So you want to be in the movies … Jo-Ann Armstrong says it’s certainly a possibility if you don’t mind being a face in the crowd.
Jo-Ann’s husband, Gordon, was a commercial fisherman and was at sea for long periods of time.
“I was looking for something to do. I noticed ads in the papers from talent agencies looking for extras for movies and television.
“I joined an agency, they took my picture and I was in their file. When something appropriate came up, they’d give me a call.
“Every location I worked on was different. There were huge sets in Burnaby and the North Shore. In the movie 2012, one scene was supposed to be taking place at an airport. We were getting off a plane and all this chaos was happening around us and that was all inside a building, with a mock-up of the plane.
During the filming of X-Files and Da Vinci’s Inquest, Jo-Ann remembers standing in the rain for hours.
“At UBC, The Tooth Fairy, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was filmed in an ice arena. He didn’t know how to skate, so they had this platform and he was doing the motions while people were sliding him across the ice. I was part of the audience.
“Our working days as extras started early. You’d have to be there before seven. Usually someone would give us a brief outline of what the movie was about. Then you sit and wait.
“You could wait four or five hours just to walk half a block down a street. It can take two or three days to get two minutes of action on film. We were paid minimum wage but because the hours were so long, you could make good money.”
Noting everything is provided for the extras, Jo-Ann says meals are called “craft.” Some of them were just wonderful, she adds, and coffee, juice and snacks were available at all times.
“We were told what we should wear. Sometimes they wanted certain colours. We would bring two or three extra outfits. One time I got to wear a medieval costume in a movie, starring David James Elliot from the show Jag.
“In the movie 2012, I was in the boxing scene, dressed in a long sparkling evening gown. That morning, I had just left the house at 6 a.m. and thump – a flat tire, so I called BCAA. They must have wondered where I was coming home from at that hour.”
Jo-Ann says the relationship between extras and actors is clearly defined, as no extra is allowed to approach an actor or to take pictures on a set. Most actors completely ignore extras, she adds.
“However, I was walking by Jason Priestley’s trailer. He was studying his script, but looked up and asked me how things were going. Another time, after filming was completed for the day, Ben Kingsley thanked the extras for our work, a very rare occurrence.
In Night at the Museum 2, Jo-Ann stood next to Robin Williams at an information counter and had to walk out the door past Ben Stiller. In the comedy Stan Helsing, a spoof on Van Helsing, she danced in a scene with Leslie Nielsen, who was dressed as a waitress.
“The last movie I was in was Santa Buddy. In the final scene, we were singing “Silent Night” when we suddenly realized the movie we had been working on was really about talking dogs!”
Hootenanny Café revival
Steve Roy reports that Hootenanny Cafés are back.
“Due to popular demand and offers of assistance,” there will be a Hootenanny Café at the Forest Grove Community Hall on Feb. 23. Doors open at 7 p.m.
There will be a great selection of entertainment and excellent food will be available. Contact Steve at 250-397-4103 for information.