I am ready for my close-up Mr. De Mille...

So, about that movie set thing I mentioned in my last blog. I am...now brace yourself....an extra.

Jerome has been doing it for years, he was in Capote ( when Philip Seymour Hoffman asked him what book he was reading), A Bear Named Winnie ( when he wore wool in July), and who can forget Hell on Wheels: The Battle of Mary Kay ( where he had the distinct pleasure of catching a shoe hurled by Parker Posey).

So when Jerome got a desperate call that they were looking for paid background for The Don Cherry Story, he asked if I was interested. Let’s see, sit around all day, play dress up, get paid and knit...I’m in.

So we headed to Selkirk, MB to an ice rink. They dressed us in 50s, 60s and 70s looks and placed us in a crowd to cheer on command.

I was dressed in 50s gear with a long wool coat; perfect to hide my knitting. I would bring it out between takes and knit away, then hide it when someone would yell “Here we go!” I just wish they would have had the courtesy to wait until I got to the end of the row!

Half way through the day, after successfully hiding my knitting, I hear someone yell "Hey, lady with knitting", ohmigod I am in trouble. "Yeah you" ( who else would it be) "Keep knitting, you are a 1950s housewive, your husband has dragged you to a game, keep knitting". Score!

It seems like a simple task, being an extra, but once you are nearing your 13th hour you start to question what you are doing there? I mean, I could barely stand, let alone give them a spontaneous burst of energy.

And the people, well...let me tell you. They were either “been doing this for twenty years” or film students with delusions of grandeur. Yet we also met some nice folk, like the guy who brought his parents who so clearly was living in their basement, or the lovely young couple who were yelled at because they ate food from the actors’ table ( I was wondering where they got those scrambled eggs from). You see, we are not worthy; we are a step above “volunteer” but miles below “performer”. Here are just a few of the instructions that we were given prior to attending our gig:

· Do not speak to the performers (unless spoken to)
· Do not sit in a chair with a name on it– not kidding
· Lunch will be provided...at 4 p.m. (4 o'clock?)

All in all, it was not that horrific because we did it again. Two days that we will never get back, but $600 in our pockets and some cute photos for a memory.