Two years ago, mere DAYS after returning from England in fact, I found a temp summer job. Very temp. I was an extra in the film
The Express for two days. My friend Kurt and I showed up at the Northwestern football stadium at 4am, me on NO sleep as I had to have my hair in curlers all night. And we sat in the stadium bleachers and pretended to cheer or boo (and read books and watched episodes of
The Office on Kurt's cleverly-disguised iPod) while Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown did their thing on the football field.
The movie came out this past October, and I didn't bother to watch it in theaters or rent it right after it came out on DVD. Basically I forgot all about it. Until last night, when I got a call from my brother and Kurt, screaming that WE WERE IN THE MOVIE. They were laughing themselves to death.
I found out exactly why a few minutes later, when I popped the film in for myself (yes, I did run to the video store and rent it immediately).
For anyone who's interested in seeing me and Kurt (sort of), I'm in the Cotton Bowl scene/chapter. I'm wearing a
red sweater and can been seen up close & slightly blurry a couple of times, and far away & clearly a couple of times. (Sorry, I'm not a cameraman so I have no idea how to describe it other than that). You can see me really briefly in the first half (I'm near the scoreboard, halfway out of frame, but I'm clapping frantically and I pump my fist) and then more obviously right after Ernie scores the touchdown. I am in a shot of the Texas crowd, booing and a-looking pissed off. I stand up with my hand over my mouth. Then a little after that you can see me and Kurt cheering at the top of the stands (on the right, directly below the scoreboard). I'm sitting, but Kurt is standing pumping his fists SLOWLY in the air. It is funny as all hell.
So, friends, that is my foray into Hollywood. And I keep thinking that for some of those shots if I'd only been ONE ROW closer, I would have deserved to be in the credits.
Ha.
Happy Monday, all.
