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

Most extras will go to all possible lengths to get picked for a meaningful scene, with the most coveted jobs those that give you extended screen time, interaction with the actors and, sometimes, a few lines of dialogue. When that opportunity arrives, however, it isn’t uncommon for the nerves to kick in.

All of your concentration goes into getting picked, and when you do get picked, only then do you realise the magnitude of playing a part in a project that is costing many millions of dollars to make. For some, coming face to face with a genuine movie star is enough to give you cold feet, as was the case with a young extra on the set of Three Kings who was told he had to tackle George Clooney.

The evergreen A-Lister admitted that he nearly came to blows with director David O. Russell over his treatment of an extra who froze and messed up the shot. Russell (who, according to Clooney, had already berated a camera operator and reduced a script supervisor to tears) furiously strode onto set and allegedly grabbed the extra, throwing him to the ground.

The actor claims that he tried to reason with Russell, who pushed his face into Clooney’s, invited his star to punch him and called him a p*ssy when he didn’t. While not every director will physically assault their extras for not getting it right the first time, verbal attacks are far from uncommon, and David O. Russell is certainly not the only talented director known to take his frustrations out on extras who don’t pull their weight.