Cebuano background actress shares her experiences

 “We’re rolling… 3, 2, 1, Action!” and “That’s a wrap!” So goes every director when starting and ending a movie shoot, respectively. At some point, I dreamt of hearing these lines myself in an actual Hollywood film set. To a Cebuano like me whose life continues in the United States after 28 years of savoring life in Cebu, I thought it was a long shot. It became a possibility, though. I’ve been fortunate to be cast as one of the background actors in four US productions so far. Now that Louisiana has been tagged as “Hollywood South” due to the tax incentives given to filmmakers, I’m getting keyed up for more movie gigs.

 Not many of us realize how background actors (formerly known as extras) play a vital role in completing every movie scene. They may be in a nonspeaking category or usually behind the main cast, but they are directed to take their job seriously as well. More often, they don’t take the credit unless classified as “featured extras”. On the international movie database www.imdb.com, you don’t see the entire list of background actors regardless of how huge or little of a role they play. On a set, if they don’t act accordingly, they can be the reason for successive retakes of a scene. No director wishes to see any background actor messing up. Background actors are specifically invited by casting agencies to play certain roles. Everyone is expected to act professionally even before cameras roll. No playing. No giggling. Internalize the scene.

 I set foot in Louisiana last February 2009 and got happily hitched to Drew Capone. I left a blossoming emceeing-PR-media relations career and a little business in Cebu called Art Dynamics Cebu that conceptualized the so-called Personality Development Avenue (where kids and teens were exposed to confidence-building workshops in public speaking, vocal music, runway modeling and dance). Not only do I miss hosting events, I also miss my PDA advocacy.

 Every newcomer in America goes back to square one, I assume. I confessed that I felt I had a zero career status at first, but I’ve certainly gotten past that. With guts and determination, I’ve continued building my career here. I worked as a brand ambassador then got a job with a quasi-government agency. Then just last May 2010, I began exploring the entertainment arena. Background acting crossed my path first.

 As soon as my family and friends learned of my endeavor in the American showbiz world, excitement has been all over my Facebook pages. When The FREEMAN’s Entertainment Editor Nathalie Tomada asked if I could share my filming experiences to Cebuano readers, I reckoned, “Why not?” I’m a strong follower of embracing opportunities and taking chances. Out of curiosity, I responded to an online ad about casting people for ABC Family Movie “Revenge of the Bridesmaids” starring Raven Symone (The Cosby Show and Dr. Dolittle) and Joanna Garcia (CW sitcom Reba). I told myself, “Let’s see if they’d really respond to me on this one!” So, just a day after emailing my resume and headshots, I got a call from RPM Casting. I didn’t believe at first, but it was, indeed, for real!

 They booked me to play as a waitress in this family comedy-drama that was aired last July 18. That experience led to more background acting gigs through the Batherson Casting and Caballero Casting. I acted as one of the memorial concert attendees in an episode on TNT’s new series “Memphis Beat” starring Jason Lee (Alvin & the Chipmunks and My Name is Earl). In an upcoming 2011 movie “The Killing Game” starring Samuel Jackson (Pulp Fiction and Lakeview Terrace) and Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen of Twilight), I’m a bar patron and a funeral attendee.

 Recently, I just survived an 11-day shoot for another 2011 movie “Green Lantern” starring Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl). It was the toughest shoot I’ve been in so far. We had to do a lot of sprinting (under a 38-degree Celsius heat index) because the scenes depict us being chased by aliens. Not only that, we had odd call times as early as 3:00 am. I had to wake up a little before 1:00 am because I had to drive one hour and 20 minutes to New Orleans (Louisiana’s largest city). In some days, call times were 4:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. so that made a difference in the number of hours I slept. Nevertheless, I still had to show up promptly without missing any day. I brought a cot, pillow and blanket to the holding room so that I could catch up on my sleep whenever we weren’t rolling on the set. It’s pretty neat to be the only Filipino on the set. I was hoping to see a kababayan but I didn’t. I was proud to have completed 11 consecutive days of shooting with only one day-off after Day 7.

 To be a background actor takes some patience and persistence to deal with long periods of waiting, segregation from the main actors and production crew during meal hours, very early call times and late checkouts. We check out as soon as the director declares, “That’s a wrap!” Some great actors started as extras and got lucky to be discovered for speaking roles until they made it to the A-list of Hollywood. To name a few, they are Jackie Chan, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Renee Zellweger. 

 Background actors get very little information when booked by a casting agency. We obtain full details a night before the actual shoot. We are informed of the call time, location, parking area, wardrobe restrictions and filming rules. We don’t even know what time we are supposed to wrap. To be safe, we clear our schedules for the entire day when accepting a gig.

 For now, I’m content with being in the background. Whether or not I decide to get serious with acting, there’s no certainty. When I do, I’d have to take acting workshops, find an agent for representation and sign up with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). You don’t have to be with SAG to get a gig, though. In a standard scenario, if you are with SAG or if you have an agent, you get greater access to auditions for speaking roles. SAG members enjoy privileges such as higher compensation, ensured protection against unauthorized usage of your performances, and more filming opportunities. You can be with SAG through the voucher system or if you’re booked for principal casting in a SAG production. Some extras build their resume up by doing plenty of non-SAG work and small theatre productions before stepping up the ladder. But then again, if an agent or director spotted you because you stood out among all extras, then you’d be overly lucky to rise to the top.

 It’s been a priceless experience to actually witness how a Hollywood production team works wonders to come up with high-quality films. Not everybody is privileged to grasp that. Not only do I get to go for wardrobe fitting, enjoy free meals, meet new friends and get decent pay, I also get to rub elbows with Hollywood stars. So far, I’ve seen Raven Symone, Joanna Garcia, Jason Lee, Kellan Lutz and Ryan Reynolds. The list goes on now that more movies will be filmed in Louisiana.

 I was overwhelmed to have a photo opportunity with one of the most brilliant directors, Martin Campbell. Prior to directing “Green Lantern”, he did James Bond films (Golden Eye starring Pierce Brosnan and Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig) and Zorro films (The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones).

 The cameras continue to roll not only in the filming capitals of California, New York and other big US states, but also in the sportsman’s paradise of Louisiana, now dubbed as “Hollywood South”. With that, I’m not saying no to whatever acting opportunities (or perhaps emceeing jobs) that come my way. I am rolling along to hopefully inspire others. After all, Filipinos shine everywhere, don’t we?

 For reactions, email the writer at [email protected] or find her on Facebook.