10 Things They Never Tell You About Being A Hollywood Movie Extra

Getting that first call to say that you’re needed on set is, for most extras, the highlight of their experience with background artistry. After the fact that you’re going to be on a film set sinks in and you’ve told everyone who is willing to listen, you go to bed nice and early, ready for what you anticipate will be one of, if not the best day of your life.

When your alarm goes off at 4am, the magic soon wears off. It is always an early start for the extras, with meeting times in the region of 5am very much the norm. Early starts rarely guarantee early finishes, however, and shifts of 10 hours or longer are not uncommon.

Extras on the set of Jobs had to listen to Ashton Kutcher perform Steve Jobs’ now iconic 1984 IBM speech a total of 26 times over the course of 11 long hours, whereas supporting artists taking part in a fight scene on The Dark Knight Rises were asked to take part in 2 days of rehearsal followed by 2 days of 14 hour shoots for what amounted to less than a minute of screen time.

These long days on set would perhaps be more bearable for extras if they were given a reasonable amount of notice, though preparation time is a luxury they are rarely afforded, with most jobs being confirmed at 5pm the evening before the shoot.