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"I Am Legend" is one of the classics of science fiction. It was written by Richard Matheson, also known for the stories he contributed to the classic televison series: "Twilight Zone." "Legend" has a long cinematic career, and was made into both "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price, and "Omega Man" with Charlton Heston. George Romero credits "Legend" as his influence in "Night of the Living Dead."
Still, it was time to make the definitive version, this time with Will Smith in the lead, Akiva Goldsman sharing script-writing credits with Mark Protosevich, and Francis Lawrence directing. But while the movie hinges on a plague that wipes out mankind as we know it, and while it focuses on the inner turmoil of its protagonist, Richard Neville, (the last survivor, played by Smith), it takes a cohort of thousands to capture the breadth of the calamity, and to backround the depth of Neville's solitude. We were that cohort. We were recruited from across the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut, and across the country. I was in the Ohio contingent,
together with Sal Lizard (in real life, Santa Claus, on break from his
Christmas deliveries) and Ray Basham (creator of bizarre comic books).
The three of us got our gigs through Xist Talent, a New Jersey talent
agency. This is the story of how we got here, and what we did. The purpose isn't
to give away story points. That would be rude. It's partly personal memoir,
partly inside story for others who want to be extras in movies, and finally
a plea to professionalize the extras craft, to build a pool of knowledgeable,
skilled, reliable extras. I got the gig through a posting on the Northeast Ohio Professional Actors' List, thanks to Fred Sternfeld. Friends I met while shooting "Spider-Man 3" in Cleveland suggested I hook up with the list, and now I read it 5 or 6 times a day. One of the contributors to the list (and all members are contributors) caught wind of the NYC shoot, and posted the news. There were only two requirements: 1) an extra needed to be a human being (although a dog or two were also cast); and 2) the extra had to commit to all six days of the shoot. No problems there, so I submitted to Xist, one of the nearly dozen agencies who were doing the secondary casting. I was just in time: the call was closed two days later. One of the first jobs was acquiring a new wardrobe. Clothes and hair
are two of the most important things an extra brings to the set, besides
good attitude, of course. The clothes must not only be appropriate, but
also provide proper physical comfort to the particular assignment. I remember
marveling on the "Spider-Man 3" set at the gals who wore short
skirts and heels, when the temperature got quite cold in the morning,
and much of the job entailed walking up and down Euclid Avenue for much
of 10 hours a day, or more. This gig would be shot at night, outside,
from 5:30 PM to 4:30 AM (although our latest night actually turned out
to be 3:48 AM). |
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I decided on leather jacket, knit cap, black jeans, wool gloves and socks, and military-style field boots. Even this proved to be inadequate, as related later. In any event, it was off to the Army-Navy Store in Medina, Ohio. I also started my search for hotels, and transportation to the set. Then we all got the e-mail from Xist that the extras cast would be cut. Out-of-state extras would stay on the top of the list, followed by extras who had made job arrangements, followed by everyone else. But we needed to reply immediately, or be permanently removed. Being an extra today depends on cellphones and e-mail lists, so you won't make it if you don't have the technology, or if you only check your e-mail once a week. Even a trip out of town can cost a job.
Anyway, I was safe, and finalized reservations at Hotel
17 on East 17th Street, not far from Third Avenue. Hotel 17 has a
bit of a backstory.
Woody Allen used the facade for "Manhattan Murder Mystery,"
and Madonna lived there early in her career. It turned out to be an easy
walk to Union Square, and then the No. 4 subway to Brooklyn Bridge/City
Hall. I couldn't have picked a better hotel, because the nightly rates
were exceedingly reasonable. I flew into LaGuardia January 22d, and took an Airlink van to the hotel
and checked in. I walked down Third Avenue, and was happy to find a wide
variety of restaurants within easy walking distance. I ended up at the
Bamiyan Afghani Restaurant for a
light lunch, and went back later for dinner. A small restaurant with a
bar, nice little alcoves, and Afghani rugs and textiles on the walls.
The food was very good. Spicy. It's only my second Afghan restaurant,
the first in Madison, Wisconsin: the Kabul Restaurant on State Street.
Short walk back to the hotel, no more sight-seeing. Being an extra --
or actor for that matter -- is a job. I knew that if I wanted to see New
York City, this was not the time. Perhaps on the weekend when we were
off, but not during the shoot. Just getting ready, getting to the set,
and getting back would exceed 16 hours a day. Leaving 7 or 8 hours at
most for shower, sleep and breakfast. And at my age, I can't burn the
candle at both ends. So it was to bed, a bagel shop the next morning,
and to the set. Call time was 1:00 PM. January 23d. We were to meet in the tents at Robert Wagner, Sr. Place, on the north side of the Brooklyn Bridge, between Pearl and South Street. The tents were big, but as it happens, not big enough. Production needed to accommodate more than 1,000 extras, including SAG, military, NYPD, and kids and their parents.
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