Being an Extra in a Mark Wahlberg Movie

Over the past month or so, the first promotional materials and trailers for the movie Ted have begun popping up both online and in theaters. The film tells the tale of a 'magical' teddy-bear and his relationship with a grown man played by Mark Wahlberg. This is no family flick though, as it's the directorial debut of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who is known for his clever (if not vulgar) sense of humor.  When it's released, I will be rushing to see it - not because it sounds amazing (although it does), or because of a good cast (which it has), but because I am in it...and that is not a lie.

As with most movies, the makers of Ted needed background actors (more commonly known as 'extras') for a concert scene at the Hatch Shell in Boston. When the call for help was sent out last summer (I heard through a local radio station), I was more than happy to lend a hand to be one of 2,500 people needed for a concert crowd. We were told via e-mail that a “mystery” Grammy-winning artist would be in the scene, and we were instructed to dress in dark, logo-free “Boston hip” clothing. I have no idea what “Boston hip” is, but in retrospect, I'm fairly certain nobody else there did either.

I arrived on set (wearing a very “Boston hip” navy v-neck t-shirt if you must know) about an hour before the posted arrival time of 7PM, and there were already hundreds of people in line. I was impressed by the crew managing the extras because a few minutes before 7PM they began checking us in very quickly and giving us our first instructions. These directives were basically: “find a spot on the grass and wait until we tell you more.” From that moment, the battling for a good location began. This was like being at Best Buy on Black Friday, but with even more people!  In front of the Hatch Shell is a large lawn, often referred to as the Esplanade (which is actually the name of the entire park). This is the same place where the televised Fourth of July Boston Pops concert takes place every year (among other events). Using my height, my speed, and the pointy edge on my lawn chair as a weapon, I maneuvered myself to be about ten people thick back just slightly to the right of center stage, which gave me a phenomenal view of the Hatch Shell and all that would happen there. It didn't hurt that at 6 '2, I could see over everyone in front of me.

The Voice of God (V.O.G.) role went to a local radio DJ who acted like there were a million things he would rather be doing than babysitting thousands of people who wanted to be in a movie. The V.O.G. is the crew member who is responsible for giving instruction to the crowd of extras for matters like where to go if we have to use the bathroom, how long we would have to be at this shoot (in this case 3AM), and when the actual filming would begin. And he was also the one who announced that the “mystery musical guest” just so happened to be Miss Norah Jones. This announcement was met with a bunch of “Awwww, I wanted it to be Lady Gaga” and “Awwww, I wanted it to be Maroon 5”'s, but I was perfectly satisfied with the choice.

A little while later, I was pleasantly surprised when the director, Seth MacFarlane, came out to greet the crowd. After doing a bunch of quick Family Guy voices, he took us through the first scene we were needed for, which just so happened to be one of the last scenes in the movie. I know he needed our cooperation, but he was a complete class act nonetheless. He didn't take his army of free workers for granted. Throughout the entire experience, he would come out, crack jokes – none of which I can write here – and give out prizes to the crowd. Norah Jones also loved on the crowd multiple times, fully engaging everyone in this unique scenario. For a while, Mark Wahlberg seemed to be the only person in the scene who was “above” talking to the background actors, but as the night went on even he began joking and ribbing the crowd. We, the extras, felt just like one of the cast.

Naturally, as the night turned to the early morning hours, the crowd thinned and I was able to move up to be just a few people back from the primary shooting area. This even more phenomenal location let me get a first hand view as Boston Bruin Shawn Thornton shot a cameo appearance in the film. Finally, just after 3AM, the V.O.G. finished raffling off all of the prizes that they were giving away periodically to try and entice people not to leave early (I didn't win any, but the event was fun enough to stay), and they said we were no longer needed. Seth MacFarlane came out and thanked us for our time, and even though I was exhausted, I would have wanted to be in no other place.

A few random highlights:

*Norah Jones stumbled on her lines, calling Mark Wahlberg “Mark Wahlberg” instead of his character name upon her first take. She jokingly blamed the audience for distracting her.

*The production crew brought in TONS of food for the extras – pizzas, subs, and other snack items galore.

*Mark Wahlberg commented on how people in Boston “swear too much” which was met with a resounding “F*** yeah!” from the crowd (but not from me).

*Throughout the night, we the crowd were directed to look puzzled, heckle and boo Mark Wahlberg, and finally send up a roaring applause for Norah Jones. By the end of the night I doubt there was a single person in attendance who didn't have a sore throat and sore hands.

*While only 2,500 people were needed, reports came in saying that as many as 7,000 tried to be a part of this shoot. I think that latter number is a bit high, but it was extremely crowded.

All in all, it was a great experience and I cannot wait to see the finished product in a few weeks when the movie opens on June 29^th!