http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=21731Madison and Wisconsin movie hopefuls inundate Public Enemies extras casting call
Thousands try out for Michael Mann gangster epic starring Johnny Depp and Christian BaleKristian Knutsen on Thursday 02/21/2008 6:07 pm
Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp to hold extras casting call in Madison The line in the Exhibition Hall at Monona Terrace was already hundreds strong when I arrived there at the 10 a.m. start time of an extras casting call for Public Enemies last Saturday. People of all ages and backgrounds were there for a chance at appearing in a 1930s gangster tale that is scheduled to be shot in Chicago and around Wisconsin this spring.
Directed by UW alumnus Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as pursuing FBI agent Melvin Purvis, this high-profile production is generating some serious enthusiasm amongst movie fans in the state, particularly as witnessed by the turnout of hopefuls at the downtown Madison convention center.
Count me as one of those persons. A fan of Mann’s films, I have followed and written about this new film since learning about it late last year. Like others, I have wondered if what that looks to be an epic production would be casting extras, particularly for scenes planned to be Wisconsin. It would be the state's first big coup since its new film production incentives program went into effect on the first of the year. Those questions were answered last week, when Joan Philo Casting of Chicago announced that it would hold an open call for extras in Madison on February 16. And so like many others, I made my way to Monona Terrace to give it a shot.
Actually, my experience last Saturday started at the Walgreens on the Capitol Square, where I encountered another hopeful picking up photos for submitting as part of the casting process. “Getting any experience we can is pretty important,” said Lorah Haskins, a theater and communication arts major at UW-Madison who was attending the casting call with several fellow students. This wasn’t their only motivation, though. “We heard that Johnny Depp is in it, and we would love to be an extra in one of his movies,” she noted.
As requested in the announcement for the call, Haskins was dressed in a simulacrum of 1930s fashion in a dress and overcoat, along with medium-heeled shoes and brushed-out curls in her hair. “I think there are going to be a lot of people there,” she speculated about the casting call, “so we would be lucky to get cast.”
She was right on the turnout. The Exhibition Hall at Monona Terrace, which was two nights hence to host a pre-primary rally for Hillary Clinton, was partitioned into two sections for the casting call. One basically served as a holding area for the line of candidates, while the other was used for a pair of brief photography set-ups that were at the heart of the process. Upon arriving at the call, the first thing one did was to fill out a card with a gamut of personal details -- contact info, clothing sizes, acting experience, and so on -- before or while getting in line. This queue was indeed quite long when the day started, with hundreds of hopefuls arriving early and ringing the hall for their shot in front of the cameras.
In an online announcement about the extras casting calls for Public Enemies, Philo emphasizes that the experience of an extra in a holding area or on set can be “mind-numbingly boring,” and that patience is an essential virtue. She also suggests talking to others waiting with you.
“I said hello to the person on my right, and I said hello to the person on my left,” notes Philo about one of her experiences as an extra. “And then I laughed my head off for two straight days -- see, life is what you make it. Make a friend, or be miserable. Your choice. But sometimes, you’re constantly on set with very little time in the holding area. You never know!”
Realizing this advice was already useful while waiting in line at Saturday’s casting call, I started talking with the other hopefuls immediately around me. As it turns out, I was surrounded by actual actors.
Standing in line just in front of me was Natalie Mandrick, an actor from California who recently moved from L.A. to Milwaukee. Her work includes roles in the 2006 film Flicka and the 2004 film Mushka Water, as well as parts in various other independent and student films, TV shows, and commercials. Hoping to continue acting in the Midwest, she is looking forward to learning what opportunities the new Wisconsin film incentives would bring to film industry folks living in the region.
“It’s simply a great opportunity,” said Mandrick of the casting call, and like all of us in the room, was excited that Public Enemies will be shooting in Wisconsin.
Standing in line just behind me was a pair of brothers from Appleton. Both Jon Parker and Greg Parker learned about this casting call from Hunter Adams, the director of the independent film The Hungry Bull. The movie -- there’s a trailer here -- is the latest work from the Neenah-based Burgoo Films and wrapped production last year. “Adams emailed me and said this would be perfect,” said Jon Parker. “Greg has a starring role in the film, and I have a non speaking bit part, and trying more acting is just something that we both became interested in after we did this film. This is the perfect opportunity to come down to Madison.”
Both brothers sported beards, but said they would certainly shave them per the casting call guidelines if they were hired as extras. “This is pretty cool,” noted Parker. “There are so many people from different walks of life, sizes, and ages. It’s pretty incredible.”
Like others waiting we discussed the scene at the call, what we might expect with the casting process in the next room over, and what being an extra entails. During this time, the line moved forward in several large bursts, as groups with several scores of people were brought into the adjoining portion of the Exhibition Hall for the actual casting process. It also turned out that the wait wasn’t too long, with only about an hour passing before we made it to the front of the line, and more importantly, in the front of the next group to be ushered into the casting call.
The primary portion of the call was very brief, starting with a brief speech from Philo about the basics of the process, the physical requirements for extras in this film, and her expectations of those persons actually hired. Most of it covered ground detailed in her casting call guidelines, but she emphasized the need for this film’s extras to really look as if they were from the early 1930s, specifically no close-cropped hair, no facial hair, and especially no tanning salons. This is doubly the case given the fact that Mann is helming the production, the director well-known for his fastidious approach to filmmaking.
From there, everybody separated into three more lines, each ending with a table and camera where the movie hopeful handed over their casting card, received an ID number (like a mugshot!), and stood against a white background for a close-up photograph. From there, everybody was directed to turn in their numbers and exit via a single door. What this actually served to do, though, was filter each aspirant through another casting process, in which some were tapped to stand for another photograph, this one capturing one’s entire body. Those tapped included a higher proportion of children and senior citizens, though this was largely due to their lesser numbers as a whole amongst everybody turning out for the call.
“The line moved quickly enough and everyone was very friendly,” said Ryan Wisniewski of Madison, who attended the casting call with his wife and sister-in-law, and noted the size and efficiency of the staff running the show. “We chatted the entire time with those in line around us, and everyone was equally excited,” he continued. “We only had to wait about an hour, and the heartbeat just kept speeding up until that photo was taken. Immediately afterward, there was that infamous second photo.”
Wisniewski shot his own photos of the call for posterity, as did Angela Richardson (here) and Kandy Watson (here). “Everyone filled out a simple questionnaire with their photo attached, we received a short speech on the inner workings of the movie industry, then they snapped another photo or two of you holding a number for their records,” noted Watson. “And that was that!”
Other hopefuls had similar comments about the process, including an aspiring actress at her first of two auditions that day, and a photographer who brought his 13-year-old son to try out on Saturday.
With their time at the call complete, most people headed back up the escalators and left Monona Terrace, which was at that point being prepared for the Hillary Clinton rally that was at that point scheduled for Sunday, before poor weather pushed it back to Monday. A few people were hanging around, though, watching the goings-on at the call from windows overlooking the Exhibition Hall. I spoke with a couple who had already gone through the process.
“I wanted to be an extra in this movie as soon as I heard about it,” said Lori Bass-Edgar. “How often does something like this happen in Wisconsin?” Also watching the call was Duncan Anderson of Middleton, whose 19-year-old step son was going through the process downstairs. “I’m excited for him,” Anderson said, “and am hoping that he’ll get picked.”
Persons who do get cast as extras for Public Enemies may not learn about it for some time still, though. Philo informed each group of people at the call that those selected would get a phone call informing them of their status some days before the scheduled shoot, and would be asked to make a commitment if hired. Given that the production schedule is set to run from March through June, though, and with only a portion of this time to be spent in Wisconsin, this will likely be only the next in a series of long waits for extras.
Meanwhile, the casting process continues. On Monday, Philo issued an announcement seeking knowledgeable photographers from Madison who would be able to convincingly handle a period camera as an extra in the film. As detailed in this casting call:
In order to recreate the look, the feel, the accuracy of the time, we want to gets a hands up finding men (20s to 60s) that know how to operate older cameras or today’s cameras that require a photographer’s ability to operate. I’m not talking the “point and shoot digital cameras” I’m talking camera lens, focusing, all knowledge and ability of a camera-person in the know. These are non-speaking roles needing the special abilities of real photographers. We won't be having you actually taking the pictures. You will be cast as a photographer.
Those getting these extras parts might have the best shot of anybody to be in the thick of the action and close to the starring cast, if one can imagine those kinds of iconic film scenes in which a scrum of photographers snaps pics of a central character, and in this case, possibly public enemy number one.
Philo has also announced that other casting calls may be held in Chicago and in Wisconsin. These may come quickly, though, as the gears of production for Public Enemies are rapidly starting to roll. A pair of script reviews have been published online -- by Latino Review last month and CHUD yesterday -- with each glowing about the film’s storyline and Mann’s involvement. Vanity Fair contributing editor Bryan Burrough, who authored the book Public Enemies on which the film is based, has also commented on the movie. Noting his peripheral role in the production, Burrough focused on the high level of interest among Wisconsinites and in the state’s media -- Hi Bryan! -- and his hope for a cameo.
And though the State of Wisconsin has yet to publicly announce any deal with the film’s backing studio or location specifics, Universal, about the particulars of a tax incentives deal for the production, the process is clearly moving forward. Business owners in Richland Center and Manitowish Waters have announced that shoots are scheduled in those towns, and last Saturday’s casting call for extras follows others around the state that were held for vintage autos. It won’t be long before more details get released.
“All-in-all, it was a really cool and rare experience for a Madisonian, being a part, albeit a very small one, of a major Hollywood production,” concluded Wisniewski. “If we’re not chosen, oh well. At least we can say we tried. Either way, it’ll be a blast looking for familiar faces and locations while watching what is sure to be an awesome film.”