8 Movies That Put Their Extras Through Hell

3. Extras Were Locked In Train Cars And Forced To Urinate On The Tracks - Joker

Joker Joaquin Phoenix
Warner Bros.

You'd think that extras being treated like dirt would be a thing of the distant past, but sadly, 2019's Joker proved that isn't the case.

While the Joaquin Phoenix-led comic-book adaptation was in production in October 2018, it was reported that several extras were locked inside subway cars for three hours, while a lengthy sequence was being shot.

These extras were supposed to be let out for a break after two hours of work, but they were denied this right. As a result, they couldn't go to the bathroom, and some of them were forced to urinate on the train tracks.

One of the extras involved filed a complaint with the union SAG-AFTRA, which then sent a representative to the set to monitor the situation. Thankfully, the issue was then "resolved" - whatever that means - and Warner Bros. claimed it was looking into what happened.

By all accounts, the production of Joker went smoothly - or at least, as smoothly as a hectic, high-profile Hollywood movie can get. So it's bizarre that such a major incident of neglect was allowed to take place, especially considering this movie was backed by one of the most respected film studios in the world.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!