Today, er yesterday (Saturday) I went to an open casting call for paid extras, for the upcoming film "Public Enemies." It stars Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, also has Christian Bale, Giovanni Ribisi, and Marion Cotillard. Michael Mann is directing. It's being shot in Chicago and Wisconsin, which is accurate -- Dillinger and other Chicago gangsters liked to hide out in rural Wisconsin in the 30's.

The casting call was a pretty cool experience. It was held in Madison, in the gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace convention center. During my time there I saw around 500 other people, and I left when there were 4 more hours left for people to show up.

What's really got me excited is that I got to "stage 2." Everyone had their picture taken once; some people (looked to be about 1 in 5) were flagged down on their way out to get a second picture taken in another location. I heard that meant the casting director (a women who has done extra casting for many high-profile films, inc. several Oscar winners) personally picked you out, and definitely wanted to use you for something. The second picture was supposedly so they could immediately begin working on costume ideas.

I don't know how true that all is, but the second picture could only have been good news. Hopefully within the coming months I'll be working on the set of a potential Oscar winning film! With any luck I'll be partying on Johnny Depp's yacht this summer.

Oh, the title of the thread...has anyone else here done extra work? I'm curious what to expect, should I be chosen.

Just thought I'd mention, since I opened this thread, that I did in fact get cast as an extra in this film. I'm going to a wardrobe fitting next week and will be shooting the week after that.

It's funny because I literally just finished a 6-month temp job, and my schedule is wide open the next few weeks (basically until I find another job). Funny how things work out sometimes.

steve martin filmed the wedding sequence of 'All of Me' at my school. One afternoon, as he was walking onto the set past my classroom window, I yelled something at him that made him very scared. I know I was in his mind - and therefore in the movie - in the sequences he filmed right after that momentous confrontation.