the chance to work on a huge movie but I had to be free on eight separate occasions spread over two months.
This particular TV Extra job cropped up in North London during the school holidays and it was perfect for me.
I was so excited to be able to visit the set of a big TV drama series, even though I knew nothing about what the series was.
On The Day
I drove all the way to London and stopped off at a petrol station for a wee. I was nervous after all and worried I may not have time to go to the toilet when I arrived.
Driving into the field where the crew mobiles were was daunting. I showed my ID and found a good spot, then made my way over to the reception area.
A helpful third assistant director (3AD) signed me in and reminded me that I would get very little help (so he was glad I was experienced). I immediately told him that I had never been an Extra before and he told me not to say anything.
GREAT! I was having to act right from the start. Pretending to know what I was doing was harder than I could have imagined.
So I made my way to the costume fitting mobile and was greeted by a very friendly dresser who introduced me to a white coat and some brand new Welly boots.
I was then taken over to the make up room where a very chatty lady began trimming my hair and trying to find the right shade of sideburns to stick on.
Before you know it I was bundled into a minibus and driven somewhere else. I had no idea that this wasn’t the actual filming location.
A Disused Hospital
The only thing I knew for sure was that I was filming a scene based in a morgue. I had been told I would be a mortuary assistant in the background of a scene where dead bodies were being looked at.
Arriving at the old hospital, I could see there were many more vans and several people wandering around with head sets on.
Soon I was taken to the room where the make up people looked at the screens to check that the characters looked right. I sat there for a while before eventually being called into the morgue.
Another woman sat next to me and introduced herself as the other Extra. Having another TV Extra to work with who had some experience was a bonus.
After a few minutes a woman came up to me and asked me to go outside with her to sort out my Wellies. She explained that they needed to look aged and she would spray stuff onto them and then scuff them up a bit.
As I stood there with a helpful person scraping away at my boots, a middle aged guy came and stood next to me and lit up a cigarette. He was talking to another man, who I didn’t recognise, that was dressed as a detective.
Drifting off, I suddenly awakened again as I heard him saying, ‘This is different to working on Game of Thrones.’
Game of Thrones was my favourite TV Show!!!
Instantly I found myself studying his mouth and knew that I recognise him but still couldn’t pluck his name out of the air.
‘Cersei…Cersei.’
Suddenly it hit me.
It was King Robert Baratheon himself. My fellow Extra asked him for a selfie and he obliged. I stood starstruck, while my boots were still being scuffed.
He stepped back onto set and I was called to do my first ever bit of background acting.
My hands were sweating but I knew I just had to get on with it. As I approached the incredibly detailed set, I was astonished at just how many people worked there. It was a hive of activity.
More to come in part two…
