Chapter 20: The Hardships of Being an Extra

The alarm clock abruptly rang out, and Matthew, groggily opening his eyes, reached out to switch it off. The lamp cast a soft glow around the room. Despite the darkness outside, he quickly dressed and headed to the bathroom, calling out to his still-slumbering roommate, "Mike! Time to get up!"

Michael Shane struggled to open his eyes and asked, "Is it time already?"

"Quickly!" Matthew's voice echoed from the bathroom.

Today marked the official start of shooting the war scenes, unlike the previous days when they could sleep until dawn. Helen Herman had instructed them last night that they needed to be up by 3 AM and at the set, located outside of town, by 4 AM.

By the time Michael was up, Matthew had already finished washing up.

"I'll go grab us seats," he said, opening the door. "Meet you in the dining hall."

"Alright..." Michael yawned deeply.

The second floor of the hotel was quiet, with few people awake. Matthew descended the stairs to the first floor and entered the dining hall, where a buffet breakfast was already laid out. He picked a few items and headed to the dining area, where only one other person was eating.

"Morning, Helen," Matthew approached, recognizing Helen Herman.

The lone diner, who remembered the company's first client, nodded in acknowledgment. "Morning, Matthew."

"Can I sit here?" Matthew gestured to the seat opposite her.

"Feel free," Helen didn't object.

Matthew sat down, placing his tray on the table, and casually mentioned, "You're always up earlier than the actors."

"You're very observant," Helen remarked meaningfully.

Matthew had indeed been paying extra attention to Helen over the past few days, often making a point to appear in front of her.

It was clear Helen had noticed, but Matthew wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he directly said, "I was just curious how you managed to get us roles in 'Gladiator.'"

Helen smiled politely, a non-committal response. "Lucky, I guess."

Seeing she wasn't inclined to elaborate, Matthew focused on his breakfast, anticipating a busy day ahead.

As more people began entering the dining hall, Helen set down her utensils and stood up, "I'm done. You finish up."

With his mouth full of bacon, Matthew could only nod in response.

As Helen left, Michael rushed over with his tray and sat next to Matthew, curiously asking, "I just saw the boss of Angel here. What were you two talking about? You planning to hit on her?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Do you think that's possible?"

"No chance!" Michael cracked an egg into his mouth and mumbled, "What did you guys talk about?"

Matthew didn't hide it. "I asked her how she got these roles for us."

Michael, equally curious, asked, "Did you find out anything?"

"No," Matthew shook his head. "She keeps things close to her chest."

After finishing their breakfast, they stepped outside. It was still dark, but the streets were brightly lit. Nearly fifty extras from Angel quickly assembled, led by Helen and her assistant Amanda, heading towards the edge of the forest.

Numerous floodlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the area as bright as day. Over twenty makeup trailers were lined up, and more than fifty makeup artists and their assistants were already in place.

Standing outside the makeup trailers, Matthew saw Helen talking briefly with the bearded man before returning to the group.

"We'll split into two groups now!" Helen announced loudly. "One group follows Amanda for makeup. The other, come with me to get changed!"

The extras quickly divided into two lines. Michael initially headed towards makeup, but Matthew pulled him towards the costume line.

"Why go there? We're all getting fake beards glued on."

After yesterday's rehearsal, Matthew had asked around, "It's not even 4 AM yet, and shooting won't start until after 9 AM. You want glue on your face for five hours?"

Michael quickly joined Matthew's line.

Epic movie productions were complex, especially regarding actors' makeup and costumes. Aside from rehearsals, Matthew had been busy learning about the production, chatting with various assistants and crew members. While these extras lined up for makeup before 4 AM, the main actors wouldn't arrive until after 7 AM. The lead actor, Russell Crowe, was notoriously difficult to manage, often arriving late by up to half an hour.

This was the privilege of being a star.

Having been in three different productions, Matthew noted that it was normal for extras and regular actors to endure long waits, while big-name stars arrived late.

He didn't know if this was common in all productions, but it was his observation so far.

Matthew followed the line towards the costume trailers. It was just past 4 AM, and the 'Gladiator' production was already in full swing.

In this era,

 'Gladiator' was definitely a Hollywood A-list production, especially with a battle scene involving over a thousand actors, plus crew members. This small area was teeming with over 2,500 people.

Passing by various department trailers, Matthew observed the precision of the operation. The entire set was orderly, with no sign of chaos.

"This is what a big-industry set looks like?"

Compared to the 'Gladiator' crew, the 'Soul Transfer Maiden' crew was minuscule.

When the line reached the costume trailers and halted, Matthew quietly waited. Hundreds of extras were gathered, and even with the crew's efficiency, it took time.

It was more than an hour before dawn broke, and only then did Matthew enter the trailer. Extras playing background roles didn't get individualized costumes. A costume designer eyed Matthew's build, handed him rough-hewn clothes and a faux fur shoulder wrap, and helped him dress.

The clothes were a bit tight, not quite fitting, but background roles weren't fussy. The designer patted Matthew's arm, "All set!"

Finally, Matthew put on worn shoes, completing his transformation into a rugged barbarian warrior.

"Go to makeup," Helen directed him to a nearby makeup trailer as he walked out. "Hurry up."

"Okay!"

Matthew headed to the makeup trailer queue. The costume was somewhat thick, but early March mornings in Los Angeles were cool, which was fortunate. Filming this scene in summer would have been unbearable for the extras.

By daylight, it was finally Matthew's turn for makeup. Sitting in front of the makeup trailer, a female makeup artist tousled his mid-length hair to look wild, then signaled for an assistant to attach a beard to his face.

Matthew had seen many Hollywood historical epics, where most male characters, regardless of their attractiveness, sported beards.

The assistant matched a fake beard to Matthew's hair color and began applying it with special glue—not strand by strand, but as a pre-made piece, which was efficient given the number of extras.

Matthew guessed that the individual strand application was reserved for main actors.

Once the beard was attached, the makeup artist applied tribal-like markings to his face. The glue, despite being cosmetic-grade, became uncomfortable over time.

But Matthew couldn't scratch or touch it; ruining the makeup was not an option.

Finally, he headed to the props department to receive a barbarian's weapon—a process that was much quicker. A props master, noting Matthew's robust frame, handed him a double-bladed battle-axe. It looked formidable but was light, likely made of plastic or resin, weighing no more than five or six pounds.

Thus, a formidable barbarian warrior was born.

Armed with his imposing axe, Matthew followed a crew member to the edge of the woods, where he joined other actors waiting for filming to begin.

Checking with someone, it was already past 8 AM!

From entering the set before 4 AM to getting fully prepped took over four hours, most of which involved waiting.

Their legs ached, their feet were numb, and some even looked visibly exhausted and sleepy.

But to appear in the film, even briefly, they had to continue waiting.

Time slowly passed, the sun climbed higher, and Matthew could see that the cameras, cranes, and tracks were all set up, ready to start shooting.

The bearded man arrived with a white-haired old man in his fifties or sixties, with Helen looking very familiar with them.

"Alright, guys!" the bearded man called out with a booming voice, "Perk up, we're about to start shooting!"

He looked at the elderly man, who nodded, and announced, "Okay, get ready! Let's do it just like we rehearsed."

"Quick!" Matthew felt someone tug him; it was Michael. "That old man is Ridley Scott! Let's move up front!"

Not just Michael, many of the extras seemed to think getting in front could impress a big-time director like Ridley Scott.

Michael, eager to make an impression, used his height and build to push forward, shoving past someone shorter to reach the front of the queue.

He seemed desperate to catch Ridley Scott's eye.

In just a few seconds, the group of extras descended into chaos.