Title: Leatherheads, feature film
Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Extra: Lisa Glass
Producers: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Casey Silver
Director: George Clooney
Script: George Clooney, Stephen Schiff, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly
Photo: Lisa (right) with Ginger from the costume department

About Lisa

Children: Natalie 12, Matthew 10 and Meredith 7.
Lisa was an extra in a family film with children. “It was a short film and it only took half an hour to shoot our part.”
Sewing as a craft: Lisa began sewing while in grade school. She has produced pillowcases for a store in the Upstate.
5 of a kind: There were four seamstresses, a tailor and dyer on the set.
Lisa to the rescue: When production moved to North Carolina, Lisa was called on occasion to bring wardrobe or other items missed in the transition. But the call that was most urgent was when Lisa was asked if she could bring the paychecks from South Carolina the next morning.
Pinning on glory: When wardrobe would make a critical fix that saved the crew time and money on a scene that was ready to shoot, the person would be rewarded with a safety pin on their sleeve.
Clooney a quick study: Prior to shoots George Clooney would quickly read his lines and say, “OK, let’s go.”

Lisa liked working behind the scenes just fine

Lisa Glass will recognize a lot of her work in the “Leatherheads” when it hits the big screen.

Lisa is among an exclusive group who worked behind the scenes in the Costume department.  She helped put the finishing touches of wardrobe on the thousands of extras who appeared on numerous sets among the cities  “Leatherheads” was filmed.

When Lisa answered the casting call for “Leatherheads” she wasn’t looking to get in front of the camera. Lisa wanted to be a part of the film that could take advantage of her skills. And those were mostly away from the set but were quite valuable in keeping the film’s daily schedule on time and everybody dressed in the appropriate attire.

Lisa’s responsibilities included helping the costume director and assistants dress the extras and make adjustments as needed. Living just five minutes from the set in Travelers Rest also helped Lisa steer the crew to the closet or specialty stores that sold the thread, fabric or other items as needed.

“I had no idea there would be so many extras working on this film,” said Lisa.

And Lisa learned as much about a myriad of other roles people in the costume department perform. It wasn’t just getting the right fedora to complement an outfit or dress to match with the role the extras were assigned.

“They wanted a lot of things that enhanced the period look of the cast and I helped them locate the stores where the products were sold,” said Lisa. “They wanted the kind of deodorant that left the white marks on the clothes,” said Lisa. “I understand that it gives the clothing a more period look for the film. We bought felt and washed it until it got the old looking they were looking for. Then we put on the number.

“Eventually a lot of the stores we frequented would know what we were working on and simply ask ‘OK, what are you looking for and how much?’ I loved working in Costume.

Lisa juggled working for “Leatherheads” from January through March while make sure her children were care for and getting to school and home on time. “They (costume directors) worked with me a lot so I could take care of my family,” said Lisa. “I told them I couldn’t work 20 hour days like most of them.”

Most of the costumes were rented from a shop in Los Angeles, she said. “Hats, shoes, gloves, scarves, ties and men and women clothes from the “Leatherheads” era all had to be tagged and accounted for because all the items had to be returned at the end of production.”

Lisa said it was unique how the Costume crew had a “talent for picking out the wardrobe that best accented the body type. If an older man were fitted they would accent his wardrobe with a top hat. Younger people were fit with different kinds of period hats.”

The professional Costume crew had done its homework well before filming. “They knew what coat to match with the pants. They knew where pants should break and their length. The sleeve length on shirts had to be exact to that time in fashion.