Title: Leatherheads, feature film
Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Extra: Manny Perez
Producers: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Casey Silver
Director: George Clooney
Script: George Clooney, Stephen Schiff, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly
About Manny
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Character: Cop
Set: Speakeasy Tavern
9 vs. 3 – Manny said there were 8 cops and 1 sergeant while there was Clooney and two Clooney doubles on the set.

Manny’s observations

To the rescue: “We had a scene where Renee was running and she was surrounded by all the cops. I told her she had a police escort. Renee looked at me and said, ‘A girl should be so lucky!’ ”
Stunning: “Renee was wearing a beautiful white dress in the Speakeasy Tavern. All the other actors were dressed in darker clothes. She really stood out in that scene.”
Trapped door: During Clooney’s getaway from the Speakeasy Tavern raid there was a trap door that allowed patrons to get out quickly to elude the cops.
Oops! Wrong clubs: “Six of the cops were given clubs before the raid scene. They were all wooden, real clubs. A production assistant was stunned and replaced the real clubs with props.”
Perfect hair: “It seemed about 50 times that Clooney had his hair fixed on the set.
Rumor mill: Manny said he heard from another extra that Clooney was planning to return to eastern North Carolina to film the “Bootleg Project”. 

Last-minute decision earns Speakeasy scene

Manny’s wife Sabra didn’t believe him when he called to tell her he was being cast in the movie “Leatherheads”.

But Sabra knew he was not making up a story when he told her he feared he would be kicked off the set while playing poker with a group of extras.

“I like having fun and do a lot of crazy things,” said Manny.

One of Manny’s crazy ideas paid off when he decided, on a whim, to go to a “Leatherheads” casting call at a mall in High Point, North Carolina.

“I didn’t intend to do it,” said Manny. “My wife was checking the news on TV and I heard about the call. I was off the next day and asked my wife what she would think if I went. She just rolled her eyes.”

Sammy’s reward for being early was his being fifth in line. “There was a good looking guy in front of me. He could have been taken for being a model. When he got to the front of the line the casting person said ‘no, sorry.’ I got there and was accepted. I asked why I was accepted and the other guy wasn’t. They said they were looking for more ‘real’ people.”

Manny was signed up as a soldier and sent to a warehouse to be fitted. I was with another guy when an assistant came in and said they were short a cop. Before I knew it the assistant said to fit me for a Duluth cop.

Manny said his claim to fame can be that he chased George Clooney out of a bar. “The scene was in the Speakeasy Tavern. The cops would come crashing through the door and yell ‘This is a raid and nobody move.’

“There was a jazz band playing and a singer on stage when the sergeant kicked down the door. While everybody was running and trying to get out of the bar the band stopped playing. Then they started playing again. I thought that was pretty funny.

“Never in a million years did I think I would be in a movie with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger and be acting with them.  I got to speak to Renee and was sitting behind George while he was talking to someone while we were waiting to shoot our scene.”

Manny said he was ready for action. “I don’t know what came over me but when they yelled ‘action’ I was ready. I was in my zone.”

Manny said some of his friends say he missed his calling. “I miss it,” said Manny. “If I had to drive three hours to do this again I would.”