Reviewed by: Pat Byington
What it’s like to be an extra in the Matthew McConaughey movie in Birmingham
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be an extra in a big-budget Hollywood Film? Wonder no further. Bham Now spoke with Jessica and Charlotte Daviston, a mother/daughter duo that participated as extras in a scene for The Rivals of Amziah King, a crime thriller currently filming in Birmingham and starring Matthew McConaughey.
Meet Jessica and Charlotte Daviston
For local real estate agent Jessica Daviston and her daughter, Charlotte, acting as extras in films has become their unique mother-daughter bonding experience. A year and a half ago, they were picked to participate in the filming of About My Father, a movie starring Robert De Niro that was released in May. The Davistons even got to meet De Niro himself!
“Charlotte is very interested in acting, so finding chances to be an extra has become a fun thing we do together! It’s a great bonding experience for us and we always come out of it with a cool story to tell.”
Jessica Daviston
So when Jessica saw a post from Goleman Casting calling for extras for a movie in Birmingham, she eagerly applied by emailing the casting company a few headshots and their availability. Then, a couple of days beforehand, Jessica got a message telling her what to wear, where to meet and which forms she needed to fill out—the Davistons had been selected!
What it’s like as an extra
On the day of the filming, Jessica and Charlotte drove to Legion Field—their “home base” for the day. After getting signed in, the Davistons and other extras were looked over by the wardrobe staff to see if the clothes they brought would fit the scene. Once they were cleared to go, the extras got on a bus to be transported to the actual filming location.
“At lot of the role of an extra is just sitting and waiting to be called. Luckily, they had plenty of snacks and drinks for us while we waited, and we got to chat and make friends with a lot of other local people.”
Jessica Daviston
Finally, Jessica and Charlotte heard their names—it was their time to shine. The scene for the day was a potluck set inside a small community center near Legion Field.
“One of the scenes we shot featured Shovels & Rope, a band that I actually love in real life! They were lip-syncing to one of their songs, and they have silencers on the drums so you don’t hear anything. It was incredible to just be there and watch one of my favorite bands perform right in front of me!”
Jessica Daviston
After a full work day—from 3PM to midnight—it was time for the Davistons to go home. Although they didn’t spot Matthew McConaughey, their experience on a movie set was not without a star-studded appearance.
“I got to meet Kurt Russell and shake his hand! I’m a big Marvel fan, but I didn’t know he was in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 until my mom told me. That was very exciting for me!”
Charlotte Daviston
“The most memorable part for me was probably being mistaken for a kid and patted on the head by Kurt Russell! The entire experience is thrilling, especially seeing how these professionals work. What looks like a simple scene in a movie has hundreds of people behind-the-scenes working to make it flow effortlessly.”
Jessica Daviston
With Birmingham becoming a destination for filming, there will likely be many more chances to be an extra in a big-budget movie.
“Being an extra in a movie is a very thrilling experience, and you never know when you could get another opportunity to do it. If you ever get the chance to be an extra, I would say you absolutely should do it!”
Charlotte Daviston
Have you been an extra as a movie in Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know about your experience!
