Title: Leatherheads, feature film
Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Extra: Marco Marinelli
Producers: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Casey Silver
Director: George Clooney
Script: George Clooney, Stephen Schiff, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly
About Marco
Characters: Reporter and football game attendee.
Sites: Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina. Now residing in Mason Ohio.
All in the family: Wife, Regina, and two daughters, Gabriella 9 and Isabella 3.
Business: National Sales Manager JBS Industries.
Marco had close shave, after shave, after shave…
What started this whole adventure was an article I saw in the local paper about a casting call that had been held at the nearby mall for the “New George Clooney movie.”
Of course this was old news since I had missed it. I noticed an e-mail address to send info if you were interested in becoming an extra. I sent my picture and brief description of myself and lo and behold received a call the very next morning!
They asked me if I could be in Statesville by Thursday to get fitted for a suit and get a haircut to fit the era. They wanted me to be a reporter! Needless to say, I was there.
The first person I called was my wife. “George Clooney?” Was all I remember her asking. “Yeah, and Renee Zellweger!” I kept interjecting.
The first day was a press conference being shot at Hanes Middle School in Winston-Salem.
I showed up bright and early at 5:30 a.m. picked up my wardrobe then got in line for hair and makeup. After they finished my hair, I was inspected for facial hair. Now I knew they wanted me clean shaven and smooth, so I used a new razor and shaved twice that morning. The gentleman asks me, “When was the last time you shaved?” I told him about 20 minutes ago! Not good enough. I spent the next 15 minutes peeling the skin off my face with an electric razor before I was cleared. By the way, they made me shave twice more that day.
I was seated out of the camera’s eye in the morning so after lunch I placed myself in an aisle seat near the action. What a move! Renee started the scene from right beside me and ended up storming past me at the end of it. Between every take she stood right next to me while they tended to her hair and make up. At one point, they were fitting her for a wireless microphone and she was untangling a kink in the line when this tiny microphone hits me in the shoulder, I didn’t even feel it! You would have thought she hit me with a sledgehammer she was so apologetic. I don’t remember exactly what I said but I’m sure it sounded something like, “Awe uhhh well oh that’s ummm hey no biggie blah oh my God!” What a beautiful woman!
I had a brief interaction with Mr. Clooney, also. We were doing a scene where the fans are entering the stadium (Greensboro’s War Memorial); after we were placed George came around and as usual greeted everyone with a hearty “Good Morning!” He was standing next to me with a cameraman looking through his monocular thingy and they were discussing moving the camera for a better angle. When they decided to do move it George stands up turns towards to me and says, “What you think?” And I said, “That’s probably what I would do.” Yeah, I’m a suck up.
I was really surprised by the enormity of it all. All the people involved in making a movie successful is staggering. I really have no problem in paying $10 plus for a movie ticket now. The production crew really had it together and they were so nice and friendly towards everyone. They really made you feel like you were a star. It was truly a wonderful experience. And yes I would do it again, especially if Mr. Clooney comes calling!
Thank you also to all the wonderful “extras” I met and had the opportunity to talk to. Almost everyone had story of a “close encounter.”
The one thing I learned from this is that we are not extras at all, but necessities!
I’m driving from Ohio to Greenville for the gala and can’t wait to see everyone there!
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