I never would have thought I, a Hispanic girl from the ‘hood, would ever have a chance to be in a major motion picture. Born and raised in the Humboldt Park area, I jumped at the opportunity to come out in a film titled “Humboldt Park.” It all started with an e-mail from my sister-in-law regarding a casting company looking for Hispanic movie extras. I called the number on the website and left a message. I received a call-back within half an hour and was told to show up at the set at 5:30 the next morning. I couldn’t believe how quickly everything happened.
I arrived at 5 a.m. to what they call holding, which is where the extras and stand-ins stay when they are not needed on the set. As I sat around and waited I passed the time by talking to other people in the room. I quickly learned that extras were at the bottom of the industries hierarchy, stand-ins are next. I had no idea what stand-ins did, but I was very lucky because they were short stand-ins and asked me to be one.
As security brought me on set, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people. The set was a corner store and there were about 60 people working on lights and camera, hair and make-up. As time passed, I took note of everyone’s jobs and tasks. Production assistants wore headphones and communicated with each other throughout set and holding. The gaffers were electricians who were there all day at the beck and call of the producer. Hair and make-up folks fussed over the stars. The writer and director collaborated about the dialogue that was being used in the movie. The actors even had some say in what they felt sounded right.
As I stood towards the back of the store trying to take everything in, I glanced toward the door and was awe-struck when I saw John Leguizamo and Debra Messing walk in. At the crack of dawn, they were pale and tired, as they rehearsed their scene. I was frozen with shock. I eventually overcame my shock and noticed that Alfred Molina had also been in the store. I was star-struck with excitement.
After sometime, I was called to do my job as a stand-in and thought the excitement would continue. Not! Stand-ins help the producers and cameramen set up for the actual actors. While the actors are practicing and getting ready to get on set, the stand-ins mutely stand where the actors would stand and walk so the camera can make sure it is positioned properly. Sounds easy, but after the tenth hour, I was restless.
I got to be an extra that day, too. Being an extra was fun, because you really get to act. Although my acting debut was a shopper in a grocery store, I got to flirt with Alfred Molina as I walked in. I thought it was pretty amazing to be able to interact with the legendary actor. The whole experience is one I’ll never forget. In fact I’m kind of hooked and have taken it on as a part-time job. Hollywood, here I come!