Meet the author: Jim Fair

Title: Leatherheads, feature film
Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Extra: Jim Fair
Producers: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Casey Silver
Director: George Clooney
Script: George Clooney, Stephen Schiff, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly

By JIM FAIR

It was déjà vu over again.

Fast forward about half a century with the little boy peering over a chain-linked fence with his father as they quietly watched the brothers play youth football.

There I was again peering over a chain-linked fence, through a tight group of pine trees. The difference this time was the fans were two deep or strategically placed so I had to stand on my toes or peek through a small opening to catch a glimpse of the teams on the field.

Conversations were in whispers. Interrupting the players meant money lost and immediate dismissal, no questions asked. Finger pointing steered the crowd to individual stars – George Clooney or Renee Zellweger  – who were the focus of our attention.

After all, it was the reason all of us were at Lake View Elementary School in Travelers Rest in late March. We wanted to experience stardom again -- albeit this will be for make believe. This is the story we will exaggerate forever more, as the decades have allowed us to enhance our past exploits to our spouses, family and friends.

For every day “Leatherheads” was filmed stars were born, some more brightly than others. Every star has its own story how it came into being a part of the “Leatherheads” universe that encompasses thousands of bright minute stars. But together there was nothing like it and for most there won’t be anything else to match the magic of being nothing more than a pixel-sized contributor.

My story is much like many others. I answered a last-minute casting call on a whim, brought a last-minute home-made headshot and answered the questionnaire to the best of my ability that would get me onto the set.

Yes, I’ve acted in stage productions before. Truth: If Hansel and Gretel and Vacation Bible School productions counted. Thankfully, there weren’t enough lines on the questionnaire to clarify.

Yes, I’ve appeared on TV. Truth: My wife, Gloria, and I are in the background on the 18th hole at the Masters during a sudden death playoff. Oh yeah, let’s not forget my role in the Smothers Brothers show in Las Vegas (Take it, Jim!). I can do documentaries, too. I was part of the Spartanburg Phillies documentary baseball that aired in Philadelphia. It’s a stretch but I wondered what the person across from me was claiming as his credits.

Yes, I would be able to travel if it was necessary. Truth: As long as my sick leave and vacation days held out.

Yes, I would not hold the studio responsible for any injury suffered on the set. Truth: it would take a dozen of Keith Loneker’s (6-3, 350-pound actor and growing daily) to drag me off the set.

Um, OK. I will submit to hair and makeup. We’re all in this together. Truth: I got a haircut the day before (which really made them unhappy).

Perfect, we’ll call you!

THE CALL

How can I adequately describe what I was feeling when I answered my cell phone at work. A casting assistant is on the line to tell me report to work as an extra for a movie starring and directed by George Clooney. Oh, Renee Zellweger is the co-star? Both own Oscars. I own a trophy my parents bought me for Christmas 1968 when I bemoaned the fact I didn’t have anything to show for a state football championship other than a paperweight and the Norfolk Mace tiepin presented by the mayor.

“You are to wear black slacks, white shirt with a black tie, black tie shoes (no loafers), black or brown overcoat, a scarf and a fedora. You will be notified by a (secret) phone recording the night before you are to report at the set at 5 a.m. for wardrobe and makeup,” said the agent. “Any questions?” None from me.

I called my wife, got her total support, and discussed coming home to check out my wardrobe.

I told my supervisor I was taking three days off and would not be available by cell during the entire time. After all, no actor takes cell calls while filming!

Of course I had to share my good fortune with my mom who didn’t know I would grow up to be an actor while planning early retirement to seek my star in Hollywood. She was as ecstatic for me. “That’s nice!” she said. “Your brother took me out today and we had good time.”

A VERY LARGE ‘GREEN ROOM’

That’s what I called the Lake View Middle School gymnasium where hundreds of extras and cast members and crew would use as a holding and dining area. The second I walked into the gym and looked around it was if I had gone back in time to the mid-1920s. Men wore suits, sport coats and overcoats with fedoras. Women wore dresses we would now describe as business attire all the way to glitzy costumes with feathered hats. Today when I woke up it was February 27 with the temperature forecast for the upper 70s. But here, in this room and on the outside set in a make believe stadium, it was the dead of winter in Duluth, Minnesota.

The waiting area quickly became a melting pot of cast mates. The practice players claimed the back of the gymnasium where they could lay down on the bleachers for a quick nap between shoots. Of course, the cheerleaders were nearby.

The “Press” claimed a separate table and strategically placed garments and handbags or seats leaned forward signaled ownership during shooting scenes. The cops, naturally, were in the front closest to the door. They commanded a lot of attention and photo requests since they were dressed for action all day. They wouldn’t be able to imitate today’s cops. There were no guns, tasers, walkie-talkies or cell phones. But they did carry a nightstick and their shiny badges had numbers and words to make them appear authentic.

The remaining extras – businessmen, school personnel, small business owners, laborers, retail clerks, models, entertainers, first responders, college professors, college students, moms and a myriad of others – formed their own social network. There was no exclusivity. We were all there for a purpose.

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY

Me and my former coach, Fred Haley

‘Hey Jim Fair. Hey Jim,” came the voice behind me. I hadn’t been in the “very large green room” 10 minutes when I was startled to hear my name. I had just sat down to get the lay of the land.  I turned and recognized the facial features and the very recognizable voice that “haunted” me daily while playing football at Furman University,

There’s absolutely no way to describe my reaction when I recognized Fred Haley, my former coach when I attended Furman in the early 1970s.  As we age we all believe we don’t change physically. Coach Haley is one who really hasn't. He still looked as he did when he bluntly challenged my manhood and intellect during practices. Coach could never understand my feet would only carry my large frame but so fast. But the one thing that has stuck in my mind since our relationship began – he was the one who would wake me early, well before dawn on dewy, humid mornings to run miles around arguably one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. There was Coach Haley, in his air-conditioned car blowing his horn, flicking his bright lights as his way of encouraging me to get through the drill.

My motivation was made perfectly clear from the outset. If I finished the run before the cafeteria closed I could eat breakfast. If not, see you at lunch. Sleeping in was not an option.  But Coach Haley did teach me the value of making my own decisions. My one decision that I am happy to say has not been broken in over 35 years – I don’t run for my food!

Three days on the set was not enough time to catch up with almost four decades of lost teammates, friends and coaches. Coach Haley was just the starting point of renewing old acquaintances and friendships.

Stories were around us.  All you had to do was sit listen.

A “policeman” was overheard saying he was taking time off from his athletic responsibilities to be a part of this adventure.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at school?” I asked. “I’m sick,” the cop said with a smile.

“What if you’re on TV or in the movie how will you explain that?  I asked. “I don’t have to. That’s up to my vice principal and he’s sitting right next to me!” 

An elderly gentleman was explaining how he had taught math recently at the Governor’s School in Greenville. Before that he taught in public schools many years. Upon listening to the man’s story, a 30ish gentleman quietly asked the teacher’s name. When the retired teacher told him, the person next to him said he remembered being a student of his many years ago.

THE HILL PEOPLE

Just as groups formed inside the waiting area, they took on a life of their own on the stadium set. The “Press Box” group was the extras when Renee Zellweger would be filmed during her scenes in the press box and on the field when interviewing the winning Bulldogs.

The “Sideliners” manned the sidelines and were strategically placed to give the games a sense of activity and team support personnel.

“The Hill People” were placed just outside of the end zone on an extremely steep hill with antique cars at the top. I am a proud “Hill” person. We were scattered   in precise positions to illustrate activity before and during the game. During a kickoff that began at our end zone and was run back for a touchdown, we were told to madly cheer this orchestrated feat. We stood for hours in the same place and were asked a day later to resume our same positions for marking and editing purposes. And there was some danger involved being a “Hill” person. The hill was littered with colonies of fire ants and more than once an extra would loose his balance and slip, roll or slide to the bottom of the hill.

There were “Vendors”, “Concessionaires”, “Walkers” (those that walked and talked during game action) and many more self-named groups.

Interestingly, once a group would appear to gain an edge in camera time, others would gravitate toward that group. For example, the “Hill People” started out with 17 and by the next morning there were at least 25. But there was no dishonor tattling on the intruders! Afterall, that’s showbiz!

Me and Thomas Wolfe ...	... ready to buy tickets!

STAR TREATMENT

I had been told from a very good friend, who had worked in film and knew actresses and actors, that an extra was just that – an extra. Extras, according to my friend, shouldn’t expect star treatment. They would be treated poorly and without concern to their comfort. They might be fed but it certainly would be a different menu than the film’s stars, cast and crew.  Extras, in most production companies, are looked upon as cattle. Round them up and put them where you want them. Tell them when and what to do and move on. I had no idea what to expect and therefore showed up on the set apprehensive. If it was a cattle call I still maintained the privilege of walking away anytime I wanted.

My skepticism quickly dissipated in wardrobe and makeup. Despite there being over 400 extras on set, each was treated as an individual. The wardrobe people made sure you were dressed correctly when leaving and instructed how to make on-the-fly adjustments. Not until each extra was told “You look great” and given a nod of approval by others were you then led to makeup and hair.

For men and women this was the most critical time to decide if you were cut out to be a star. Men with facial hair were told to loose it or leave. Ditto for long-haired extras. I don’t know of anyone who declined to have their beards, mustaches or hair cut. Some women had harder choices – keep the long hair that was as much a part of their identity or have it cut. Most had it cut and some women had years of growth sheared and reshaped within minutes.

Makeup was better, although a little daunting for men. Most men didn’t need anything more than some tanning lotion for the face or thick gel to keep hair glued in place. For women it was like an abbreviated day at the spa. As a rule, women were tended to first in the morning because they took longer and at lunch they were commanded to eat first since they had to return to makeup for some freshening.

Production assistants kept the masses informed of the schedule, any changes affecting different scenes and would personally escort us to our positions. George Clooney would frequently walk through the crowd explaining what was going on, or apologize for delays and often crack jokes for amusement. During rehearsals it wasn’t unlike Clooney to go behind the scenes and gesture for more applause, crowd noise or exaggerate movements he wanted from the extras. Clooney took a personal interest in the comfort of the extras. On days the heat was sweltering he would get assistants to pass out pieces of cloth (sweat rags) so we could wipe our faces and dry our hands. He demanded that water be brought frequently to the extras and had a water and candy/gum station set up.

There was no screaming at actors or assistants. And the assistants handled all situations and extras professionally. There was a genuine “team” atmosphere and Clooney’s conduct was contagious. We all took ownership in giving Clooney our best when the crew called for “action”.

My pay check from "The Leatherheads". Big thrill!

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

I honestly don’t know if I would like to be an extra in another movie.

“Leatherheads” was as perfect as it gets for me. Two top box office draws, a sports movie filmed in our communities, meeting friends from many years past and making new acquaintances, getting an opportunity to get in position for face time (depending on the camera angles and cuts) and going through an experience I could have only dreamed about in the past. It was fun, not work.
I’ve played Augusta National once and don’t want to play it again. A return to Augusta would only diminish my fondest golf memory of one of the most sacred courses in the world.

I’ve been in the Philadelphia Phillies locker room when they won the World Series and were dripped in champagne during the celebration. My memory of former players I covered who contributed to the championship can’t be matched.

I’ve batted against Bob Feller and afterward we discussed how he pitched to me. How can you top having a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers in baseball tell you there was a method to his sequence of pitches during our matchup? He’s so competitive that he didn’t even want to give an inch during an exhibition.

Norm Van Brocklin, a Hall of Fame quarterback known for his fiery competitiveness during practice and games as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, loved to intimidate the media. It was my second time covering the Falcons as a rookie writer at a preseason practice. I was still learning the ways of how to gingerly have my questions answered by Van Brocklin.  In total disbelief to me, Van Brocklin was walking off the Furman practice field that day when he spotted me and in the best tone I recollect was commanding: “Hey big boy, let’s go to my office for a beer.” I remember him asking me if I played football and him reaching into a refrigerator for our beers. I can’t honestly say I remember much more.

U.S. Olympic wrestler Matt Ghaffari provided me the fondest memory of an athlete during the infamous 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Ghaffari had just lost the gold medal to his Russian nemesis Alexander Karelin in the Greco-Roman final heavyweight event.

The bombing at Centennial Park had taken the momentum away from the Games’ competitions and shifted its focus on the security.

The National Guard was already stationed around the perimeter of the Olympic Village and venues preceding the first event. But after the bombing the border patrol was brought in with more metal detection devices to specifically safeguard people entering Centennial Park. The park was where concerts played nightly, souvenirs were sold and athletes and visitors from around the world met at the park’s fountain.

I had a bunch of T-shirts to give away from a design Tim Buss produced as part of our nationally-acclaimed Sports4Kids staff. Ghaffari, proudly wearing his silver medal, saw me with the T-shirts and asked if we could walk together through Centennial Park and give them away to the security agents in appreciation for their service throughout the games. Ghaffari soon had a trailing crowd following him.

Ghaffari thanked security agents on duty at the park and gave them the T-shirts to give to their children. Ghaffari signed many of the T-shirts with personal messages. People following Ghaffari would often clap for the security personnel.

It’s because of these great memories and many more that I am content that it is another chapter in my life that I have had the good fortune to tell stories about people and events that have been an extraordinary part of my life.

This is as good a place to stop as any and continue my quest to write as many stories about the “stars” who lived their dream that was only a fantasy until George Clooney came to town and invited us to part of his move – “Leatherheads”.
          

Yep, that's me, drinking out of a bucket on the sidelines of a high school game in Norfolk, Va.