Background Talent — Continue Your Tales from On Set Here

Atmosphere players!

Kim Kardashian was a sweetheart on a pro bono campaign I worked on. Not only did it for free but showed up early with hair and makeup done and supplied her own wardrobe. Came with one assistant (we were expecting an entourage). Total pro. Seemed very shy but approachable.

I was told by a producer on Keeping Up with the Kardashians that Kris, Kim, etc. are very nice to the crew. They talk to them, supply food for them, show interest in them as people. Hate to say but I was disappointed to hear that.

Getting back to Tim Allen on the previous thread:

He is indeed a total douchebag. Besides dropping the F bomb right and left it was clear to the bg (and everyone else) on the film For Richer or Poorer that he was banging his “assistant”-a pert young brunette with nice tits who wore high heels which were styled to look like sneakers. Well, it was the late 90s. And Kirstie Alley was batshit crazy. As we sat in a van waiting to be taken to the next location she could be heard screaming in the next van to her lawyer about making sure “that f****t” didn’t end up with 50% of her earnings. It’s easy to figure out who she was referring to.

I worked with director Keith Gordon on an episode of The Leftovers. Yes, Keith Gordon the kid actor from DePalma's Dressed To Kill. Total sweetheart on the set, and got things done quickly. Made even the extras feel comfortable.

I worked on The Leftovers, too. Peter Berg directed the pilot and then a few episodes after that before he left in a “mutual agreement” with production. The rumor was he argued a lot with the author of the novel who was one of the producers. I liked Berg, he was very good at giving general direction. According to the union it’s a no no for a director to speak directly to a bg performer and give him or her “direction.” It could be grounds for an upgrade claim later on. I once saw a UPM (unit production manager) chew out a director for attempting to give bg specific direction. It’s all supposed to be done via ADs.

The mention of Alan Cumming on the last thread reminded me: I took my niece and her friend to see Cabaret on Broadway when Emma Stone and Cumming were starring. The whole production was great, but Cumming stole the show. Even though I hate waiting by the stagedoor for autographs, my niece and her friend wanted Emma Stone's badly, so we patiently stood outside at least an hour for Emma even though it was FREEZING. Cumming came out almost immediately, obviously tired but very nice and friendly and patiently signed for everyone despite, again, the freezing cold. This is not a knock on Emma Stone because no doubt she was also exhausted and probably had to deal with backstage visitors and press, but it was very obvious Cumming made a point of coming outside quickly and was very appreciative even though most of the people waiting were obviously young girls wanting to see Emma. My niece and her friend became big Alan Cumming fans and have made a point to look out for his projects not just because he was so good in the show but because he was so nice and humble after.

Adding the previous thread.

Keep the stories coming!

From the previous thread RE: WB studios and their food trucks, come to think of it, most of my experiences have been at Paramount or on location, but there was a 'fried' truck on the WB lot for one of the last days of Lucifer when I worked that a few years ago.

Taye Diggs with the Umami truck though? I wish I was working on that production...

Enough food, back to the actual topic, Kate Hudson was annoying; always singing between takes (and she wasn't great at it either), typically ran late to set holding everyone up but I was grateful to have a job.

Awkwafina was a little stand-offish, but easy to work with.

Octavia Spencer-didn't interact much but found her to be very professional.

Jane Lynch-if BG was around her in a scene, she would smile at them and offer a quick hello.

Jon Bernthal-friendly to everyone, joked around with the crew a lot. He came off as approachable, although no BG was working this day.

LL Cool J-kept to himself, but got along well with the crew. Sometimes he'd speak to BG if he was in the mood but not overly friendly. Chris O'Donnell was less social.

Mark Harmon-very easy to get along with. When on set, the 'lunch line hierarchy' has BG going last and crew going first for obvious reasons, however Mark said, 'We don't do that here' and let generously let BG go ahead of him.

Zendaya (on her Shake It Up days)-she followed direction well, came off as more mature than her fellow actor Bella Thorne. It was evident even back then their lives would take a much different direction from one another.

R5 I just want to take the opportunity to note that Keith Gordon has directed a couple of my favorite great, lesser-known indie films: “A Midnight Clear” (1992) & “Waking the Dead” (2000).

Kim K is sweet, but dumb as a box of hair.

[quote] Apparently Disney had to step in and insist he stop dropping F bombs around the kids on the Santa Clause movies.

Oh, please. There are worse things to be guilty of when working with kids. Like, say, flashing them your boobs (Grace Under Fire), raping them (Step by Step, Pepsi commercials), or killing them (Twilight Zone Movie).

Wanna make grown-up money? Put up with grown-up words. I can guarantee you all child actors have heard them before and sometimes even have to say them as part of their job.

[quote] He is indeed a total douchebag. Besides dropping the F bomb right and left it was clear to the bg (and everyone else) on the film For Richer or Poorer that he was banging his “assistant”-a pert young brunette with nice tits who wore high heels which were styled to look like sneakers.

Frau alert.

So he cusses and fucks. So does the rest of the world. Can’t you come up with better dirt than that?

Another Hugh Jackman love ❤️ letter here.

Regardless of his closet status, the guy was a sweetheart to me, a mere chorus boy.

I saw him in The Boy from Oz on Broadway. I never do stage door adoration simply out of respect for a star’s recovery time. But since Jackman was known for coming out … to say hi to his fans … and I had previously worked with Peter Allen, I figured I would try to get him to sign my show jacket (I know, MARY! Fangurl).

Not only did he immediately approach me with a Sharpie marker, but he also intercepted his bodyguard who was ready to eject me head first, and told him “no, it’s OK.” He even chatted with me asking questions about Peter (which I meltingly answered). The guy is even more gorgeous in person. I remain a true fan (gurl).

And I heard from Hugh’s chorus boys in TBFO that he was a lot of fun to work with, treating everyone in the cast as equals and always with a twinkle in the eye… which even spread into the show’s book (the scene where he changes outfits right on stage while the chorus boys cover him up).

Even Wendy Williams confirmed that she's heard something on just about everyone being an asshole BUT the Kardashians. She heard nothing but nice things about them.

It would be nice to know that the Kardashians are humbled by the amazing privilege they were married/born into and later banked on. But unfortunately, Manager Mama Kris does not come across that way.

I concur about Jane Lynch. I worked a very long day on Maisel as an audience member at a quiz show (it will be in one of this upcoming season’s episodes) and she was always smiling at us and acknowledging our existence. And of course Rachel Brosnihan is a doll.

From the previous thread: [quote] From reading these threads, and speaking to people I know who work in the industry, it appears the less talented some of these so-called celebrities are (IE: Emma Roberts etc), the more over-the-top and obnoxious their diva attitudes are.

Probably the same principle as wannabe-rich types flaunting their money extravagantly while most of the actual billionaires and old money heirs don’t need to prove anything to anybody. The ones who are sure of their talent and have the respect and statues to prove it don’t have to make themselves feel better by treating the entry-level folks like serfs.

R569, Bette Davis named Dunaway as the worst person she ever worked with when asked by Johnny Carson. For her to pick Dunaway instead of Joan Crawford there must have been enough bad blood to drench the whole set of [italic]The Disappearance of Aimee[/italic]!

My first day ever working bg a PA pulled me out of the lunch line with a stern ‘crew eats first.’ I had no idea.

Yep, R20. The stand-ins get to eat first, too, since they’re crew (sort of). But I did see an AD on the remake of Shaft back in 1999 tell Samuel Jackson’s stand-in he had to wait for the crew to go through the line first and he said “I don’t care, I’m hungry.” She got right on the phone with casting to replace him. His replacement ended up being Jackson’s stand-in on many films after that.

The Good Fight had an amazing spread for crew and bg. I’ve never seen anything like it. Gossip Girl was a food truck 5 blocks away from holding. Chicken was raw so I tossed it and ended up not eating.

Catering on pretty much everything has always been bad but for some reason has become even worse in Covid times. My gums have swelled up from the amount of salt they throw in there. I often just go to a local deli or pizza place-I like supporting local businesses, anyway.

r601 from the last thread " His Last Man Standing crapfest was basically a half-hour of anti-Democrat and lame Obama jokes. Who gave that shitfest a green light? The jokes weren't even funny.

I had no idea Tim Allen was such a hard-core ReThug. "

Fox gave his shitfest the greenlight.

I don't know most of these people. Anyone work bg on a Doris Day or Elizabeth Taylor movie?

Liz was fat, Doris liked dogs. There ya go.

Liz always insisted on her own craftie.

Worked on "The Interpreter" at UN. Sean Penn seemed friendly and looked much better in person than how he photographs. Nicole Kidman quite tall and very, very slender. Amazed they let them film a scene in General Assembly with an assassination attempt in plot. Great to see Sydney Pollack at work in one of his last films. Some of the crew, though, really treat many of the middle-aged and older extras (who were there multiple long days) like crap, barking out orders, and acting like little PA rulers. Some extras very nice, others were jerks going up to people and thought it hilarious telling them they looked like unattractive political people. But it's a paycheck, right?

R22 were you in The Good Fight scenes with Gary Cole? I assume he's a professional, private, boring guy with no tea on him. Did Christine Baranski eat from the same lavish crew catering? She's rail thin at 69.

I worked in a scene on The Good Wife and Gary Cole was there. In the scene he was wearing tight blue jeans. And I had to restrain myself from not staring at his substantial bulge. Woof.

And Baranski no doubt dines on gourmet delicacies delivered to her by PAs from nearby establishments.

Alan Cumming had veggie meals made especially for him on the set of Instinct.

What? Cumming doesn’t enjoy a bit of haggis from time to time? Maybe there’s Impossible haggis now.

I worked as BG before the pandemic hit for about a year. None of the cast of Euphoria really vibe with each other irl. None of them ever really joked or talked to each other between scenes. Alexa Demie had her assistant tell everyone not to look at her. The cast of the Goldbergs are all really nice and they all seem like they like each other. Lake Bell gave me her coat when we were shooting a night scene and the BG had to be barely dressed. No one likes working on Ryan Murphy shows. His productions usually treat BG like shit and I had a nightmare day working on the Hollywood series. The guy who played the principle in Mean Girls worked on the Goldbergs a few times (I think he plays the principal?) and he never knew his lines and held up shooting for an hour sometimes because he had to be fed his lines. So unprofessional! The red head daughter from Santa Clarita Diet has a role on Yellowjackets and she was very standoffish and wasn’t talking to the other girls during the shoot. The kids from All That are really nice and talk to all of the background in between takes.

Ryan Murphy was a fucking dick to the extras in several scenes in The Normal Heart. The all fucking night disco scene, for example.

"Stars deign to acknowledge us. We gasp at their humanity!"

Gross!

I did BG twice - Black Widow and Harry and the Hendersons. Hated the hurry up and wait all day and never did it again. The principals were all stand offish.

I worked bg on Woody's movie Wonder Wheel. Justin Timberlake was a total dickhead to his co-stars and any extras who dared look his way. I wanted to slap the shit outta him.

Me too!

R17, I'm not sure you know the origin of their vast fortune. It wasn't Bob.

Story about the lunch line

Jodie Foster never pulls the star treatment, demanding to be first. She gets in line, mixing with everyone else. Does not matter if she is in the middle of the line or last line, she wait in line like everyone else.

Judd Apatow was an absolute dick to the bg in one particular scene on Trainwreck. It was when Bill Hader’s character gets some award. Anyway there was an improvised bit going on at the bar between two real sports journalists and the rest of the bg were just walking around and mingling, pantomiming (no sound coming out of our mouths), of course. The takes with the two guys were apparently not going well because suddenly we heard “HEY, ATMOSPHERE!” We all stopped and looked around-most of us had never heard that term before (I had). He then yelled “Yeah, I mean you! ATMOSPHERE! Go outside, I hear there’s some cheese you can nibble on over at crafty!” Douchebag. That was the last shot of the night. The following morning a PA showed up in our holding area “apologizing” for Apatow. We still gave him dirty looks when we returned to set.

I was hired to be a dancer in a music video for the song Century's End by Donald Fagen from the film Bright Lights, Big City. I had just moved to NYC and it was my first gig living there. I had danced in a few music videos over the past couple years and had decent experiences, but this one ended it for me.

I was 16 and I had really long hair. I sort of looked like a metalhead, not because it was cut into a mullet, but because the humidity made it super curly and out of shape. I was used to Los Angeles and the dry air. In NYC, I would blow it dry straight, it would look great, then 15 minutes outside and I looked like Esther Hoffman.

I got to the location (I forget what club they shot in. I want to say it was The Tunnel, but I can't remember for sure) and got treated like shit from the get go. They hated what I brought with me for clothing choices, they hated my hair, they talked to me like I was garbage. The HMU decided she was going to turn me into John Sex and put this waxy shit in my hair to make it stand straight up and give me a club kid kind of appearance. The director hated it, so they brought me back and brushed it back and down (I should say molded it, because there was no getting a brush through it with that waxy shit in it) and I looked like a cross between a blond guido and Jermaine Stewart. After continuously being shoved to the back, I got fed up (as did a fellow dancer), and the two of us took off in the middle of the shoot, but not before shoving everything that was not nailed down into our bags and walking off with it (liquor, hair products, makeup, etc.)

It took nearly a week of washing my hair several times a day to get the waxy shit out of it. I think the video aired once on MTV in the middle of the night and I am onscreen a total of two seconds. I do remember that in the time between shooting and airing, I actually waited on Donald Fagen (who was not in his own video) at my day job and I mentioned that I had been in the video and wondered when it would hit MTV. He looked at me like I'd asked to borrow money and completely ignored me.

R30, Lumbergh? Really?

R44 not to derail, but here is Gary Cole naked as a hot daddy in the 2018 comedy Blockers. Long, thin cock which is why his pants need a lot of crotch length.

I'm sure DL has sightings of Cole as he's one of the most ubiquitous Hollywood character actors.

I actually loved him in the mock Brady Bunch movie. He was perfect as Mike. “Alone, we can only move buckets. But if we work together, we can drain rivers.”

Darren Aronofsky is an asshole.

Elizabeth Taylor's food truck was an 18-wheeler.

I wasn't background but I worked in catering for Philip Seymour Hoffman's show Happyish. John Cameron Mitchell was the director and he is far and away the nicest person in the world. Very humble and sweet, but in charge of his sets. Hoffman was friendly enough, but very focused on his role. Nice but professional. He died a few months later.

Steve Guttenberg is also very nice as is Gregg Sulkin. Made sure I ate, always asked how I was. Nicola Peltz was distant and always with her mother. She had a potbelly pig that she carried everywhere. She let me play with it.

I did bg once for a Woody Allen film, which, for some reason, had Trump in the scene. He was an hour late for filming, and was a huge asshole to everybody. Judy Davis stood behind him, and during break, said to us, What the fuck is he wearing on his head? Sven Nykquist was Cinumatographer, and was having a really hard time. I later heard he was in the first throes of dementia.

I worked on the scene on Curb Your Enthusiasm with Mayor Bloomberg. Mr. Mayor could only be on set for thirty minutes max. And boy, did they stick to that. After that we got to yell at Larry David to get the hell out of there after he mocked Michael J Fox on his Parkinsons. That was an uncommonly fun bit to get to do.

R51, that was one of the funniest Curb episode ever, also featuring DL fav 'Greg'. Lucky you!

R43 is that you at 2:12?

How is the food?

R54 I worked BG on a crap show years ago called 'Samantha Who' on the CBS lot. All they had for us was 3 trays. Those trays contained old fruit, dry cereal just dumped out of the box, and salsa. Yes, salsa, with no chips or anything.

This was probably the absolute worst I ever had on a set, even for working BG.

On the flipside, I worked the 1st season of Westworld and there was an amazing spread. A lot of us couldn't eat as much as we wanted to since it was a nude scene, but had it been a different day...

[quote] I worked BG on a crap show years ago called 'Samantha Who' on the CBS lot. All they had for us was 3 trays. Those trays contained old fruit, dry cereal just dumped out of the box, and salsa. Yes, salsa, with no chips or anything.

Gross! Was Samantha Who the show that Christina Applegate won an Emmy for, basically because she had recovered from cancer?

[quote] On the flipside, I worked the 1st season of Westworld and there was an amazing spread. A lot of us couldn't eat as much as we wanted to since it was a nude scene, but had it been a different day...

I guess no one would want a bloated belly on that day. Congrats for having a nice enough body to appear as a nude Westworld robot, though!

r56, Applegate was nominated twice (for both seasons) for Samantha Who, but never won. Jean Smart did though, as her character's mother.

They'll give Jean Smart an Emmy for anything, won't they?

Does anyone who worked BG on Gilmore have any stories about Emily Bishop or Edward Herrmann?

I hope they weren’t as awful as people say the leads were.

R56 she won for guest actress on Friends.

I don't remember Samantha Who being that bad.

It wasn't R61.

R59, they had very few scenes with background.

Samantha Who was a horrible show.

R56 I remember her being nominated but as R57 clarifies, she didn't win. 1st scene was at a restaurant and we were right next to Christina and Jennifer Esposito, 2nd was in a night club with Jennifer making out with a BG of her choice. Nothing too exciting. Can't say I've ever seen an episode.

Ha, thanks for that. Westworld was quite an experience that first season; we were doing reshoots and to be honest, I think they most likely reshot that scene after us once more since there were multiple issues with that production during that season. I certainly didn't mind, we still get a paycheck.

I stay behind the camera now, but if I can think of any other fun stories, I'll gladly share them.

R65 I'm just trying to imagine the selection process for picking a BG to make out with.

^ I'm reminded of that recent thread about the Roman emperor Elagabalus and his search for the biggest dick in the Empire.

I work freelance behind the camera while living in London for a few years and between gigs, I would do background work.

I did a day on Bridget Jones Baby. I think it was the last day of the shoot and we were filming Hugh Grant's character's funeral. Renee stayed in accent even when not filming and was pleasant to everyone. Colin Firth was nice as well, loaning his suit jacket to a chilly extra during a break.

R66 I was standing nearby and I noticed some PA's looking at the crowd in this nightclub, and they found one taller dude with a shaved head by himself, so they kept him aside. She comes onto the set, another PA gestures to him and she nods her head 'yes'. This wasn't discreet by any means but I'm sure the guy got a small bump for having to make out with a principal.

Tagging onto this, I worked another set and the prostitutes in the scene were able to pick their 'johns'; they had all the men (along with a few women) who were willing to be with the hookers line up, and each girl went down the line with a PA, indicating who they wanted. It was so blatantly obvious we all laughed but everything went smoothly.

We actually thought this was a much better idea since it rarely works out when PA's try to pair up people due to ethnicity, etc. And we all know if the guy turned out to be the set whackjob, she could only blame herself since she selected him.

That makes sense R63 as most of their scenes were with L & R. I didn’t think of that when I asked my question.

A friend got a lot of background work in her 20s and 30s. She looked the spitting image of Nathalie Emmanuel from Game Of Throne - light brown skin and a curly brown afro. I always assumed she was used add “diversity” and “color” to a scene, being pretty enough make a place look cool and hip and while not being dark enough to scare off Middle America.

And when was that, o clever one at r48---when she wasn't making any more movies? When she was Mrs. Warner? She died svelte enough.

If you're BG, do you know in advance if you're undressed in a day's shooting--i.e., a locker room scene? And can you turn down a days work that requires you take off your clothing?

Don't you get extra money if you're a nude extra?

Casting is very clear if nudity is involved and you do get paid extra. I got paid an extra $14 once because they needed to cut my hair for a period piece and they warned me several times in advance that I had to be willing to cut my hair.

I'm pretty sure Tim Allen has spoken openly about how he hates children. Hilarious given how his work is so child oriented most of the time.

r73, not always...

They only paid an extra $14 for cutting your hair? I would think BG would demand more

It’s up to $19 if they cut your hair.

Random fees* when I did BG:

-$19 for wearing a wig

-$37.50 for using my car in a scene (not a classic car, that would most likely be a much higher rate)

-$25 for OCD (Off camera dialogue)

-$14 for smoke usage (smoke/fog machines used on set)

$25-for having glitter/confetti tossed on me in a scene (this was outrageous; I didn't even think I was getting extra for this and there it was at the end of the day. I was wearing their wardrobe too so it wasn't even on my own clothing. Ridiculous to get a bump, but of course I'll take it)

$40-'implied nudity' as a stand-in, NOT even on camera acting; I was in a tank top under the covers but there was the bump at the end. I was surprised by this too.

Please note it depends solely on the production; some other shows I've done OCD and have received absolutely nothing but a thanks, while others I was quite happy to be there that day for the extra money!

R73 yes, most of the time the post will state what is wanted from us within the scene, and it is up to us if we are willing to do the work for the rate offered.

I'm the Westworld one from above, and what I went through was a prime example: when I spoke to the casting director (CD), she laid out what I was to do, and if I was willing to do it (let's say I was willing to do A, B and C). From there, I had to sign off on what I said I would do, go to a paid 'fitting' (yes, for a nude scene) and I was supposed to work within a week.

The night before the workday, I get a call from another CD, asking if I am willing to do D, E and F. I said Hell no, and what I signed off on was what I had initially agreed upon when I first received notice of this particular work. She was quite apologetic; apparently I was not the only upset BG as they had to call possibly 100's of those who all of a sudden were switched by production on what they wanted to see from us (they saw us in photos from the fitting we had to do). Now I was union but still a little green, so I wasn't aware I had to paid if I was cancelled the day prior at a certain time.

Eventually, I did work this at the same rate, but of course it was a shorter day. The day I missed out on? They made over $1k that day due to many factors.

had to be* paid, I meant to say above-

Worked this weekend on a Scorsese film and we got treated extremely well by everybody. The only thing to bitch about was as audience members we had to do “tiling,” which is when they move all of you around a particular space (like an auditoriun, theater, stadium, etc) so they can eventually digitize the frame so it looks like the space is completely full.

I'm curious, R83. When they do the "tiling", do they tell the extras to bring changes of outfit, so the shot doesn't look like 20 version of the same people in the same outfits?

R81 your post is useless without telling us what A, B, C, D, E & F were.

[quote]Lake Bell gave me her coat when we were shooting a night scene and the BG had to be barely dressed.

Love her! Glad to hear she's nice.

Lake Bell and Colin Firth - both class acts.

Interesting to read since Lake has been getting some backlash for doing the Pam and Tommy show against Pam's wishes.

Not background related, but I used to live across the street from Lake Bell when she owned a house in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. She was super down to earth and lovely. She likes to say hello to my dogs and pet them when passing on the sidewalk.

Can confirm about Ryan Murphy sets. I worked on Versace and they did countless retakes that never showed up in the final show. The only upside was there were so many violations that I was paid almost double than on a regular set.

Worked on something with Adam Scott and he was kind of a dick.

Did bg on Ramy, some crappy Hulu show. Shadiest production I’ve ever worked on. No catering and somehow avoided paying us for lunch plus we went an hour OT but the PA’s refused to note it on our vouchers. And half of us were SAG. In cases like this one I just suck it up. If I complain to casting or SAG I’m afraid I’ll be blacklisted.

Adam Scott looks like the guy in high school who pushed kids into lockers.

R84, nobody has to change clothing for “tiling.” They make it look like a full crowd without wardrobe being noticeable.

All of that is changing, I’m sure, r83, what with the advent of streaming, smartphones, and smart TVs that catch every detail and nuance recording it for eternity. There are enough geeks out there who love nothing more than spotting gaffes and bad editing leftovers and posting them on social media for millions to see. So I’m sure filming pays more attention these days.

R85 of course someone would ask...it's not that exciting but certainly depended on how comfortable one would be. Here's what I remember:

-A/B/C would have been standing around so you would obviously be on full display compared to one who would be sitting down, full body paint (this did count since it was 30%+ of your body in makeup, therefore higher pay category), wearing a strap-on dildo of some sort (this costume/prop (?) wasn't shown to us at our fitting), but most importantly, our category would not be touching or touched by anyone. If anything, the body paint would serve as a disguise so you wouldn't be recognized so easily, as you would blend in with others.

-D/E/F was everything I was not interested in doing; being touched/touching EVERYONE, implied sex acts with men and women, no body makeup so you would be easier to spot, the strangest one I remember the most was something about 'having your body put into a tabletop position with others below and above you' which I was certainly not saying yes to. Later on down the line while on other sets, it was interesting to hear from others who worked this talk about their experience. The 'tabletop' was requested for larger/built men since they could more likely support another body or two on top of them, in addition to petite females were asked to basically 'ride' them, etc.

Some girls were down to do anything; a girl at my fitting said, 'I'll do whatever, I don't care, just ask' but most weren't as brazen. Of course once it aired, it didn't seem so bad and lasted less than 10 minutes, but I still wasn't interested in being nude/in body paint for more than 14+hours around so many others. Good for those who did follow through.

I don't know if this was a bonus but Ben Barnes was on set for this shoot and no, he wasn't nude.

Hope this helps explain it; it's been about 8 years so I may have forgotten some things.

R95 The touching always extra. But not as much as the pretend emotions.

Adam Scott definitely gives off a smug vibe.

r91 Call a SAG rep while it's happening. There is a number on your card. They might come to the set and check things out. If they don't keep a list of the violations and report them. They will investigate and collect any fines and pay you and all the other extras there that day any overages. I've had lots of multiple payments from productions that way and I was never the one to report them.

The casting company probably knows all about it. They would not blacklist you, they need people to show up.

Oh...they'll blacklist you over anything. No hesitation.

They never tell you what type of shoot it is. You get an email the night before with a call time...and few details. And then you might be asked to bring your own wardrobe, which can get messed up depending on the action you have to perform (running, falling, crawling, etc), which they also don't forewarn you about. You could also be outside in killer heat all day or in the freezing cold shivering. But you only find out when you show up.

I've been on sets that were filled with dust and smoke. Did they warn us first, or ask if we were asthmatic? Nope.

And just because you did a wardrobe fitting first doesn't mean you'll be wearing those clothes. Last minute they can bring something else to set and you are expected to wear it even if it barely fits.

If you don't like the clothes? Being outdoors all day? Being expected to ruin your own clothes? Too damn bad.

Sure, you can call the union and complain...but don't think for a second you'll be viewed as anything other than a diva. Casting directors don't value BG performers. You are replaceable. And if you complain about anything, they'll toss your headshot or label you a "problem".

Why do you think lead actors on sets still put up with crappy treatment or handsy producers? Because speaking up, even when you're seemingly powerful and known, can get you labeled "difficult". You think its easier for EXTRAS to speak up? That's hilarious. You're barely human to the crew and cast.

Yes, there are good sets, but most of the time, you're treated like an inconvenience for not being a mind reader. They rarely give you direction or context but are quick to criticize when extras aren't acting right.

But hey....that's showbiz!

[Quote] The only upside was there were so many violations that I was paid almost double than on a regular set.

Why am i not surprised that this is standard for a RM set.

[Quote] Yes, there are good sets, but most of the time, you're treated like an inconvenience for not being a mind reader. They rarely give you direction or context but are quick to criticize when extras aren't acting right.

What are some of the good sets?

Those "been around forever" police procedural show sets are run like a well-oiled machine: NCIS, Law & Order, CSI when it was still on, etc. Idk if they are friendly/buddy, but it's functional.

NCIS star Katrina Law recently said that the show uses long-time background players who have been with NCIS a looong time as the office staff/ fellow agents in the building. Those bg players (mostly older men, less women) have hit the jackpot.

[Quote] NCIS star Katrina Law recently said that the show uses long-time background players who have been with NCIS a looong time as the office staff/ fellow agents in the building. Those bg players (mostly older men, less women) have hit the jackpot.

Wonder what it's like working on a show like NCIS compared to Arrow?

I was cast in a project that sounded simple but when the ten bg people showed up we found out we would be wearing very tight, uncomfortable masks and shooting in an abandoned house with a rickety staircase and mold on the walls. Plus it was 95 degrees outside and, obviously, no AC. I took at long hot shower and threw my clothes in the washing machine as soon as I got home.

[quote] Enough food, back to the actual topic, Kate Hudson was annoying; always singing between takes (and she wasn't great at it either), typically ran late to set holding everyone up but I was grateful to have a job

I don't think I've ever heard a good word (from any non famous) about Hudson

I turned down the Westworld naked android days (I do makeup) due to a scheduling conflict. My friends on it told me that I was lucky not to work those days- airbrushing naked bodies all day, including everyone's junk.

Ok, now I want to do BG. I have an actual job but it sounds like a really fun experience. How does one pursue these opportunities? (not in LA, more in the CT or RI area but could get to NYC or Boston)

^^ I didn't mean actual job to sound like BG wasn't a job- I meant a very boring office job where I never see anything fun.

You can register with Grant Wilfrey for free or sign up with castingnetworks.com. No need to join the union.

[Quote] I don't think I've ever heard a good word (from any non famous) about Hudson

You certainly won't on here. Her last thread was disgusting.

Disgusting?

R106 If you have an office job, you're already doing background work. Everyone is "acting" like they are working, "acting" productive, "acting" like they care, "acting" like they're not really scrolling their phone and random shit online from this minute to this minute - then you stop acting and go home

Background actors portray you as authentically as possible, acting like they're typing, acting like they're on a phone call, acting like they're in a meeting

R110 it was just endlessly bashing her because she's had kids with different men. Like no other celebrity has ever done that.

Meh I don't think the criticism of Kate in that thread was anything more than sexual jealousy. Kate can get more hot guys while being a mediocre looking middle aged blonde with three kids than any of those posters ever could.

She still has a reputation for being loud, self absorbed and unprofessional though

Are we really calling Chris Robinson and Matt Bellamy hot guys?

Touche 114

R114 fair point 😆

To any of you background workers posting here: when you watch a tv show or movie do you get distracted by what the background people are doing ?

R117 I never worked BG, but after working in film at uni I have to force myself not to yell BAD EDIT! when watching a movie. Or pointing out lack of continuity. It's a total buzz kill for anybody else watching it.

Not BG, but crew, and I love watching BG over pantomime on set....a classic one:

Oh Hiiiiii! (smile and big eyes)

Oh Heyyyy, how are you ? (you can see them over enunciate every word)

I'm great! (big smile)

That's so good to hear! (nods and smiles and a sip of beverage)

This is Barney (introduces Barney)

So GREAT to meet you Barney (more smiles and head nodding)

Usually it's too much mouth acting and head nodding.

Wasn’t there a scene on Seinfeld? Their background conversation got more exaggerated with each take?

R119, the crown for big overacting goes to SNK. Talk about over-mugging.

R199, I assume they can't make up dialogue because it's possible to read their lips. Anything racy would be caught out.

Let’s try that again: the crown for bg over-acting goes to SNL….

Not true, R123. Anyone who tries to steal focus is blackballed out of any further extra work.

I was doing bg in a restaurant scene and they put In a booth with another bg’er who had to be pushing 80. He was very small and hunched and sank down into the booth. He called the AD over and asked for a booster seat because he was concerned no one would see him in the shot. The AD was extremely patient and told him that she would look at the monitor and if he couldn’t be seen she would get him a booster. Of course she never came back but I have to say she was very nice.

Cheers always had a lot of background people milling around the bar. I imagine it isn't easy to pantomime sitting at a table with someone and having a conversation without over-acting.

R105 can definitely agree here; we were in a larger trailer with only a shower/curtain divider between myself and another female getting body-bronzed for the day. At least they made you look darn good while you were undressed (unless you were a corpse or a deactivated droid).

R113 I guess she owes her parents (or mom) for her career. Besides working with her, Octavia Spencer was the other star of the show and days with her went much more smoothly.

Kate's brother Oliver doesn't seem so bad in comparison.

R128 you worked with her recently? I know she pulled that showing up late crap when she was younger, can't believe she still does. What a joke, she truly typifies what went wrong with Hollywood:

Take the child of someone famous (charisma and talent not needed), add in a dash of starvation, peroxide, and plastic surgery to make up for her lack of looks, ignore rudeness and unprofessionalism from said spoiled no talent princess then market the hell out of her. Voila.

[quote]It would be nice to know that the Kardashians are humbled by the amazing privilege they were married/born into and later banked on. But unfortunately, Manager Mama Kris does not come across that way.

Bob Kardashian was by all accounts a great father to his kids.

r128, it was the deactivated android days in the basement- blue bodypaint for days. My friends told me that you had to ask the talent to lift their junk and spread their buttcheeks to get that paint in there.

I hated the bg in Speed so much I was hoping that bus would blow up.

Even Wendy Williams admitted that Kim Kardashian was nice and easy to deal with.

I also can't stand Kate Hudson. Yes, I'm probably jealous. If she is a diva, she should remember why she even has a damn career: Goldie & Kurt.

R106 There was a story on Daily Fail maybe yesterday about a girl who did BG on the most recent episode of 'Euphoria.'; she was complaining about cold food and conditions. To be frank, if you've done BG-especially as NU (non-union)-it isn't always a walk in the park for sure. But to those who act entitled, you're shown your place real quick.

On the flipside, this article was in the LA Times recently speaking with other BG from the same show. Apologies if this is paywalled-

R117

Often. Even before I did BG work, I would pick up on when background performers didn't suit the time period of the film they were in (or more often TV series). Good editors cut around bad BG performers but sometimes its clear they just had no direction.

Like seeing a surfer dude type saunter into a Victorian setting. Sticks out like a sore thumb but maybe no one took the time to coach him, or maybe he was a hopeless casting choice.

[Quote] I guess she owes her parents (or mom) for her career. Besides working with her, Octavia Spencer was the other star of the show and days with her went much more smoothly. Kate's brother Oliver doesn't seem so bad in comparison.

I don't think i have ever heard a negative story about Octavia. And i haven't seen Oliver in anything since playing a gay fitness instructor in that stupid Grown Ups sequel.

I'm humiliated to say I know of Oliver Hudson from the first season of 'Scream Queens.'

Oliver was in a short-lived sitcom, back when everyone was doing sitcoms about coupled friends. He looked so very fine in it, playing the dumb half of his couple.

What kills me is extras complaining about cold food. There aren’t that many professions that provide caterers for lunch. And there actually are quite a few professions in which your uniform, location, or gear prevents you from walking into a deli and ordering a sandwich. Those folks have no other choice than to bring their meals from home. Yet these delicate snowflakes who are being paid hundreds of dollars a day and double overtime feel the need to complain about inhuman conditions. I scream Darfur Orphan threefold!

R138 are you talking about Rules Of Engagement? Because that show had several seasons.

R139 Rules of Engagement is pretty funny actually. I never watched it when it was in production because it was on CBS and I assumed it had "Two and a half men" stink on it.

What are some of the reasons you'd be BG blacklisted? Obviously, showing up late and stuff, but I'm interested in the PETTY shit they would consider.

I have always heard that the kardashians are lovely and professional to work with. Especially Kim. A close friend worked with her and said she couldn’t have been more humble and sweet.

The Jenner girls (Kendall and Kylie) are cunts from hell and horrible to deal with.

Aren't the Jenner girls known for not tipping?

[quote]Bob Kardashian was by all accounts a great father to his kids.

“And a great guy to hold your duffel bag in a pinch!” —Orenthal J. Simpson

Friends daughter was always asked to do BG so she’s on set for HBOs VINYL series and they have her dancing in the scene, they want her up and center (beautiful 5foot 10 girl) but some SAG BGs complained since she wasn’t SAG. She does ROYAL PAINS, the lead asks the AD to have her up front with him and the other actor for a prominent scene on a beach requiring lines to be said yet she’s not SAG so she was unable to. The SAG extras were super cunty to her and loved to say they were “in the REAL business”. She gave zero fucks since she was signed to a modeling agency and already did loads of theatre and indie movies.

R140

If you talk to The Talent (aka the Real actors) you can be kicked off the set and blacklisted. Especially if you ask for a selfie from a star. You're expected to stay out of the way of the people actually making the movie. This includes the director but also pretty much everyone.

If you cause the hair or wardrobe departments headaches by asking for redos or changes so you look better or are more comfortable...they will remember you and call casting.

If casting screws up and tries to go back on your booking 48 hours before the shoot (if the shooting dates change for example and they neglected to give you adequate warning) and you're entitled to collect pay for that day you set aside for them, they can really get petty about it. Union rules protect BGs from losing out on a day's wages when the schedule is shifted...but the casting company can refuse to compensate you and demand you show proof of your booking before they call up the production and say "you have to give this person money for nothing because of me". And then they can make a mental note and never call you again.

It's just lìke people in high school, who may invite you if they need a crowd, but will deliberately leave you out if they want their real friends only for a fancy event.

Sometimes you hear from other BG friends about a gig they all did and you realize that you totally had the look but never got the call.

No casting person owes you anything. Its likely most BGs who are blacklisted never know about it, or the reasons for it.

Does anyone else remember the story about a guy who was fucking two producers from Nurse Jackie and got fired for trying to talk to Edie Falco??

[quote] [R138] are you talking about Rules Of Engagement? Because that show had several seasons.

Holy shit you’re right. Looked it up and it actually lasted 7 seasons. Don’t know what I was doing between 2007 and 2013 but it wasn’t watching much CBS, I suppose. And you don’t find it much in syndication. Wouldn’t mind checking me some Oliver butt

LOL R119, I ALWAYS get paired with those people. It's usually their first time doing bg. They either completely overdo it, or try and read my lips and keeping asking "What?" That's why I love pedestrian scenes where I can just walk by myself.

R147 I didn't realize it was 7 seasons either. Had no clue the show existed until reruns started.

Tell us more about the Ryan Murphy sets please

[quote]Oliver was in a short-lived sitcom, back when everyone was doing sitcoms about coupled friends. He looked so very fine in it, playing the dumb half of his couple.

He's currently in the Fox series "The Cleaning Lady." It's clear he doesn't share the family penchant for plastic surgery.

R146-Did one of those producers have the initials R J?

If they dress you do you need to be a certain size?

R153, no, you give them your fit sizes prior. Although most people lie about their sizes or have old stats and wardrobe just chucks stuff at you until something fits and looks appropriate. It's much more difficult when it's a period show prior to stretch fabrics and vanity sizing.

I'm not in bg, but here are my experiences...

I have never met anyone who had anything nice to say about Lauren Graham. Then I worked with her and realized why.

A few others:

Sarah Michelle Geller - all business, but very respectful to the crew. Never late.

Deidre Hall - One of the few actresses who gets it.

Alec Baldwin - another one who is very respectful of the crew's time. Was never late.

Ted Shackleford - (my first job out of college) very sexual, even when he wasn't trying to be. He could have fucked anyone.

Donna Mills - Moody

Julianne Moore - professional and always prepared

Don Johnson - Loves to tell jokes

Chace Crawford - He had that Ted Shackleford thing. Guy was just walking sex.

Kristain Alfonso - (soap actress) Horrible human being with a huge Q score. The Lauren Graham of daytime TV

Maurice Benard - (soap actor) great guy but hates that he got stuck with soap work.

Geena Davis - Tells great stories.

So ReThug Tim Allen hates kids huh? Then why did he have two of his own? Of course, they're adults now, but they were once children.

I heard he's a real creep, on and off the set.

[quote]The guy who played the principle in Mean Girls worked on the Goldbergs a few times (I think he plays the principal?) and he never knew his lines and held up shooting for an hour sometimes because he had to be fed his lines. So unprofessional!

You can't mean Tim Meadows? He was on SNL for years, he sure had to remember his lines on a live show.

R19 Davis whatever else she felt about Crawford always maintained that Crawford was a professional

Speaking of Judd Apatow, his daughter Maude, it that Jergen's commercial she does with her mom, Leslie Mann, Maude can barely say her lines. I wonder how many takes it took to get that one line out of Maude, just awful.

It's obvious, the only reason Maude is in Euphoria is because of her father. Nepotism only works when the famous person's kids have actual talent.

[quote] You can't mean Tim Meadows? He was on SNL for years, he sure had to remember his lines on a live show.

Have you never seen an episode of SNL? It's patently obvious the cast reads directly off of cue cards every week.

R159 - And she's a second-generation beneficiary of nepotism; I doubt her can't-act-for-shit mother would ever have gotten a role without being Mrs. Judd Apatow.

R155, what was it that made you realize that LG is a cunt?

[quote] Nepotism only works when the famous person's kids have actual talent.

I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean!

The Goldbergs principal is played by Stephen Tobolowsky. (don't know anything about whether he knows his lines or not, I just watch the Goldbergs). Tim Meadows plays the guidance counselor.

Tim Meadows played the principal in the short lived spin-off series. I don’t remember what it was called.

R146, the bg guy on Nurse Jackie was having an affair with one of the show’s executive producers (who was married to a millionaire Broadway producer). They were in a throuple. Bg guy ended up getting a regular stand-in gig on NJ and a line in one of the scenes. He lorded his “position” over the other stand-ins and core bg. He went to wardrobe to have his nurses scrubs “altered” to look tighter and thus more attractive. One day he horned in on Falco and the producer as they were at video village enjoying a laugh over a video on a phone. Falco was “who the fuck is this guy?” and asked around. She got answers. She was furious. She apparently even called bg casting to yell at them. This bg guy was being an asshole for months to his colleagues on her set and she wasn’t having it. She fired the executive producer who also happened to be her agent. The bg guy’s line was no longer in the scene when the episode aired. He got a job on another show a week later because one of the casting directors from the same office that did NJ had the hots for him. A few years later he was involved in a nasty sexual harrassment situation (involving a very young male bg guy) on yet another show. He’s currently core bg on a show which is ending its run soon.

Makes me love Edie even more.

If we're all talking about B.D.'s ex, why not just name him? Or will Jordan have the whole thread erased?

Hi, Richie!!

Why does Harvey still tolerate RJ?

R166 we need pics and a name for this stud

Doing some web searching trying to figure out the BG guy from r166's clues... r166, Are his initials AB?

He's background. Which means he's probably a better lay than an actor.

It's easy to figure out the producer in question. It's clear when NJ had a producer change. Of the two female producers who left, one does the lez lez, so voila, process of elimination.

R173-And yet you still get it wrong.

r173, the female executive producers who left--LB and LW--are both lesbians.

Jason Bateman is very friendly to background.

And the douchiest set in town goes to.....911!

Ironically this Ryan Murphy set has the most aggro/asshole entitled crew members of any show, which is saying a lot. The hours are brutal and intentionally run into overtime for the overtime pay. They start work at 5pm on the weekend and go all night, fueled by Adderall and cocaine. Every episode they need to search for more BG because so many refuse to work those hours and around those miserable people. The insufferable stand-ins act like they are the principal actors.

You've been warned

How is Angela Bassett involved with that fuckery?

Angela is one of the highest paid women on TV and the lead actors are treated like royalty. They're living their best life on set and don't want to come down to earth and acknowledge anyone not catering to them.

[Quote] So ReThug Tim Allen hates kids huh? Then why did he have two of his own? Of course, they're adults now, but they were once children. I heard he's a real creep, on and off the set.

I bet working on that movie he did with Kirstie Alley was probably a nightmare. And R166 thanks for filling in the blanks.

Hey, industry experts, how against the rules is it for a movie to use free background actors?

If a movie uses a hidden camera to film their hero on the street mingling with regular people who are just going about their business, is the production considered to be screwing background actors out of paid work? And if an Indie filmmaker puts up an ad saying "SHOW UP IN 1960S CLOTHING AND YOU CAN BE IN MY CROWD SCENE", and offers no payment, is that a violation of industry rules? And what penalty would these filmmakers suffer?

Thanks r145 for the deets. I guess if one is a guest actor (who has at least 1 speaking line, so not background), you cooould ask the main talent for a selfie.

I follow my favorite cbs tv actor's hashtag on instagram, he is sometimes tagged by guest actors in set selfies. Sounds like a decent man. It is Gary Cole.

[quote]what was it that made you realize that LG is a cunt?

Her attitude to everything and everyone. Demanding, rude, dismissive.

[Quote] They're living their best life on set and don't want to come down to earth and acknowledge anyone not catering to them.

And here i thought JLH was supposed to be one of the more down to earth actors.

R177 I've worked this a few times as a SI-on stage at FOX and on location-but I'll be honest and say I was most likely blacklisted since I was really late the last time I worked it (early January 2020). I wasn't even the latest to arrive but I was late, and that was completely me at fault.

From what I recall though, it wasn't terrible but one of the DP's (Director of Photography/Cinematographer) HATED SI's, so this didn't help. They didn't even provide sides since 'we didn't need to know what was going on in the scene.' This was the first time I worked it a few years back, so either a different DP was brought in, or the original mellowed out.

Of course, I remember the food being absolutely terrible. However I worked a once on AHS and that one day was a good one for me, at least.

[quote] Don’t know what I was doing between 2007 and 2013 but it wasn’t watching much CBS, I suppose

It’s ok no one else under 60 and outside the flyover states was either.

R183

I want a story about Lauren Graham. I keep hearing that she's rude etc...but I want a STORY please.

What did she do? Give us an example.

I loved Gilmore Girls and am having a hard time processing this LOL. If I'm going to look at her differently give me something concrete.

And what about Alexis?

Why should Lauren Graham being a cunt affect how you feel about Gilmore Girls? Lauren Graham played Lorelai Gilmore, she wasn't Lorelai Gilmore.

R186 this stale bit wasn't funny the first hundred times so time for new material

R187 there were numerous stories about LG and Alexis in the prior thread.

Anthony T., R171

I was plucked from the background by Joss Whedon.

Where do background go to the bathroom? Porta Johns?

R192 lucky her.

R193, a lot of times, yes. And PA's usually forget to tell you where they are when they do their spiel.

R192 it's creepy how similar she looks to Amy and Chloe.

r193 Honeywagons

Man, BG work sounds like a miserable experience. Why do it?

any stories from the set of Rust?

It's strange that Whedon has such a definite type (Amy, Jill, Eliza, and Summer could all be sisters), but his ex-wife doesn't fit that type at all.

[quote]I have always heard that the kardashians are lovely and professional to work with. Especially Kim. A close friend worked with her and said she couldn’t have been more humble and sweet.

She has much to be humble about.

I don't care how "nice" she is, she can still, kindly, fuck the fuck off.

r144 Your friend's daughter sounds stupid. Why would she work non-union and make $11/hour.

r198 It's not usually that bad. People here are telling their unusual stories of working on shitty sets with creeps. Most sets are professional and drama free.

Typically you go to a studio or location, report for work pick up your costume, go to hair and make up then sit in a holding area until called to the set. You can read, listen to music or play on your phone all day.

On set you sit or stand around and for 30 minutes or so while they shoot the scene and then go back to the holding area while they set up another shot, repeat as necessary. They have feed you because you can't leave because you need to be available when the set is ready. Usually it's a good selection of good food. There are snacks and beverages all day.

This is preferable to a lot of people than working in an office.

R202, great points. Background is a system like anything else. You show the a.d.'s you're reliable; they'll ask for you.

I knew one who worked all season; from when production started in Hollywood maybe in August until March or April; then, she'd go on unemployment for 3 months or so and then start up again, paying back into it.

R192-Don't you mean "fucked"?

When on location, what is the holding area for background folk? A large, shared trailer?.or you sit outdoors in the elements? As someone said previously, old men are more welcome on screen than older women. Retired men take note.

On location, production usually monopolizes a building if there is going to be a significant amount of BG- it will not only house them, but additional costume, hair and makeup areas for changing and application, and sometimes dining areas. If no building is available, then giant pavilions are set up for the above mentioned. For 20 BG or less, usually pop up tents for them.

[quote] It's strange that Whedon has such a definite type (Amy, Jill, Eliza, and Summer could all be sisters), but his ex-wife doesn't fit that type at all

Probably when he got married he was an unrecognizable dweeb who was grateful for any woman who would touch his naughty bits. Once he became a famous producer, director, & showrunner with power & influence, a whole other level of model-quality females were ready to kneel or spread for him at a moment’s notice.

[Quote] a whole other level of model-quality females were ready to kneel or spread for him at a moment’s notice.

Except for CC and SMG.

[quote] Except for CC and SMG.

I suspect that most straight dweeb dudes would be okay with forgoing those two if it meant having their way with all of those others.

Who are all those women you’re talking about? And for that matter, who is Whedon?

Whedon created and produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly amongst other shows, and the women were various actresses he hired and harassed/fucked, all the while crowing about what a feminist he is.

Joss Whedon. Writer/producer of Buffy. Who has his own thread.

Back to the BG discussion, yes, some experiences are really nice and fun. You perform simple tasks, hobnob with a chill celebrity (sometimes they actually speak with the BGs), eat some tasty food and get paid nicely. It can be helpful experience if you want to work in entertainment and you can meet fun people who also like film and maybe make a friend.

It's not always bad....but it can be. They can be very long days with no feedback, so ultimately your acting isn't really improving, and tempers or attitudes on set can be demoralizing. And you do tend to meet the same types of people over and over.

There is something off-putting about Lauren Graham. She doesn't give off a warm vibe. But it appears to be more than that. I only saw her in that family series, forgot the name. I never watched Gilmore Girls.

I do know, I don't enjoy her acting.

In general, most performers have a God-complex, these people actually think they are so much better than the average person, when all they do is act and get paid handsomely for it.

Performers aren't curing any rare diseases and most of them certainly aren't all that intelligent! Many are insecure narcissists who are merely lucky.

I laugh at these threads where people are praising celebrities for showing any sort of warmth towards other human beings! How absurd.

If you are new to acting, L.A. or NY and/or have only done theater it's a way to get used to working on a set. If you a non union you can accrue vouchers toward a union card, which may make it slightly easier to get an agent. If you get some time on camera you can use it for your reel. Especially if you get bumped to some lines.

Posting again for the Gilmore chat: from 2016 when the revival was announced.

I have no idea who the fuck this Lauren Graham is. I never watched the show she was on, as it was for fat fraus.

Here’s a fun bg scandale which is almost as juicy as the Nurse Jackie one:

In the final weeks of Ugly Betty a bg girl was needed for a matching shot. A PA was sent to look for her. Angel was eventually found-in Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams)’s walk-in closet giving one of the electrics a blow job. She was sent home once the shot was completed-the camera shot, I mean. She was yelled at by casting saying she could forget about returning to the show or attending the final wrap party. She threatened a sexual harrassment suit. ABC/Disney freaked out. The show was finally ending and they didn’t want to deal with her. So an arrangement was worked out-not only did she end up going back for the final episode but she was given a line. The other regular bg on the Mode magazine set (known as “Modies”) were understandably furious. Some of them said they wouldn’t show up at the wrap party. Yeah, as you might suspect, more than a few of them were stuck up cunts, both male and female. Anyway, on the day the girl shot her principal role someone on the crew swears she heard sounds from her dressing room which indicated she was having sex with the same electrics dude she had given the bj to.

Anyone know what happened between Jeff Garlin and one of the stand-ins that got him fired.

The man is an obnoxious pig. Take a guess.

R218 Huh? I'm sorry...she was busted performing fellatio AT HER JOB. How could she file sexual harassment and be taken seriously?

I believe the lovely actor Sam Pancake is close friends with Lauren Graham, referenced here so many times.

I wonder if he posts here and has seen all the comments about her. He did appear in the GG revival.

Not that I would expect him to reply though!

Aren't there a number of aging bg people who wanted to be actors and are bitter they have no lines when in their heads they could do it better than any actor who has success in a role?

I apologize if this has already been answered, but does bg work count towards SAG health insurance?

Why is Lauren Graham uppity? She looks like a pig.

[quote]The man is an obnoxious pig. Take a guess.

Seems Jeff Garlin is as disgusting as his 'character' on Curb Your Enthusiasm. His Curb character is always cheating on his wife Susie etc.

Was he fucking someone on The Goldbergs set? He's so disgusting

Exactly how will he be written out of the series? Since George Segal died, his character was written out as having died, they cannot do that with Jeff's character.

R225, when she smiles, she reminds me more of a beaver.

[quote] I believe the lovely actor Sam Pancake is close friends with Lauren Graham, referenced here so many times.

I believe you're confusing him with Steve Waffle.

R224, yes. In fact it’s a major reason why some do bg in the first place when they’d rather be doing a play somewhere.

There’s a second or third AD on The Blacklist who gets very aggressive with bg and the PA’s. Very nasty guy. Loves to bark orders when he’s actually full of misinformation. The third time I worked on the show he got in my face because he thought I was in the wrong place (I wasn’t). I’ll never work on that show again because of him.

i think the best jobs for BG are the commercials- should your face be ever seen inadvertently, you are owed residuals. I've seen some BG upgraded to principal, and you can make $3000-$10000 off of one commercial, which is better than what you would make for one line in tv/film.

R221, she could easily have claimed that she was forced to perform fellatio by a member of the crew. And it happened on Disney property. The point is Disney just wanted the threat to go away as fast as possible and so they came up with what turned out to be a “perfect proposal.”

R230, there’s no such thing as a third Ad on US crews, although they exist in the UK. They’re termed as either 2nd 2nd ADs or an additional 2nd.

[quote] "Another Hugh Jackman love ❤️ letter here.

Regardless of his closet status, the guy was a sweetheart to me, a mere chorus boy.

I saw him in The Boy from Oz on Broadway. I never do stage door adoration simply out of respect for a star’s recovery time. But since Jackman was known for coming out … to say hi to his fans … and I had previously worked with Peter Allen, I figured I would try to get him to sign my show jacket (I know, MARY! Fangurl).

Not only did he immediately approach me with a Sharpie marker, but he also intercepted his bodyguard who was ready to eject me head first, and told him “no, it’s OK.” He even chatted with me asking questions about Peter (which I meltingly answered). The guy is even more gorgeous in person. I remain a true fan (gurl)."

R14 = Taron Egerton

Jokes aside, this was a lovely story, and I was glad to hear it.

I was working one day on the set of Jason's Lyric, I got to the set and the shoot had to be canceled. The PA told us that it was because of a technical issue but I knew one of the AD's personally and he said it was because two of actresses (hint: they both have three names, one hypenated after her marriage to a big male star) that were involved in a sexual relationship had both overdosed. I landed another gig so I wasn't able to return for the re-shoots but it's weird having that kind of insider knowledge and seeing how their lives turned out.

Oh, that Jada. What a fuck up.

Don’t think it’s been brought up yet that union bg get paid $100 for getting a Covid test. Not if it’s on a workday, though. Those have really added up since August/September 2020. A Covid test day also equals a half day toward qualifying for medical insurance. And it isn’t claimed as a day of work when certifying for Unemployment. I know a few bg who can manage to fit in two Covid tests for two different projects on the same day.

If I’m not dreaming, I read R234’s exact same post on another thread somewhere on here - probably this week’s “Hugh Jackman is gay” thread.

I’m not sure why this post needs to be recycled on a background talent thread since waiting in line at a Broadway stage door has nothing to do with background talent.

so, Jada and Lisa Nicole were slamming clams while tripping, both OD'ed on pussy squirts. Nasty fish

So Jada and Will are in a sham marriage?

City on a Hill requires two Covid tests before fitting and two more tests before shoot day. That’s $400 just for the four tests. Strangely enough on shoot day they tested us after we were done filming. So much for safety.

I’m working next week on City on a Hill. Just one Covid test before my fitting and one before my shoot day. I guess they might have had problems getting bg to commit to those extra two Covid tests?

For a miniseries last fall we had to have a Covid test on a Monday, Covid test/fitting Tuesday, Covid test Wednesday and Covid test Thursday before the Friday shoot. And it was all the way out in Glendale so it took me an hour each way to go back and forth. Fucking pain in the ass but hey, it was an easy extra $300 (fitting is only around $45).

R241, productions are trying to reduce the number of tests now because it’s so expensive.

On one project last fall several union bg would go to a Covid test but cancel the day before the shoot day, most likely to work something else out of a different casting office. This seemed to be turning into something of a pattern which didn’t go unnoticed by the project’s UPM (unit production manager). She called up SAG to ask if it was OK to not send Covid test payments to the ones who had bailed. SAG responded that it was OK. Good. There are always some assholes who think they can beat the system.

When production on Billions (or Succession - I get them confused) resumed production once it was safe they reimbursed bg for Ubers to and from Covid testing and shoots. They posted that info in their casting notices.

That was Succession. It was literally the only production which would pay for Ubers, taxis, etc for every single crew member, stand-in and bg to and from set no matter where each person lived. Extraordinary.

[quote]So Jada and Will are in a sham marriage?

Are you new here?

I was in this group scene on The Bernie Mac Show. The way the director had it set up it all began with this one older woman walking a short distance and then walking back to her mark. I don't recall the specifics.

She did it in rehearsal and when she got back to her mark, there was complete silence for some reason. Bernie broke it by deadpanning to the woman in a complimentary tone, 'You walk well."

Funny.

David was likely talking to a male BG actor during this

I heard a horrible story. A young female extra said to a lead she was thrilled to be working on his show.

"Oh, thank you. What's your name?"

"Mary Smith."

"Thank you, Mary!"

A few minutes later, an a.d. asks for Mary Smith to come over and she's released for the day.

OUCH.

Who was the lead?

R249 pretty sure that happened with David Boreanaz because she told him that she was a fan of Angel.

^ Well, then, she deserved to be fired for reasons of bad taste. Angel is so terrible! David B was the only worthwhile thing about it that I can recall.

How bad is the stench from the Honey Wagons? Any good Honey Wagon stories?

[quote]A few minutes later, an a.d. asks for Mary Smith to come over and she's released for the day.

No real offense to bg people, but it seems like a common theme in this thread is that the bg wrangler tells the bg not to speak to talent and that they keep stressing it. It's a simple and very easy to follow direction. So why speak to the talent and then expect no consequences. It's different if the talent engages the bg, but even then I would be concerned.

R252 Angel was good, in some ways it was better than Buffy.

Agree with R254. It's a well-known rule to not approach the talent, so don't do it unless you want to be fired or blackballed. It may seem petty, but if that rule wasn't enforced no work would get done because bg would constantly be asking for autographs and selfies and voicemail recordings from the actors.

Very different from somebody like Lauren Grahams being an absolute shit to bg for no reason.

These "anecdotes" about BG being blackballed for talking to celebrities would only be inexperienced and non-union actors. mostly folklore happening to "Mary Smith", "a friend of a friend", or "I know someone who knew of someone..."

Inexperienced non-union actors are normally too timid and shy to even do anything on set. much less strike up a fawning inappropriate conversation with the lead actors

I was working featured bg with an actress and we were on set for several hours. We were never introduced which was fine. We stood next to eachother but never spoke. However, several times during the day she gave me a big, warm smile and I thought that was very sweet.

R216

I read that when it was first posted and I'm still left wondering...

WHAT DID LAUREN GRAHAM ACTUALLY DO???

Sorry to go all caps but seriously...what did she ever actually do or say that was mean? People keep saying vague shit. Are there no examples of her being mean? Then maybe she isn't. Maybe she's aloof.

...I just find it pointless to say "X was so mean...." and leave out details as to why.

R257 actually I saw it happen the other day. 18 year old BG kid was totally fine trying to chat with the 25 year old star of the project, who was game. But I had to tell the kid afterwards "um...don't do that you can get fired for that dude."

It was his first day on a set and he was taking it all very casually. He was lucky not to get into shit.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard about bg talking to principals thinking it would be OK because the principal was “nice” to them but the principal then goes to an AD to complain about being bothered on set by bg.

[quote] Seems Jeff Garlin is as disgusting as his 'character' on Curb Your Enthusiasm. His Curb character is always cheating on his wife Susie etc. Was he fucking someone on The Goldbergs set? He's so disgusting.

When the story broke, there were many MANY comments on the Deadline articles from crew who have worked on The Goldbergs, and basically there was unanimous agreement that Garlin was basically a giant prick to everyone he worked with, took every opportunity he could to make people feel uncomfortable and shitty at work, walked around in his underwear on set, etc etc etc. This was behavior that apparently had been going on for years, and the showrunners just ignored and tolerated it.

People who have worked with Garlin on Curb say he’s well-behaved, but there’s the feeling that Larry David wouldn’t put up with that shit from anyone, so it doesn’t happen there. I get the feeling from what I’ve read (and from Garlin’s stand-up) that he probably hates himself for whoring himself out for a paycheck on The Goldbergs, and just takes it out on everyone instead of pausing and thinking “Hey, I’m rich, and my life is awesome!” etc

Whoring himself out? It's not as if he's Andre Gregory.

R259 in those screenshots, there's mention of her yelling at an AD because the heat made her hair droop. And calling the BGs cockroaches at craft services.

Re Jeff Garlin:

[quote] walked around in his underwear on set, etc etc etc.

He HAD TO!! Many of his scenes in The Goldbergs involve him walking around the Goldberg home (I.e. the set) in his tighty whiteys - and no, it isn’t pretty but that’s where the humor comes from (and I’m saying this as someone who’s not particularly fond of the humor in that show),

It would be like asking the teenage son from The Middle to put his pants on! Bet you wouldn’t do that, though, because he’s young and cute (and still legal).

R259, Lauren Graham stories have been all over DL.

Even in this thread, the quote where she refered to bg as cockroaches got repeated for the upteenth time.

Yeah, I loved Lauren in GG. But there is ample anecdotal evidence that she’s a total cunt to everyone in her wake.

Nobody gives a fuck about Lauren Graham or even know who the fuck she is except morons who watched the frau fest show she was on long ago.

....wow....

How many more posts will involve saying she's awful rather than telling the actual stories???

...you DO know it's hard navigating this site, right? Finding the one post where someone tells an actual LG story is a needle in a haystack. Instead I'll just find these posts where I'm asking and y'all are being evasive.

If there are SO MANY stories then just SHARE SOME.

No....you'll keep telling me there are so many....and leave it at that.

Siiiiiiigh.

So R269 does not want to navigate the site to find the stories but expects other people to do it for him.

If you look at the original thread that this continues, it is right there in the first post.

Just search for "Lauren Graham" and check out the Background Talent thread. You can also do a search of a thread from your own computer.

Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Cindy Birdsong. Did they say "LITTLE"? ...PFfffffmmmph. LOL

Someone shit in R269's mouth while she watches GG on a loop.

R269, are you new to the internet? Use the DL search function, or use google or your favorite search engine. You can even do a search on the page on some platforms! It’s a miracle!

Her nasty behavior has been detailed in other forums as well, so don’t stop with Datalounge.

R269 is some simp who loved the Gilmore Girls who refuses to believe that his beloved Lorelai could be mean to anybody, and does not understand that Lauren Graham is not Lorelai Gilmore.

R269, HERE is a link.

Okay I'll give you a story about LG- she had a hard time keeping makeup artists (I wonder why). One of my friends who recently got into the union was contacted to do a trial for LG for the last season. She was told that she needed to buy very specific things for her- roughly $1000 dollars worth. After the lengthy application, LG told my friend that she didn't like it, but she's going to keep everything that my friend purchased. It took a long time for production to reimburse my friend.

The only thing I remember was from one of the Gilmore Girls threads about Graham making the set miserable for Scott Patterson. That she hate hate hated him with hate on top.

Lauren Graham is an angel compared to Shannen Doherty antics on the set of 90210 and how she treated background players

R251, Yes, that's who I heard it was.

What an ass.

There were other ways to handle that.

Now, he's just a story.

R254, well, that extra sure learned never to do that; maybe she wasn't instructed to do so; maybe she was young and stupid and made a mistake. But he didn't have to get her fired if that's what happened.

R276

Are you an angel? You must be :) Because you are the first person in this whole thread to just tell a story about LG instead of sass me.

*big hugs* THANK YOU! I mean that.

I mean, you ask a simple question and get dozens of "why are you asking?" replies instead of an answer. A simple answer. In a thread that's supposed to be about stories.

R275 yes, I saw that upthread already. And on another thread here. But its vague. Just someone saying she's mean to everyone which...isn't a story.

If I asked why people keep saying Whitney's gay, the helpful answer isn't "because she is!" ...the helpful answer is "Robyn Crawford".

Y'all must have failed the hell out of high school for being unable to answer a simple question. Dense. Just dense.

R276 wins the trophy :)

And yes, I can separate an actor from their character. I'm not 5 years old here.

But if you're saying they are awful, say WHY. Tell the story.

I'm really curious now about the dynamics of the GG set. Didn't Alexis date both Milo and Jared?

I had heard that LG disliked Scott P but never theories as to why.

And then there was the bizarre exclusion of Melissa from the revival, until Ellen intervened.

[Quote] Didn't Alexis date both Milo and Jared?

Such shitty taste.

Does anyone have a link to the first thread? This gossip is great! Tia

A few comments I found re: Garlin/the Goldbergs:

“ This is the tip of the iceberg. His acting process was to wander around doing some insult comic routine on set. I guess he thought it made him funnier when all he really had to do was say the line. Ironic because he never actually learned his lines. A lot of abuse for not a lot of payoff. You know things are bad when the entire cast and crew are celebrating that you’re gone.”

“ Adam (Goldberg) helped create the problem. He did zero to rein Jeff in, just hid in his office and ignored pleas from the stage for help with Jeff. We had some guest crew from Curb that were astonished at the difference between Jeff’s behavior on Goldbergs vs Curb. The difference is that Larry looks out for the crew and Adam doesn’t give a single sh*t about them. Jeff could do whatever he wanted as long as Adam was happy with his performance. So it just kept escalating. You’re only hearing about minor things on set. It was far far worse than it sounds from reading these articles.”

“ It’s been like this for YEARS – the entire cast/crew is a great team, except when he comes along. He’s so rude, & is such a negative force whenever he’s onset. Everyone steers clear of him. He’s notorious for blowing up over the tiniest thing and threatening to quit. I’m surprised this didn’t happen years ago — especially the day he called Lea Thompson the C word when she was directing an episode.

I see the comments of how could this happen when he’s with Larry David so often — Larry is the boss of that show, Jeff comes in under Larry’s rule and he does his job. The power trip is over at the goldbergs, it’s his show and it’s been on for years. He feels like they need to bow down at his feet, and that he is the boss. He really, truly needs some serious help. There’s nothing funny about it.”

R275- I appreciate that, thank you.

[Quote] especially the day he called Lea Thompson the C word when she was directing an episode.

Somehow i missed that part from the initial thread.

Is there any info about how George Segal handled Garlin or how Jeff acted with him?

Well, they’re both worlds better than the dork she ended up marrying.

I think she dated Milo for a longer period of time.

And obvs Jared had no real interest in her.

I heard graham didn’t like Scott but how the fuck do you end up working together for 7 freaking years? Yeah, yeah, money changes everything. I wonder what the problem was.

I did background on GG's once; but it was only with Scott and some supporting players. no LG in site.

Ironically, I ran into her not long after that at an industry event where she actually showed compassion to someone who had trouble talking to her.

But that wasn't an extra; Still, there's a little good in the worst of us and a little bad in the best of us; or however that saying goes.

A friend of mine did bg on 5 of the Marvel pictures.

According to him:

Chris Evans = quiet

Scarlett = professional, private

Renner = moody bitch, but much more attractive in person

RDJ = charismatic and positive-energy but could also be wary and not very approachable.

Paul Rudd = laid-back

Mackie = professional but not approachable.

Chris Hemsworth = friendly but Golden Retriever levels of stupid

Tom Holland = hyperactive and annoying

So....pretty much what they are on screen.

R239 just arrive from Uranus apparently

[Quote] Well, they’re both worlds better than the dork she ended up marrying.

No, they're not. Milo is a creep and possibly abusive. While Jared is an alcoholic with anger problems.

[Quote] Chris Hemsworth = friendly but Golden Retriever levels of stupid

So he wasn't acting in Ghostbusters 🤣

No, R292. He wasn't!

Mostly because he wasn't in Ghostbusters.

Chris Hemsworth was in Ghostbusters r293 🙄

I wonder if LG and Scott P dated. Maybe that's the reason for the chill between them. There was clear chemistry on camera.

R292 where did you hear Milo was a creep?

R293 Hemsworth was in the 2016 remake.

R288, Milo has been sexy at all ages. He was a luscious little twunk in GG and now he's a hot daddy. Thankfully he didn't allow himself to be tied down by that weedy little girl.

I liked Jared in the first season or two but it seemed to me that he came back after one of the breaks between seasons and looked like a MONKEY. And has looked that way ever since.

R295 rumours of him being abusive to Alexis. And he dated Hayden Panettiere when she was underage.

[quote]And he dated Hayden Panettiere when she was underage.

In all fairness who DIDN't date Hayden Panettiere when she was underage

Isn't there a rumor that Hayden likes it rough and that's why some relationships ended, because it was too much for the guys? I remember she was part of that whole "hmmmmmm" scandal where some anonymous poster supposedly shared some really sinister stuff about some middle aged socialite running an escort service pimping out semi famous girls like Hayden and Amanda Bynes.

Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's taken more loads than a washing machine.

R300 yes, i think it's called Room 23?? GC is in that book too.

[quote]GC is in that book too.

GC is in the book to perpetuate the straight guy narrative.

Everything he does publicly is to keep the hetero pretense alive.

R300

Geeez....never heard that. Awful.

Hayden is another former child actor--even before she was on Heroes she was doing soaps as a young girl. God knows what happened to her during that time.

I worked with Milo pre-Heroes, and he had that Tom Cruise mega watt smile. Then he had a stroke or something, and ended up smiling like Sylvester Stallone. He was a good kid, with tons of charisma.

Gilmore Girls' producers tried to do a Milo spinoff, but it went nowhere.

We're not here to call Hayden a slut of Gilmore Girls a mess.

Because that has been established, thank you.

R301:

[quote]Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's taken more loads than a laundromat.

Hayden has had more men in her than the U.S. Marine Corp.

Well, the fraus have shit all over this thread with their Gilmore Girls (what the hell was that show?) bullshit.

So much for stories of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron acting like a couple of cunts.

Hayden has had more men in her than the Statue of Liberty!

I was referring to looks, not personalities.

Jared was just starting out in the business and so was Milo, don’t think they had issues back then. Mostly just eager to please since they were newbies.

I don't who most of these people are but it's fun to read the stories. I understand why they don't want bg talking the actors but the actor asking for the young woman's name and then having her fired was was hateful. A mention to an AD who could have claimed he/she saw her and a word to her of on set etiquette should have been enough.

Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's taken more loads than a dump truck.

Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's taken more fists than Yogi Berra's catcher's mitt.

Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's taken more cock than all the hens in Borneo.

Certainly there has to be other challenging sets that didn't include megacunts Lauren Graham and Alexis Blowupdoll.

The most exciting thing about working in the office set of How to Get Away with Murder at Sunset Gower is that the inside of the Golden Girls house set used to be there

r 310 I don't know about that. I heard she was good to the Navy but rotten to the Corps.

R315-R317 - quit with the misogyny. If you were talking about a hot young guy you'd be slavering, not making jokes worthy of a 1960s pub comedian.

There have been previous threads on here that suggested HP was pimped out by her mother from a very early age and had a devastating early sexual history which has resulted in lasting severe damage. You can point the finger at Michael Jackson for molesting kids, you can sob over River Phoenix's treatment in that cult, but when it's a girl it's the victim's fault.

I'm all for the DL's famous dark humour, but this is just men bashing an already much-abused woman, using a standard they do not apply to men. So quit it.

r321 you're free to leave at any time. And Hayden P is a known whore.

This thread rapidly became boring.

A question for the background talent who have been in the business for so long... Have you tried out going for lead or supporting parts, or is that exclusively for certain actors (represented by certain management, for example)? Or are you just comfortable doing something non-committal?

[quote]you're free to leave at any time.

No, R321, please stay. Let that old queen telling misogynistic jokes that haven't been fresh since between the Great Wars go.

R321 Amen!

I've known many people who've been taken from the BG pool, and upgraded to day player. I don't know many who've gone on to illustrious careers, but that's part of the game. But they do work all the time.

I was hoping to hear of at least one Cinderella story where a bg got a role on something when the day player suddenly tested positive but I don’t think that’s happened.

I was in a big feature with Ben Affleck and a guy got bumped up to having a line and we all clapped for him.

I was glad that everyone else saw what that meant and how we were happy for him.

Has anyone ever heard of a bg or main star refusing to do something in a scene with the excuse "my cock is just too big"?

Listen, I'm not calling Hayden Panettiere a slut, but she's blown more men than the Joplin tornado.

[quote] i think the best jobs for BG are the commercials- should your face be ever seen inadvertently, you are owed residuals.

Yes, I think so. I knew a good-looking couple who both were trying to make it in the business. I saw the woman in a chewing gum ad (no speaking involved). I told the husband: Hey, I saw _____ on the _____ commercial." Husband said, oh good, she'll get money for that.

Imagine how much the people in the Progressive & Liberty Mutual (insurance) commercials make.

[quote]A few minutes later, an a.d. asks for Mary Smith to come over and she's released for the day.

She should've said her name was Helen Van Patterson Patton.

I spoke with a manager recently who was completely turned off when I told her I do bg work. MY CLIENTS ARE ON CAMERA AND NOT LURKING IN THE BACKGROUND. Needless to say she did not take me on as a client.

I was hired as featured bg on a tv show and the director ended up giving me a little business to do on camera but no lines. I ended up getting a close up. But I was still paid the $182 bg rate.

It used to be what was known as a “silent bit.” I think it ended back in the 90s when Dick Wolf would pitch his yearly hissy fit about moving Law & Order to Toronto so SAG gave up a ton of shit. A “silent bit” bump was, I think, an extra $100 on a daily voucher which was something like $89 back then.

Listen, I’m not saying Hayden Panettiere is a slut, but more men went down on her than the Titanic.

R240 and R241 Are you going to be interacting or in a background scene with chocolate drop Aldis Hodge? Please tell me EVERYTHING you can about him.

As a casual reader of this thread I am still getting used to the terms 'background' and 'talent'. I know talent is the latest HR-euphemism for employee or staff. I still cannot get used to it considering that so many employed individuals don't have talent and certainly are not talent. I guess I'm taking language too literal here. And 'background' is quite the opposite. It shows quite some disregard for people when you equate them to something like a set or backdrop. What happened to the term 'extra'? Did it make people feel too special?

One topic not cited here, understandably, is the on-location cattle calls for local color and the exuberance of the local extras, even as the long days and heat exhaust and wilt them.

I've ever done it, but I collect stories about people who've lived near a shoot and caught the fever. I know a woman who was in "Face in the Crowd" when she was in high school, as a baton thrower. The schools bused anyone involved up to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and the rice-and-cotton upper-Mississippi-delta summer was searing.

She said Lee Remick was wonderful with the girls. Andy Griffith didn't have anything to do with anyone, but they all said he was the star and had to keep focused.

Acquaintances were in "Escape from New York" and were thrilled that anyone who looked or acted crazy got multiple appearances in the background. One got to share a closeup and yell crazily and was ready to move to "Hollywood" because he was convinced that they saw potential in him.

The professional (or repeating) background talent in major production centers are part of the industry. But the impact on one-shot remote-location extras, always a stereotypical bunch a la "Bye Bye, Birdie," is still the same. A cousin was BG on a location shoot two years ago and she still has stars in her eyes. It's like being touched by something important.

“Talent” has been used to describe actors on commercial sets for decades. “Talent” is never used on sets of film/TV shows, it’s either “the actors” or “first team.”

I don't blame any of the talent for not engaging with the background. Too many people can't just appreciate having a brief interaction with the celeb; they'll become pests.

I have done several things with Kim, Khloe, and Kris either separately or together. Kim met me once the first time and remembered my name, who I was, and what I did. She chased me down on one project asking if I was the PR person I said no I was there with some clients and she told me she was hoping she could get something, I forget if it was a diet coke or something but I went and got her one while I was taking care of my people. She was so grateful, she invited me to a party she was having. Told me to bring as many as I wanted. Kris was nice but she seemed preoccupied. Khloe is an absolute sweetheart. I know people want to trash them but they seem super appreciative of everything they have.

R343 and that’s why they ended up so ahead of the Hiltons.

[quote] She said Lee Remick was wonderful with the girls. Andy Griffith didn't have anything to do with anyone, but they all said he was the star and had to keep focused

R340 I believe there’s a supplement on the Criterion disc featuring an interview with a later-in-life Andy Griffith discussing the making of that movie. He recalled that for the scene where he first notices Remick as a baton-twirler, Elia Kazan specifically directed him to focus on how much he wanted to fuck her, which was a hilarious and unexpected thing to hear coming out of Matlock’s mouth, lol

R343 I mean...when you think about, you never hear or read about them treating people like shit.

No, although a lot of people immediately adjacent to them seem to. It's probably just that once they became famous, the famewhores came out of the woodwork and latched on to them.

I will say I know Kim changed after the Paris incident. She is far less trusting, but I got to know her before it so I am in good graces - but she is far more careful now about who is around her.

So was it really a set up in Paris?

Never believed the “Paris incident” was real. It’s such a storyline created to humanize Kim. Pimp Mama Kris definitely hired them to “rob” her while the bodyguard was conveniently not watching her? That’s his only job not to be clubbing with the other kartrash sisters. They live on camera 24/7 how come the reality show cameramen weren’t there ? It’s way too neatly tied up and packaged as a “crime”. The cameras happened to be at Kanye’s shitty concert when he’s told his (contracted) wife was “robbed”? So these cartoonish , non professional robbers were able to get to one of the worlds most recognizable women that easily? Not one of them attempted to rape her? She was barely tied up, no permanent scars from being tied up? It’s sickening how they weren’t charged with creating a fake crime and taking the insurance money for jewels she claimed were stolen. Fuck them.

I believe it was staged to make Kim more relatable to the general public. They always have "CAMERAS" FOLLOWING THEM, 24/7/365!! Pimp mom wanted Kim& the family to be "just like regular folks". To R350, I believe you, it was a fake robbery.

[quote]I will say I know Kim changed after the Paris incident. She is far less trusting, but I got to know her before it so I am in good graces - but she is far more careful now about who is around her.

Bitch, please. That tacky hooker married Kayne West. She isn't careful about who is around her.

If you saw her on Letterman on Netflix tell the story you would believe her. She is not that good of an actress.

It would be nice if we steer this discussion away from the frigging Kardasshians to the actual topic.

I know bg who cheerfully calls themselves “Covid test whores.” They can get paid for two or even three PCR Covid tests in the same day for different projects. I’m waiting for a day when one of them get one positive result and one negative result on the same day and what do they do about it.

I know Covid testing is necessary and the extra money is nice but they can also be an inconvenience. I’ve had to turn work down because I had a Covid test for another project scheduled on the same day (the multiple tests, fitting and shoot can sometimes spread out over a 2 week period).

Yeah, R356, juggling Covid tests and fittings with actual shoot days can be tricky. Still worth it, though.

Here’s a funny one: when I was in college I had a fun encounter with Mr T!

I was going to school early one morning and there were a bunch of trailers outside our stadium. One of them was a food truck so I stopped and got a cup of coffee. I tried to pay and the guy told me there was no charge, which was weird

I walked past the line of trailers until I got to one that had the door open. There, staring at me through a mirror was Mr T!

I was so stunned, I said “Mr T! What are you doing here?”

“Making a movie,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“Going to school,” I said.

“Good!” He said. “You stay in school.”

“I will, Mr T!”

I once hooked up with very hot guy for three days (he was visiting from out of state) and he mentioned he had been an extra in a Drew Barrymore film. He had no experience, but responded to an ad for local extras. It had been shot 8 months prior and was about to be released in a few weeks. He had no idea if he would actually appear onscreen, as he was part of the crowd scenes. It took place in a "small town" so they used mostly the same extras for several days as the townsfolk. He said Drew was "a doll" and was very professional, super friendly with everyone, and even spoke to him (briefly) a few times. I went to see the film and sure enough, not only was he in it, he was in multiple scenes in multiple shots. Sometimes he was a little out of focus (the camera was in tight close up on Drew during monologues) but he improbably ended up getting a lot of screen time. We emailed each other over it and had some laughs. He was shocked he made it in so much of the film.

The mood on the set of The Blacklist changes drastically when James Spader shows up.

I’ll never forget how the mood changed when Debra Messing would show up on set of that awful NY series she starred in about 6 or 7 years ago. No, not Smash, the one after that. Tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

r358 did you go into his trailer and suck his BBC?

That would have made it a "fun encounter"!

R360 Spader doesn't look like someone you'd want to piss off.

Spader doesn't even look like someone I'd want to piss on.

I hated Spader since "Baby Boom."

Spader doesn't look like he passed up craft services in decades.

I certainly don’t think he takes a pass on Tuna O’Clock, known in the biz when crafty starts serving sandwiches/hot food around 11 am.

R361, you mean The Mysteries of Laura? God, that show sucked.

Yes, R368. It was a toxic set and all because of Messing. Well, also because the show itself genuinely sucked.

Messing was a cunt on the set?

Yes, indeedy, R370.

r367, I've been in the business since 1999, and have never heard of that phrase- is that an East Coast thing? Although for lunch, there is that old saw, "What's for chicken today?"

R371, details, ple,aee

[quote]Hayden is another former child actor--even before she was on Heroes she was doing soaps as a young girl. God knows what happened to her during that time.

Just because she's an ill-adjusted adult doesn't mean she had the living daylights molested out of her when she was younger.

r374, it's the most common assumption when it comes to child stars.

It's also fucking stupid

R371, I used to refer to them as the COTR girls - Cunts On The Rag, at a former job.

R377 that must have made you very popular.

Anyone here fluff on a porn set?

[quote] Just because she's an ill-adjusted adult doesn't mean she had the living daylights molested out of her when she was younger.

[quote] [R374], it's the most common assumption when it comes to child stars.

[quote] It's also fucking stupid.

Sure. Girls like Britney Spears wake up one day and decide to go a little bit crazy just to have a little bit of fun. Nothing to see here, folks. No need to figure out what caused it. Move on.

Hayden Panettiere went off the rails after she had a baby. Occam's Razor, severe post-partum. And nothing she did was as messy as BritBrit.

But no, she HAD to be gangbanged at 9.

r372 I've worked off and on since 1989 and have never heard it called that.

r379 No, but I do know when there are strikes or some crew people can't find work for whatever reason they will work on such sets.

Someone who did make up on The Mysteries of Laura (I’d blocked out that title) told me Messing was fine on Smash when she was getting banged by Will Chase. After they broke up she went back to being a miserable cunt.

Lemme tell you about Deb Messing

I remember watching the first few episodes of The Mysteries of Laura. In every episode, Messing's character had to be referred to as skinny. It was the "Gee Blossom, you're beautiful" routine. It was laughable both how many times it came up and the ridiculous, non-sequitir ways in which the other characters said it.

I just remember Messing on Smash always wearing a long scarf to hide her post-abortion weight due to her affair with her costar.

I remember a day on Smash when they let us SAG have a catered lunch but the non-union were told they were having a walk away lunch. At least we were in an area in Brooklyn where they could still find places to eat. I still felt bad for them as they slowly moved toward the exit. I think that’s the only time I’d ever seen that happen.

R385 sounds like Deb would get along great with SJP. Maybe she should join And Just Like That...

At least SJP is sweet on set. Some of it might be phony but who cares? I’ve worked a lot on her sets and she’s always outwardly pleasant to everybody. Unlike Messing who finds it impossible to hide her cuntiness.

I worked on Gossip Girl on a hot summer day. We were shooting in a restaurant and bg was asked to wait outside on the sidewalk between shots. Needless to say it was hours of standing around. A bg player who looked like he was in his early 70s was leaning against a wall next to three of the young regular cast members who were sitting on the ground chatting. I saw a PA approaching with folding chairs for the 3 actors while the old man was just withering away standing in the heat. They just don’t care.

Apparently, Jeff Garlin isn't such a prince on the set of CURB either. Very out and butch lesbian, Julie Goldman, has said many times that he was a total pig to her and every other woman on set which she experienced when she filmed her episode of CURB. She talked about this years before the GOLDBERGS story came out.

I did it on and off for a decade; I've also worked various crew jobs. If a movie is filming in your area it's not as difficult as you might think to get a job as an extra or even a production assistant. Extras don't get vetted beyond their looks, so it can attract a LOT of weirdos, but it's kind of magical because you can bond with some really great people for only a few days only to never see them again. If you want a list of celebrities and their temperaments, let me know, but as far as set drama goes I haven't seen a lot of it (it's probably more likely in trailers or isolated corners of the set). The standout set for me was Public Enemies: Johnny Depp acted like a teenager on set because he clearly wasn't a fan of Michael Mann's directing style (long hours, an insane amount of takes), he was deliberately irreverent to Mann in front of the extras so it kind of felt like Depp and the extras vs Mann and the crew. At the time I thought Depp was really cool, but in retrospect, this behavior was right before his divorce and was likely indicative of his substance abuse problems. On another day I saw John Michael Bolger have a meltdown between takes demanding "MAKEUP! MAKEUP! WHERE'S MAKEUP?!", Christian Bale was the only one to step up and put a stop to that (very professional, stayed in character a lot).

^Correction, not divorce but separation. He was never married to Vanessa.

R392 SPILL

Johnny Depp sounds like such an immature pain in the ass. It's amazing his career thrived as long as it did.

R395 that's been obvious for some time

R378, I never verbally expressed it. It was handy to deal with the toxic atmoss they created.

One great bg experience I had was the two seasons of SNL I was extremely lucky to get on. Working the cold open was a unique pleasure. We’d go and sit in our spots and the audience would stare and point at us and I could hear a few of them say “Who are they playing?” And the band is playing, the stage manager does the countdown and it’s just really exciting. I worked the one where Matt Damon played Kavanaugh and will never forget the roar of the audience when he was very cleverly revealed.

"If you want a list of celebrities and their temperaments, let me know,"

Spill!

I'll even say please!

[quote]If you want a list of celebrities and their temperaments, let me know

Yeah, that's kind of the idea, R392.

[quote] I worked the one where Matt Damon played Kavanaugh and will never forget the roar of the audience when he was very cleverly revealed.

What does Damon look like in person?

I worked with him on, "House of Lies". He pretty much looks like himself, no more or less. Same with Clooney.

Clooney is shorter and more slightly built than you would think. But that's the case with so many actors.

R390 I worked on Gossip Girl when it briefly shot in LA; we were at Warner Bros. stages & I remember David O. Russell was on that episode. Unlike when he directs, he was well-behaved, courteous and knew his lines for this shoot day (I guess since he was an actor that day, he took on a much more pleasant persona even though he was playing himself).

Blake Lively however was awful; didn't know her lines majority of the time which made the day longer (which I personally didn't mind with the OT) but it was depressing seeing someone who is #1 on the callsheet have to get every other line fed to them. Everyone else came prepared.

When Law & Order: LA was (barely) on, worked with Terrence Howard and that man couldn't remember his lines for his life. Blake was worse, but this guy was pretty bad as well. That was the only thing I ever worked with him on; perhaps he was more prepared on other productions?

NCIS:LA (and NCIS), they work like a well-oiled machine. They pretty much do a few takes then it's moving on...

I remember Blake Lively being a total bitch on set of Gossip Girl-I was there the day she got an old timer AD named Bobby fired for “inviting” her too early to set. I guess the camera/lighting dept wasn’t quite ready yet when she showed up.

r404 and r405 now THIS is the kind of thing we need to hear!

R402, who did you work with?

^ think he's referring to Matt Damon from a post above.

r404 sweet! Were you crew or a background "agent" on NCIS? Mark Harmon and other cast have said that the NCIS set is like jumping on a moving train (lots of stuff going on, you just have to hang on and do your part)

[Quote] Blake Lively however was awful; didn't know her lines majority of the time which made the day longer (which I personally didn't mind with the OT) but it was depressing seeing someone who is #1 on the callsheet have to get every other line fed to them. Everyone else came prepared.

That's fucking embarrassing. I hope sucking Ben's dick was worth it. She was so bland in the Rhythm Section.

R406, thanks, I'll try to dig into the memory bank to see what else is worth posting on here. Listening to other stories on here usually brings back 'flashbacks' of times on set...

R409, when I worked on NCIS/NCIS:LA, it was actually kind of a crossover episode where NCIS:LA characters were being established for their new show. We were on Venice Beach, and it was Chris O'Donnell and Mark Harmon in the scene. I was doing BG during this time (a jogger on the beach trail) but would continue doing crew later on for NCIS:LA down the years. I think I had mentioned on a previous thread Mark Harmon told me that BG eats with crew, that 'we don't do that BG goes last in the lunch line on this set.' This was the day he said it. I wonder if it is still run like this? Regardless, he was very professional and a complete gentleman.

Not juicy at all, but Jon Bernthal was originally supposed to be on NCIS:LA then a script for a new show called 'The Walking Dead' crossed the desk of his agent, and he really had to decide if he wanted to stay on what could become a very long drama series, or take a risk by starting on this new AMC show. If you know of him, you obviously know what role he took. Although TWD has become a 'very long series' in its own right, he was there for the absolute best of it, and has gone on to do more film work, with a couple of series in progress.

R410, I believe she only gets by on her looks; she isn't a great actress by any means (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants I'm embarrassed to say I've seen seemed fitting for her, but that is about it).

[Quote] I believe she only gets by on her looks; she isn't a great actress by any means (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants I'm embarrassed to say I've seen seemed fitting for her, but that is about it).

She certainly did after the nose job. Her family being in the industry helped. But i also remember all the blind items about Harvey and how she resisted him.

[quote]Bette Davis named Dunaway as the worst person she ever worked with when asked by Johnny Carson. For her to pick Dunaway instead of Joan Crawford there must have been enough bad blood to drench the whole set of The Disappearance of Aimee!

Dunaway kept her Bette and a couple hundred extras waiting two hours. And I guess didn't apologize. Crawford was a pro whom Davis didn't like, personally - but a pro.

I think it was in an interview with Dick Cavett that Davis admitted she respected Crawford's professionalism, despite her other problems with her.

[quote]always wearing a long scarf to hide her post-abortion weight

Do you even know what you're talking about?

Exactly. Messing was well past menopause on that show.

It was nice to see Debra play a shady character for a change in Searching. John Cho is lucky most of the movie takes place on a laptop.

Bette also treated former stars that she worked with with respect - like Gladys Cooper, or Laura Hope Crews, who was the star of the stock company (George Cukor's) where Bette was the ingenue, at one point, before she was famous. Davis was pissed at Dunaway's rudeness and unprofessionalism but she probably also expected to still be treated with respect as a big name, and a star - which Faye didn't do, judging from her reported behavior.

R392 here. Not much to "spill" but these are the only actors I've been around long enough to have an opinion on (I've mentioned these in previous threads). JOSHUA JACKSON: fun, sociable, friendly, open, clearly happy to be there. JAMES VAN DER BEEK: full of himself, the total opposite of Joshua J. KATIE HOLMES: tall, standoffish/not sociable, overheard her saying she had to give her boyfriend at the time (Chris Klein) an ice bath b/c he had a fever. MICHELLE WILLIAMS: kept to herself, incredibly small/thin (bc of her round face she doesn't come across this thin on film, but she is/was). SIENNA MILLER: amazing thick hair, party girl vibes, outgoing, introduced herself to entire crew on day one, ate lunch with crew members, her boyfriend at the time (Tom Sturridge) visited her on set, she invited a fan who was just passing by the set into the makeup trailer just to chat! At one point her cell phone went MIA and everyone on set had to freak out for 5 minutes to find it (I now realize this was right before her phone hacking court trial, which makes her openness/sociability all the more impressive). JOHNNY DEPP: short, looks exactly like he does on screen, didn't linger on set between scenes, however, once he was on set he ingratiated himself with extras; he talked to and shook hands with extras, made lots of jokes, he was very aware people were in awe of him and wanted to come across as a "man of the people" (makes it all the more shocking to me that he's an isolated out-of-touch nutter now). CHRISTIAN BALE: Only showed-up when he was needed and he was extremely quiet, professional. At one point on a night shoot people were throwing things out their window on the street set, he very quietly walked over and stared down that window menacingly. This could have been him in character though. MILEY CYRUS: had the most extravagant trailer I'd ever seen; took photos with fans/passerbys. DEMI MOORE: Not notably bitchy, energetic, acted like she was in her 20s (cringe) demanded hot lemon water (someone had to leave the set to procure a lemon b/c craft services hadn't been setup yet), not sure if she was on 'something' or not. GWYNETH PALTROW: was in and out of set pretty quick, ice queen, didn't smile or make eye contact with anyone. SHIA LEBEOUF: Only saw him briefly, but ate lunch with crew and signed autographs for kids (this was around the time he was arrested in a Walgreens though). MICHAEL BAY: total dick, cokehead (coke remnants were later found on one of his smaller set locations by the location owner), I saw incredible action stunts on that set though that made it all worthwhile.

Very cool, R419! Love the insights.

Ah SW r419 lives in the Chicagoland area.

As a crew member, I will say the story about CB's rant of the cinematographer is unfairly reported- I have had several camera guys from different productions tell me that that cinematographer was a complete asshole to his crew. He was adjusting some lights right in front of CB during a take, and CB told him off not only for himself, but for the camera crew as well. The camera guys loved CB after that.

I worked bg on an NBC miniseries in the 1980s called Family Reunion and got to sit thirty feet away from Bette Davis. Her young grandson Ashley was also in it and all I remember was Davis smoking like a chimney and constantly futzing with Ashley, giving him direction. He seemed fine with it all, never embarrassed by her overwrought attention.

I see the "simp troll" has made it into this thread too.

They're definitely a fucking troll, this creep uses the word "simp" in every damn DL thread he goes into.

I posted here before that I was background in six episodes of the first season of Star Trek TNG. Some casting person saw me at The Athletic Club in WeHo. I played a science officer, a parent whose kid gets kidnapped, and one of Q's wolf soldiers. The wolf soldier required three hours in makeup, applying of facial prostethics, and having to wear a thick, woolen Napoleonic army uniform in a hot soundstage during a heatwave. I have a Star Trek Wiki page.

The costume designer, Bill Theis (may he RIP), was a lovable lech and delighted in personally measuring inseams of male extras. So glad he didn't put me in one of those ill-conceived "skants" like he did a friend of mine.

Jonathan Frakes wore a girdle under his uniform, nice guy though. Gates McFadden was a bitch. Denise Crosby was clueless and didn't seem like she wanted to be there. Patrick Stewart was charming, even to us lowly background players. I got to meet Gene Roddenberry and Walter Koenig (Chekov in the original) when they visited the set one day.

Most memorable moment was sneaking off to the deserted shuttlecraft set and having sex with one of the other extras who was also a Colt model, and one who was forced to wear a skant.

Fun experience.

R424 was a vicious animal thing.

R419 here, sorry, I forgot MICHAEL PITT: I didn’t know who he was at the time; he was still a teen, very green, kept pacing and practicing his lines frantically. MICHAEL SHANNON: I spoke of this before, but I met him at an industry party (the same one that Henry Cavill showed up at dancing with his beard girlfriend), he was kind of quiet but polite and gracious if you approached him, has a sardonic sense of humor. Didn’t talk to Henry, but he came to support Michael Shannon which was nice; he seemed happy, though I definitely got a fake vibe from him.

R426, what does Cavill look like in person? How do you know his girlfriend was a beard?

R427, she was an unglamorous 2 and he was a 10. He is cookie cutter handsome (was filming Superman at the time). I would have assumed they were friends, but he made sure to kiss her in front of everyone. Someone argued with me in a previous thread about this insisting he was straight; I strongly disagree. Again, it doesn’t matter anyway - he seemed like a nice enough guy.

More on Gates McFadden, please. And who was the colt model, R 424?

R426, that must have been in Season 1 of Boardwalk. Because in Season 2 Pitt was an absolute wreck, probably because he was in the throes of addiction to something. In one pivotal scene he couldn’t get one line out. They tried cue cards but that fucked up his eyeline. It was no surprise when they killed his character off at the end of the season. And not long after that his agents fired him, too.

I never understood the difference between a skant and a minidress other than the pretension.

It sounds like Michael Pitt suffered from anxiety or some other mental illness and was self medicating. He seems to have worked some after Boardwalk Empire so maybe he got his act together.

R419 /R426 sounds like Dawsons Creek. One of Pitts first jobs. Please tell us more about THAT set

433 is correct, it was Dawsons’s Creek. All the actors were fairly new at the time. It was in Wilmington NC. It was exciting at the time for me, but looking back it was a pretty boring set comparatively. I know at one point Katie Holmes had a stalker in NC she was freaked out by. Again, Joshua Jackson stood out as above and beyond nice on that set.

R434 any fun details? I loved that show

I've told this story on a few times on several of the million Golden Girls threads, so sorry if you've already read this. From 1998 to 2006 I work as a production assistant on several TV and film sets in Vancouver and Toronto. I don't have a ton of interesting stories, but I do have a fun one about Bea Arthur. She appeared in a few episodes of a show I worked on a show called Beggars and Choosers. Bea was hired to play herself, albeit an exaggerated version of herself although she made the writers tone it down because she didn't want to look "crazy." Anyways, in one episode she had to do an Ethel Merman impersonation and she did not want to do it. She hated the outfit they gave her, she didn't like the song etc. The director was frustrated so he called an early lunch and she came back from lunch absolutely smashed, like slurring her words drunk. So she did the scene and actually managed to seem sober doing it, then as soon as the direct yelled cut she turned to him and said "You should've hired Betty White because I don't do bullshit." I don't think she appeared on the show after that.

r436 that is a GREAT story! Thank you for posting that.

Everyone says Bea Arthur was a mean drunk. But how can you be a drunk and work on a TV series for years?

R432, Pitt was a heroin addict, not self-medicating because of “anxiety.” He fell into the East Village drug scene. As a result he was fired from Boardwalk. Pissing off Martin Scorsese (executive producer of the show and the one who cast him as Jimmy) wasn’t very smart. One of the stand-ins told me that on his final night of shooting Pitt had to get dragged by a car in the mud after they lied to him and said his stunt double had food poisoning. TPTB hated him for his drug related shit fucking up production and that was his unofficial “punishment.” Yeah, he’s working a bit now but it took several years to start over and it’s unlikely he’ll be in anything high profile because of how badly he fucked up.

R438 Um Hollywood is filled with drunks and addicts who continue to work for years.

They find a way to function, R440. Pitt caused production to fall behind by several days because he was too strung out to work. There’s a difference.

r439 Funny they cast Pitt and Paz de la Huerta, 2 junkies are kind of a handful.

Ha, a friend of mine did a photo shoot with Paz, she and the crew started doing drugs - she offered him some, and he told her that he was sober (he claims to have started the LA chapter of Meth Anonymous). She then made an announcement to the whole crew that he was sober, and not to tempt him with anything.

r424 would you be Steve Reed?

r439, there was a scene in Boardwalk where Jimmy Darmody was dragged through mud by a car? I don't remember this. Oddly enough, I think that role was Pitt's best work, but I'm sure the writing had a lot to do with it.

[quote] But how can you be a drunk and work on a TV series for years?

Drunks can be very functional.

R445, hahaha, well, it was SHOT but they never intended to keep it in the final cut. It was what apparently happened to Jimmy after Nucky shot him in the head. That’s how pissed everybody was at Pitt.

Pitt was great in Boardwalk Empire.

The show was never as interesting without him.

And I think the producers knew that and that was why they were so pissed off with his unprofessionalism.

I agree to an extent, R448. But because of Pitt no longer there they did feature Jack Huston’s fascinating character more.

R424 - Hi Copyguy

[quote] Everyone says Bea Arthur was a mean drunk. But how can you be a drunk and work on a TV series for years?

I don’t think she was so much a drunk per se, as much as someone who is mean when she is drunk (which is not all the time). I may be wrong.

[quote] Ha, a friend of mine did a photo shoot with Paz, she and the crew started doing drugs

Do you know what kind of drugs?

R452- I think he mentioned X and Cocaine.

r350 Who said it was staged? It had the hallmark of the Pink Panther Gang, & there was a press report at one time that they arrested them for her case and others. Was that false?

r421 that was actually his second meltdown on that set. That's why it was pulled off the LAV and kept for safekeeping in case he bailed or they needed it for insurance. Allegedly, he was going on meth(!) benders during filming, and was stressed the fuck out because his wife Sibi wasn't with him (she usually calmed him down).

McGinty Nichol, the director had completely lost the set and was in way over his head. IIRC, James Cameron was exec producer & I always wondered if he hired someone like that so they wouldn't compete with him.

[quote]Funny they cast Pitt and Paz de la Huerta, 2 junkies are kind of a handful.

Paz de la Huerta doesn't hide her alcoholism and drug use. There are paparazzi photos of her half- naked on the street. She was photographed changing her clothes on a NYC street.

Ironically, her mother works with 'at risk' teens but somehow couldn't help her own drug addled alcoholic daughter.

In every film and TV series she's ever been in, Paz always sounded stoned or drunk or both. The only time she seemed normal was in an episode of Law & Order. Then again, she was a young teen, perhaps she wasn't an alcoholic at the time.

What an interesting thread! Thank you Straight Woman! I wonder if anyone has worked around, say Julia Robert's, Richard Gere, or Sam Elliot? TiA

I worked as bg on a Julia Roberts film a few years ago. She was…uhhh…high maintenance. One day I was sitting in my spot for a scene and between takes a PA said that there was some sort of explosion in the East Village. Roberts cried out “Oh my god, I live in the East Village! Where exactly was the explosion?” The PA replied “First Avenue between 6th and 7th” and Roberts said “Oh,OK, that’s not my block, that’s OK, then!” Uh huh. We all looked at her and at each other as if to say “Self-centered cunt much?”

Sandra "Sibi" Blažić must be some kind of weirdo-whisperer: She was Winona Ryder's personal assistant before meeting Bale on the set of Little Women.

I was BG for an Eddie Murphy bomb shooting on Elizabeth Street back in 2007. He was fucking around with A Spice Girl at the time. The scene took all day because the entitled motherfucker refused to rehearse, so his stunt double did all the work. When the scene was finally shot late in the afternoon, one of the tenants in a nearby building would play a Spice Girls song full blast from his window. Murphy went ballistic, threatening to beat his ass into the ground, challenging him to a one on one fistfight, screaming, "Motherfucker!" up at the window. Director Brian Robbins (now CEO of Paramount) had no idea how to control Murphy and it went on for a good 30 minutes until a PA somehow got to the angry tenant. The extras and crew were laughing hysterically and Eddie got into his SUV and disappeared.

Correction, R460-he was “fucking around”’with trannie hookers and “dating” Mel B, one of the Spice Girls.

The guy from Head of the Class runs a major studio?

Yeah R462 same one who was the mulletted “bad boy” in the leather jacket. He’s risen through the ranks at Nickelodeon then jumped to major studio positions. His former co worker is the obese dude Dan Schneider who allegedly fucked the underage girls like Amanda Bynes making her go mentally off the rails. He supposedly fucked Jamie Lynn Spears and it was ok with her money/fame hungry parents but it made her resent the whole situation hence getting knocked up by a local kid age 16.

I thought Dan was the father of Jamie Lynn's kid.

Matt Damon looks good. He owned an apt a couple of blocks away from me (when I lived downtown), I saw him a few times.

[quote] Matt Damon looks good. He owned an apt a couple of blocks away from me (when I lived downtown), I saw him a few times.

What do Matt and his ass look like in person?

r466, Like two gigantic Easter hams.

[quote] Like two gigantic Easter hams.

Thanks, R467.

[quote] Like two gigantic Easter hams.

R465/R467, please tell us more.

[Quote] His former co worker is the obese dude Dan Schneider who allegedly fucked the underage girls like Amanda Bynes making her go mentally off the rails. He supposedly fucked Jamie Lynn Spears and it was ok with her money/fame hungry parents but it made her resent the whole situation hence getting knocked up by a local kid age 16.

I would also add Victoria and Ariana to that list. They're both fucked up.

Watch out for food poisoning from craft services! And on a stalwart set like NCIS too!

What kind of food can you get at Craft Services? Does it vary by set or by day? Is it made to order? Is it good? How many options?

Every craft services table only serves creamed corn and mayonnaise.

I my friend works Craft Services for a few shows. She is often requested because she makes really really good food. Typically that is lunch/dinner breaks the craft services table is usually stocked with snacks, sodas, coffee etc.

Craft services is generally bagels and doughnuts in the morning and snacks like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Skinny Pop Popcorn in the afternoon. A few hours before the lunch break they wheel out stuff like soup or empanadas or sandwiches (usually tuna and/or chicken salad). It’s the catering department which provides the breakfast and lunch. Breakfasts are fine but for me catering has gotten worse and worse. They toss salt on everything. I’d rather spend $10-$20 at a local deli or Shake Shack than eat from catering but that often isn’t possible, especially since most lunch breaks are no more than 45 minutes.

Most of the craft services on sets I’ve worked don’t have sodas, those are in a cooler on set. They have tea, coffee, juices, etc.

Does craft services have pasta like pasta salad? And does it serve wine and fried chicken and mac and cheese or pizza?

R472, it’s all for you:

Mrs Maisel and The Good Fight were my best catering experiences. The variety and quality of food was pretty impressive. Gossip Girl reboot was the worst. Inedible.

[quote]Gossip Girl reboot was the worst. Inedible.

Much like the show.

The original GG wasn't great either.

[quote]The original GG wasn't great either.

The original GG was very watchable for a couple of seasons. Then it turned to shit.

The reboot started that way.

Every one was an asshole by season 2. I mostly watched for the fashion. I haven't bothered with the reboot.

R477 What is “like pasta salad”? Is it like pasta salad, but, like, different?

r477 Most of the shows I've worked on served sort of healthy food. I don't think I've ever seen them serve pizza or fried chicken. Mostly they will have a chicken, fish and vegetarian option plus vegetables, salads and deserts. The snack table with have the most junk food. If it's an early call they might have a hot breakfast too. They do not serve alcohol.

The reason they do this is because itcosts less to do that then to have to track down everyone who leaves the area to find lunch and snacks.

[quote] Most of the shows I've worked on served sort of healthy food. I don't think I've ever seen them serve pizza or fried chicken.

Ugh, don't remind me of 1985.

I didn't realize craft services was only for snacks. I thought they served the actual meals (plus the snacks).

9-1-1 had pretty awful crafty; mostly organic/healthy snacks (yes, I think and type fat) but sometimes you just want a pack of Oreos.

NCIS shows had really good food most of the time (not to be confused with the current illness going on their set, although maybe that was due to something in the early or late 'snack' or possibly their catered meals).

Years ago on a show called 'Super Fun Night', Rebel Wilson, a few crew members, and myself got sick from the late snack (we all had the chicken soup while everyone else ate chili).

Pizza was often brought in for those late Friday nights going into Saturday, often times they would buy so much that we were taking boxes home.

Crafty (the genZ way of saying CRAFT SERVICES as I’ve worked them since the 70s) has various levels of items based on the set being a small production or continued long term show. Movies have catering trucks (albeit indies which are usually pre boxed orders from places like Panera) The best place to eat is when you shoot in the lot of a motion picture studio. They have on site craft services and it’s always a variety of better options. The actual craft services canteen is lovely and loads of actors do a sit down meal there with cast and crew from all the shows on lot that day. NYC varies in how craft services is presented, it’s harder since they have PAs doing the ordering and it’s always local shit prepackaged crap unless it’s a long standing show (SVU) A lot of the CW shows were crap. The show and the food.

The best crafty is on commercials, as they have to serve the client, agency, as well as the crew. I've had pesto paninis, home made brownies, the du jour yogurt/fruit parfaits, charcuterie boards, vitamin shooters (B and ginseng), fruit smoothies, quesadillas, etc.m usually peddled out amongst the crew by crafty. With covid, mostly everything needs to be pre-packaged now. BG are welcome to partake. I have always seen soda avail on commercials, tv, and film shoots.

In some films with a large crowd BG, they'll give them their own reduced version of crafty and their own catering (sometimes reduced or the same), but not all. Most crafty people can't abide large crowds of BG, as they are like locusts -descend and horde everything. I've also noticed on smaller budget things it's either a great crafty/bad catering or vice versa. The rule of thumb is feed your crew well to keep them happy. A lot of times I've just eaten from crafty the whole day because the catering was so dire.

Period films are tough, as everyone has to wear some sort of bib, apron, large covering or shirt to cover their costumes when they eat the proper lunch (not snacks).

R485, crafty often brings in boxes of pizza towards the end of the shoot day, particularly if it’s late at night. Bg sometimes gets to grab a slice (well, in Covid times the crafty people just put one on a plate and hand it to you) but a lot of the time it’s kept far away so only cast and crew can have it.

SAG rules dictate that pizza can’t be served by catering as one of the prime items at lunch or dinner. It has to be a combination of chicken, fish, beef and vegetable dishes. I’d be perfectly happy if they just had pizza as long as it was relatively warm and fresh. I do remember having had fried chicken on lunch breaks but that was years ago now.

Yeah, R487, there are two separate entities on set-crafty and catering. A lot of times I just have the hot food/sanndwiches crafty shows up with to avoid catered lunches which are generally terrible.

I’m no fan of Andrew McCarthy’s but admired him for personally getting one catering company fired on a shoe he was directing (The Family) because what they were serving was inedible.

R491 = Ed Sullivan

Why are you not a fan of Andrew McCarthy, R491?

R477, crafty sometimes serves pasta salad/mac and cheese during “Tuna O’Clock.” I’ve worked on three Spielberg films and the hot food crafty would bring around would be fancy appetizer type stuff. I’m much more of a pigs in a blanket with mustard kind of a guy.

My favorite catered lunch has been the very rare occasions when they’d have a pasta bar where you could have a chef make a customized dish like linguine in red sauce with garlic.

I worked bg as non union back in the 90s and we weren’t allowed to go near catering. We were all given one hour for lunch and I went to a diner nearby.

[quote] SAG rules dictate that pizza can’t be served by catering as one of the prime items at lunch or dinner. It has to be a combination of chicken, fish, beef and vegetable dishes. I’d be perfectly happy if they just had pizza as long as it was relatively warm and fresh.

The actors and actresses are probably on perpetual diets. So, they need options other than pizza.

I remember visiting a friend working on location on a Leo DiCaprio film. There was a big crew and we all had steaks and vegetables for dinner.

Of course the fat whores on DL would rather talk about food than which celebrities are total cunts.

Talk about sushi. That covers both.

R496, more often than not the principals don’t eat catering, they get meals delivered from decent restaurants in the area.

OK, then, back to the cunts. Poppy Montgomery on the set of that awful series Unforgettable is now the stuff of legend. She wasn’t just a cunt, she was a batshit crazy cunt.

[quote] [R496], more often than not the principals don’t eat catering, they get meals delivered from decent restaurants in the area.

That makes sense. I can't imagine Julia Roberts standing in line to ladle up the chicken dish of the day.

More details on Poppy’s behavior, please.

[quote] More details on Poppy’s behavior, please.

Low energy just like his second son.

Poppy Montgomery was like an exaggerated version of what a diva bitch would be, only with an Australian accent. Her husband is super wealthy and there was a rumor he “owned” half the show. I was on set one day where shs just walked off set and went to a Yankees game. We all got sent home. I know a few who worked on it as crew and said she was an even bigger nightmare than that Lea fuckface on Glee and Debra Messing. She shrieked at hair/make-up and would rip script pages yelling “I can’t act this shit!” And she’d lock herself in her trailer a lot.

Her full name is Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue. I suspect the diva behaviour started young.

She has four sisters - each named after a flower - and a brother named Jethro Tull.

Hippy parents - they have a lot for which to answer.

Could somebody elaborate on why Debra Messing is so awful?

Well…allegedly she attacked an 87 year old woman just last week, for starters.

She felated Putin as the first missiles rained down on Kyiv.

[quote]Could somebody elaborate on why Debra Messing is so awful?

She's currently headed to Kyiv with Médecins Sans Frontières to help dig survivors out of the rubble and cheer them with selections from the Great American Songbook.

A friend did background on SATC. She said SJP was very nice to the women. Was cooler towards the men.

[Quote] A lot of the CW shows were crap. The show and the food.

Nothing positive ever gets said about CW shows 😄

That’s interesting, R511. I always heard the opposite, that she was friendly and charming with men, and cold and competitive with women

[quote] I’m no fan of Andrew McCarthy’s but admired him for personally getting one catering company fired on a shoe he was directing

Was it Big Foot?

R506 It sounds like she was a cunt from the jump. From her Wiki:

[quote] Montgomery disliked school, being expelled from six private academies before finally dropping out at the age of 15 to pursue stage acting and to travel around Bali with her then-boyfriend. Montgomery emigrated to the United States at the age of 18, arriving in Florida to meet a boyfriend whom she had met when he was an exchange student. After five days, she realized that "[she] couldn't stand him" and took a bus to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

[quote]A friend did background on SATC. She said SJP was very nice to the women. Was cooler towards the men.

I had to be. They ALL wanted to fuck me. Real bad. I couldn't even offer the slightest encouragement or they would go WILD with unbridled desire for my beauty and bra-and-panites-on sexy time!

R514, Big Foot? Is that a catering company? I never heard of that one here in NY. I think it was Movie Kitchens-they were also fired from Succession last season.

LOL R517, it was a joke. You had typed shoe instead of show.

[quote]LOL [R517], it was a joke.

And a good one.

Oh, right, OK, heh heh.

R515 fucking insufferable.

Excuse this total Hollywood outsider question, but is there just one company - Craft Services - that provides all on-set food services, or is "craft services" a generic term for companies that provide on-set catering?

Generic term, R522.

Montgomery would make sure to have a little person do bg in at least one scene per episode on her show. 30 Rock shot in the same studios as Unforgettable. She asked around about it and was told it was some sort of Australian superstition thing on Montgomery’s part. Fey then wrote an episode of 30 Rock where Jenna demanded that a “giant” do bg in several scenes on the film she was starring in.

This is an interesting thread - not really so much about the celebrity stuff, though I do think it's interesting that talent challenged (Emma Roberts - poor Garrett Hedlund!) are extremely difficult, while the talented people are the most professional & congenial, but I guess that's no different than the typical office. The interesting part is the behinds the scenes stuff, which I could not do, but I understand that others would find my job deadly dull (which it is, but it does have good benefits). All the COVID protocols now must make life impossible on film/TV sets

r525, in the beginning, it was terrible, especially for hair/makeup/wardrobe/props- we all looked like doctors going to surgery in full scrubs, masks, shields, goggles, gloves (no matter hot it is outside) working in spaces closed off with plastic sheeting, air scrubbers, ozone light disinfectors, one-way entrance/exit.We used to have people come in and spray disinfectant fogger in the trailers at night, constantly wiping down handles on all the doors and all the tables and chairs in the eating areas. Production would give us so much cleaning stuff for our trailers.

Almost all the apparel is gone, save a mask (masks are worn at all times bar eating). and sometimes glasses. Plastic dividers in trailers are gone, as are the ozone lights- we have to ask for air scrubbers now. We are 6' apart when eating, but that rule goes out the window once we're inside., still get tested 3x week. Depending on the production, the foggers come by, and sometimes the wiping of handles and doors. We barely get cleaning supplies for our trailers.

I miss having super clean trailers and sets.

R526 are you on a network episodic? I hope you all can wrap your seasons with the full number of episodes intended, so you get your full paychecks for completing the season.

Is it a fixed sequence of makeup --> hair --> wardrobe? I always think that pulling shirts over one's head would smear and mess up makeup and hair surely!

R525 I think there’s some truth in that but also a bit of a cliché - there are plenty of talented A listers who are assholes and vice versa. As been oft discussed here, a good number of so-called lesser talents arguably have longed careers than one would expect precisely because they are easier to work with.

I get what you’re saying though as a general point. Overcompensating is a very real thing (not just among entertainers).

I'm about to shoot a day of interviews on a documentary and this will be my first since the relaxing of protocols. I have been looking for a space to film in as the my go to went under during the pandemic. Only one place was super adamant about Covid protocols and wanted to know who my Covid Safety person was, was everyone vaxxed, etc. I was super impressed with his attitude, but I think we're going to go with a different place because it's a little more suitable aesthetically.

How does hair and makeup work for the main cast of a tv show? Do they all share the same hair & makeup crew? Or do they bring on their own people? Men with their various "restoration systems" seem like they need their own hair lady who knows their "system".

Friend works on series filmed in Los Angeles. Three Tiers for Hair and Make-Up. Stars, Supporting, Background. In an episode involving a catastrophe, the director checked make-up and hair of more than 50 in the Background.

Some shows don’t provide hair and make up for background. They tell you to arrive ‘camera ready.’ Blacklist is one.

Does that mean extras need to know about camera-quality makeup? Or do background players not have to look so flawless?

R532, most of them do have hair/make up stations for bg in NY. The Blacklist is a notable exception.

It depends on the show and the cast.

Some shows, usually films, there are star requests. Then there is the Department Head, Key and a 3rd, who does the rest of the cast. Sometimes shows don't want to pay for a separate Star Request and DH, so they'll make the SR the DH, who will run the show, but only do the Star, while the Key and 3rd/4th will do the rest of the cast. If it's a big ensemble cast, a 4th will be hired. On shows with a lot of BG, additionals will be hired to do them.

On big Marvel films, almost every star will have their own makeup and hair people, so the Hair/Makeup crew gets pretty large. On something like Star Trek, you have a giant hair and makeup crew doing all the aliens, featured and BG.

Black guys are more likely to ask for barbers, and black women will be more likely to ask for black hairdressers, even if they're they only black cast member.

I've started doing pilots for ABC, and they're super stingy when it comes to hiring additionals for BG- they don't even care about tattoos, which is a big nono on WB/New Line/HBO shows because of the whole Hangover tattoo incident. The BG don't have to care about camera-quality makeup- usually they just play normal people. We just have to make sure that they don't look crazy (I've encountered a woman with fangs on a Sandra Bullock movie). I've gotten to the point of writing a letter of what to/not wear to the BG casting directors to send the to BG to make our lives easier.

However something like the Gilded Age (or any period stuff), all BG must be looked at by Hair and Makeup.

That's interesting, R535. Thanks for the insider look.

r535 thank you, that was informative. OOTL, what was the hangover tattoo incident?

r537- For the sequel, they asked Mike Tyson if they could use his face tattoo on Ed Helms. Tyson consents, Helms wears the tattoo in the movie. Tyson's tattooist sees the movie and sues the crap out of WB for not asking him to clear the image, since he designed it. It was rumored that he won $30 million, and since then, we've had to obliterate, alter by 30% or get a consent letter from the tattoo artist to allow their design in the project. And I would say that 75% of actors now have tattoos.

I don't understand why people whose bodies are their fortune tat them up--all it does is add more time in the make-up chair.

R539, actors are nuts.

They work against their own self-interests all the time.

How common is it for actors to do their own make-up? I know one of the girls from Riverdale does her own, but i just assumed that's because the CW is cheap.

Just saw this anecdote in the comments section of the Deadline article reporting on Bruce Willis’ retirement:

[quote] Years ago, I was an extra on LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Me and 3 other guys played security guards who get killed by the bad guys. We filmed in the middle of the night at a factory near the ocean, and it was freezing. In between takes, me and the other extras huddled together talking. Nearby, Bruce Willis sat in a chair by the only space heater on set. He saw us extras shivering, and invited us over to stand around his space heater and warm up. He chatted with us and told us stories of getting his start in the business. Later when we were filming, me and the extras had to lie on a cold hard concrete floor and play dead. Bruce saw us and ordered someone to get us blankets. He was super cool and nice to us. When we wrapped around 4 a.m., he made an announcement, thanking all the cast and crew for their hard day’s work. In my brief encounter with him, Bruce Willis was a standup guy.

What a great story. I think I'll get another face tat in honor of him.

R525 what happened to hedlund? I am already crying because he is so polite.

Bruce did background himself so he knows what a thankless job it is.

R545-Right. The courtroom scenes in The Verdict.

r541- it's very uncommon- usually it's the old school difficult dames that do it, La Dunaway and La Welch comes to mind. The only thing I can think why is that she's black and felt that the makeup department couldn't do her makeup right in her mind (which was a thing a few years ago before our industry started pushing for more black artists). Or she's just really difficult, and it was just easier for everyone if she did herself, which is a disservice to the show, because she's doing her makeup for herself, and not the character.

[quote]How common is it for actors to do their own make-up? I know one of the girls from Riverdale does her own

Who shaves KJ's chest?

R548 i hope it's Charles.

It's pretty shitty that the AD didn't think about heaters or blankets for extras. Background or not they are human beings.

But that’s terrific of Bruce. Not many leads would give a shot, sadly

I worked BG on The Lake House. Keanu was a doll. I used to be an architect so we talked about Chicago architecture during breaks. Bullock came to the defense of BG during a late night shoot at Millennium Park when the director was being a supercunt. Worked on The Break Up and Vince Vaughn was really decent to everyone while Aniston existing in her own world.

Long story here-

I was an extra just once- when I was in 8th grade. Part of the movie Sleepers was being filmed in my town and they needed a bunch of teenage boys to play inmates in a juvenile detention facility.

I filmed for four or five days in one of the buildings of a mental institution that had just closed down. They used part of that building for hair, makeup, and wardrobe. All us guys had to either get buzz cuts or short 60’s style hair. Many of us (myself included) had mushroom/bowl cuts that had to get chopped off.

Brad Renfro, Jonathan Tucker, Geoff Wigdor, and Joe Perrino were the four main kid actors in the scenes and Kevin Bacon was the adult guard. Kevin played an asshole character and I remember him trying to joke around with the 4 actors in between takes to make them more comfortable I guess. He was polite to us kid extras. I only saw a few kids go up to him and try to talk with him. Mostly about acting.

Brad Renfro was real hyper and he liked to pick Geoff Wigdor up under his armpits and try to lift him up as high as he could. Kind of like how you lift a toddler. Geoff was pretty short so that must be why brad chose him. I saw him do this three or four times. Along with brad, Geoff was the other outgoing/hyper one. Jonathan and joe were pretty quiet and focused and somewhat serious. They were polite. Always said thank you.

One time I was in the wardrobe room getting my costume on with a few other guys (green pants, black chuck Taylor’s, white tshirt, green button up shirt) and Brad came sliding into the room with his socks and boxers on. And he said something like, “uhhh, you ever have one of those dreams where you go to school in your underwear? Yeahhh.” And then he laughed and ran out. We were almost the same age, but he seemed so different from me. I was a pretty quiet, shy kid. And Brad definitely wasn’t.

Also for one scene we had to run laps around the main sign outside in the snow. That wasn’t so fun. We’d be out there for about 15 minutes running, then go inside and another group would go out and run. We got paid a little extra for doing that.

Overall it was a fun experience, but I wasn’t such a fan of the waiting around. I learned how to play pool in the rec room pretty good and I got to miss a week of school.

R550, I was a non union extra for years and, generally, was treated very poorly. Once, I became a member of the union it was night and day.

R554 treated badly by whom?

[quote] "Watch out for food poisoning from craft services! And on a stalwart set like NCIS too!"

That reminds me of this little story from the production of "Titanic", R471.

R555, treated badly by indifferent a.d,'s, looked down on by union members; it's just a lower rung on the ladder.

Should we start part 3 on this topic, or is it over?

Bye...

Bye!!!!!

R558 I think it's over.

Part 3

I was background talent on a set yesterday with a 6'2" guy wearing the tightest clothes, which contoured perfectly his beautifully muscled body perfectly. The very definition of sex on a stick.

^one "perfectly" would've sufficed. My bad. But, my god, this guy should be a fitness model, if he's not already.

Is it weird that I find "fitness model" types so boring? I mean, sure, pretty in theory but....it's hard to get into someone who likes themselves so damn much, you know?

Hot girls do the same thing. Walk in with a "yes, I know you want to take a picture of me" cockiness.

Being in good shape is good enough.

The worst prima donna on a series shot in NYC is none other than Donnie Wahberg. He treats extras like shit, and has no respect for any of the directors on Blue Bloods.

Well he certainly didn’t speak out when most of the older “core” bg in the precinct set were abruptly replaced last year.

Why would he? Wahlberg hates everyone on the set.

Including Tom Selleck?

R569-When he's awake, yes.

I moved to LA in 1990 from a quieter suburb thirty miles out. I hadn't found my seat yet a=nd was open to whatever came my way. For the Boys, the big Bette Midler/James Caan star-er needed BG for the musical numbers. I would've went for it but the flyers stated you had to consent to a military haircut. Me with a buzzcut? Not my best look, so I passed. Now I wish i'd went or it just for the pure experience.

You missed out, R571. You would have enjoyed hours of Bette Midler performing live at her peak. And you might have ended up enjoying some bg cock among the buzzcuts as a bonus.

R570 lol

IS Donnie such a dick because he is married to super talent and autism curer Jenny McCarthy?

It’s probably primarily because he’s a Wahlberg-Boston cheap white trash.

The Wahlbergs were the lowest of the low Southie trash, very true. If you're familiar with Boston, you know what "Southie" is, and how gross they are.

I thought the Wahlbergs were old Boston money.

They’re apparently distant descendants of Nathaniel Hawthorne via their mother but that’s it. Dad was a delivery driver. They grew up in Dorchester. Southie white trash.

The Wahlbergs are totally Southie trash. Just the worst of the worst, total thugs.

Yeah didn't Mark Wahlberg permanently blind a Chinese man in a racist attack when he was a teen?

R563, I used to run into this hottie who'd always flash me a smile. We did a few shows together; this was pre-social media so we didn't get each other's info easily.

I stopped doing it and then, never saw him again; I wish I remembered him.

I am clearing out a lot of old boxes and finding Central Casting pay stubs with names of movies and shows I did. I forget I was in Pineapple Express.

[Quote] I forget I was in Pineapple Express.

Guess that means there was no drama on that set.

I can't remember the movie; I didn't go and see things if I didn't think I'd be seen in them or if the movie didn't grab me.

One time, I played a dead body on the floor and one of the principals walked by us and said, 'you guys are doing great.'

It was funny. The fun thing about doing extra work is working with cool people who don't take it all too seriously. MOST of my experiences have been good.

But unless you do it ALL the time you can't make a living at it. I know extras who work on TV shows and as soon as hiatus hits they apply for unemployment, then go back to work when production starts, during this time they put in for more unemployment and so on. But you need a long term plan.

LA is getting more and more expensive.

I did background on an episode of a series directed by Kenny Leon. He kept everything light and fun, made a comment about not taking stuff too seriously, worked very quickly and the mood on the set was happy. Sadly, not all directors are like that. But they should be.

Worked a month ago on something called Jigsaw and Robert Townsend was directing. He was a lot of fun. I wondered what had happened to him since Hollywood Hustle.

R584 genuinely curious, how can a tv show director be quick moving, yet also keep the mood light & fun? Seems like if an event coordinator at a wedding / tv show director were quick and efficient, they'd be a hardass and bossing the crew (and cast?) to hurry up. Sounds like he's the complete package!

Oh, 1 of the directors on rotation for NCIS is actor Rocky Carroll, who also plays secondary character the agency boss in every episode. He said his directing style is "diplomatic and collaborative" since he has to be a fellow actor with the cast too. Seems like a good mantra for life.

R586. The show was Gossip Girl so keeping it light while moving along and sticking to the schedule wasn’t that difficult.

[quote]They grew up in Dorchester. Southie white trash.

R576, R578, and R579 - Dorchester and South Boston (Southie) are two DIFFERENT neighborhoods. Sometimes even national news outlets have made the mistake of equating Dorchester and South Boston when reporting on the Wahlbergs, but they are from DORCHESTER. Which is NOT Southie.

Boston neighborhoods:

R586 Rocky Carroll is a class act; I actually met him outside of production work. I haven't had the chance to work with him in recent years but he's one of the good ones from what I've seen.

I did work with a director on a Marvel show about 5 years ago; he directed the pilot but it was interesting because he worked primarily on documentaries (Jane, etc.) so dealing with things such as 'stand-ins/background', etc. were alien for him. It was a different dynamic but he adjusted towards the end and now that I look back on it, he was a pleasure to work for.

Other directors, due to ego or being eccentric can be unpleasant to work with/for. It all depends on the show of course.

[Quote] I did work with a director on a Marvel show about 5 years ago; he directed the pilot but it was interesting because he worked primarily on documentaries (Jane, etc.) so dealing with things such as 'stand-ins/background', etc. were alien for him. It was a different dynamic but he adjusted towards the end and now that I look back on it, he was a pleasure to work for.

Agents Of Shield?

R580 Whaaat? You're kidding?! I've never read that. Except on this site. Every time his name comes up. Every week. For YEARS.

I was BG on a Ryan Idol porn shoot, he was doing a solo scene. Does that count?

Mariska keeps Svu moving at a clip. It’s a well oiled machine no matter who is directing

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Songwriter Tom Mizer has a nice backround story about working with Barbra Streisand on of DLs fav movies to hate- The Mirror Has Two Faces.

The Mirror Has Two Faces was such an embarrassing vanity project. Too bad Barbra's vanity wouldn't let her explore serious roles that weren't glamorous. She's had a lot of wasted potential.

Looks like Blue Bloods will have yet another season of divas bitch-slapping each other.

The next thread has already started.

Bajour, background actors!

I'll always remember the time that actor did that thing on that set of that movie.