Back to showbiz again

My summer high-profile temp job's contract ended and now I'm back to the world of being anonymous again as an extra.  I consider this a wonderful privilege.  Being a consultant can be hectic.  You become a go-to-guy, everyone wants your attention and you spend a lot of time in meetings and on the phone.  As a result, you rush your breakfast, miss your lunch occasionally and never go home at a reasonable time. Hmmmm... come to think of it, being an extra has similar components.  But at least you get some rest in holding.  A lot of rest.

I started submitting again and got a pretty good response. In fact it was a fantastic opportunity:  I was an extra in a Steven Spielberg-directed movie, St. James Place.  Got fitted for a 1959 look and had two scenes.  The first was inside a Wall Street subway station as a train rider. I was one of the last ones to be taken to set but since none of the PA's came to place me in the scene, I took the initiative to walk to the middle of the platform where I saw Spielberg do his hand-gesturing direction and I stopped in front of an open subway door.  No one objected to my presence for the entire shoot here.  In fact I was given direction to time my aggressive entrance into the subway just as one of the principals exits.  Observing Spielberg in person brought to mind my daughter's father-in-law, who looked remarkably similar to the famous director. I'll have to tell my in-law to see if he can be a stand-in for Spielberg when they do a movie of him!

 The subway scene went on for quite a long time and one of the elderly extras fainted.  He was revived and helped off to a resting place (probably holding).  It was the first time I'd seen someone collapse on the set. Made me wonder if I'll be in that "role" one day.  But the "show" continued and the next scene was in DUMBO.  It was near one of the bridges in an old neighborhood that still had cobble-stones and exposed trolley tracks.  The stores were all fixed up to have the correct period look to them.

Large advertisement signs, groceries and manuscripts on display for sale in front of a store as well as plenty of period cars in beautiful condition... almost too beautiful.  The street was sprayed with water and the shoot began.  Mark Rylance was the principal doing a walk across the set.  I recognized him from his excellent acting on Broadway in Boeing, Boeing.  My wife and I got his autograph at the stage door. Here on the set, we extras have to stick to the protocol of not bothering the principals, so this time Mark and I exchanged looks of friendly approval as he walked past me during the retakes. Most of the other extras were unaware of his credentials.  Again, I felt privileged.

And so I've reached another pinnacle of my extras career.  I was in a Spielberg movie!  (Now let's see if Woody needs any nondescript bg's? I'll even work for $7/hr.)