An extra bit on the side
Supporting Artist Roles
I started my 'acting career’ in 2014 when I was asked to attend a meeting in London’s West End to enrol and have my photos taken etc. Whilst I was there I was told that when the Casting Director turns up you must drop everything and go and line up outside as he will want to look at you all. So I was just finishing my photos being taken and the call came through to make our way quickly out on to the street. There we all were lined up, around 80 of us, most of which had appeared from nowhere! I was about half way down the line and the Casting Director was making his way fairly quickly down the line looking directly into each actors eyes. I found it slightly unnerving as he was clearly rating each person. His assistant was hurriedly writing names down and the grades that the Casting Director was giving out. ‘A’ ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘A’ etc. then he arrived in front of me, looked me deep in the eyes and said ‘C’ and walked on. After he’d moved out of earshot I said to the aspiring actor next to me who had incredibly striking green eyes and was rated ‘A’ what exactly that was all about? His response was, “didn’t you know, they are casting for Star Wars and want actors with swarthy skin and popping eyes. No chance there then I thought, unless I went and sat in the Summer sun and drank a couple of bottles of vodka! That was my introduction to the industry and clearly being rated a ‘C’ wasn’t sufficient to get cast!
After that i had many opportunities sent my way and quickly realised how actors can easily get typecast! I found myself being cast in period dramas and having facial hair glued to my upper lip.
The reason I entered the weird and wonderful world of the large screen was not to see myself in every minor detail in high definition but more as a photographer who was intrigued with lighting and camera angles. The making of huge budget Netflix films is no different really to small budget TV commercials. The angles are the same, the lighting is the same but there are far less people on set. I can remember being screamed and sworn at by the sound guy on a production called The Great, accusing me of talking and he told me what an f’ing joke I was and how un f’ing professional I also was. The funny thing is i hadn’t opened my mouth (as I know better). You just have to accept these things sometimes.
Another entertaining moment for me was during the filming of Wonder Woman featuring Gal Gadot when I was playing a milkman in a huge street scene in charge of a horse and milk float. There was no direction from the AD to tell exactly what i was supposed to be doing so I took it upon myself on “Action!’ to stroke the horse. Very soon over the tannoy I heard the word “Cut!’ An AD came over to me and said can you stop stroking the horse as that’s all we can see in the shot” I said “oh sorry what do you want me to do then as I can’t see any cameras” a very quick retort came of "there’s one in that window behind you and one up on the roof of that building over there” I felt very small especially when he then made me lift those old stainless steel milk churns on and off the back of this cart, around 20. The next six hours of delivering milk was hard work I can tell you!
I have had the pleasure of working with many high profile actors on some amazing sets. In the film Holmes i played a period role (again!) as a traveller on the train on the Bluebell Railway. In-between takes in the blazing sun, Sir Ian McKellen was being pampered by MUA’s and assistants with brollies to protect him from the sun and many more. He saw me standing solitary on the station platform waiting for the next take and started making his way toward me. I thought blimey what do I do as you are not allowed to speak to the talent until spoken to. I looked up at Sir Ian and thought to myself don’t say anything, don’t say anything… at which point Sir Ian said to me “would you like a sweetie?” As I accepted his kind offer telling him that this particular brand was obviously my favourite, he wandered off and I heard the words from a fellow SA behind me saying “he fancies you”. It was only when I got home and spoke to my wife she explained that Sir Ian batted for the other side! Everything then fell into place.
My final memory was on a recently released Netflix film called The Dig. I found myself standing in a lift with Carey Mulligan on my left shoulder. As we waited for the next direction from the Director I couldn’t help myself and turned to her and forgot all my experiences and risked it… “Am I allowed to speak to you?” I blurted out. “Absolutely not” she replied and burst into laughter.
I don’t tend to make a point of watching films and series I have been in but I did make a point of proudly taking my kids to the cinema to see their old man in Holmes and five minutes into the film when my part came on screen, all we were able to see was my hat disappearing behind Sir Ian not even an ear to be seen, my kids turned round and said 'was that it Dad, can we go now then?’ I felt very humble. The next time was in The Crown, episode two, when my part was to open and close the door of the Queen’s car in Lisbon and I said to my wife “this is it, this is it, you can’t miss me!” The rest is history as all you saw was my hand as the shot cut away….
