I've always loved films. I've been going to the cinema since I was a small kid. I remember going to see 'Jaws' and loosing a tooth during the hull inspection scene. I was chewing a toffee and, when the head rolled out, I clenched my jaws so hard that a tooth got lodged in the toffee when I tried to open my mouth! I have lots of fond memories of the Strand cinema in Derry in the 1970s. Films seemed to be a bigger event back then. One time the Strand showed 'Star Wars' & 'The Empire Strikes Back' as a double bill but, for some weird reason, they showed 'The Empire Strikes back' first!! Everyone has their favourite type of sweet when they watch a movie. Back then, mine was Poppets, especially the mint ones. I loved them. Nowadays, it's Revels; every
time.
I love this photo! This is me in the late 70s standing in my parent's garden in Derry. I'm holding an invisible light-saber of course! My love of films was evident even then. And what about those knees!!!
Those early days gave me a real love for films. In the days before DVDs and behind-the-scenes features, it was hard to find out how films were put together. They held a magical quality to me. I was fascinated by the early Spielberg films. 'Close Encounters of The Third Kind' really clicked with me, more so than 'ET' which everyone else loved but wasn't a favourite of mine. 'Close Encounters' was an incredible film. I remember trying to build a model of Devil's Mountain out of mashed spuds. My mother wasn't very impressed!
In 2001, while in Philadelphia (where my brother lives), I bought a DVD of the remake of 'Planet of The Apes'
I know the film got a lot of negative press but I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the special features, one of which showed how the extras were trained to walk and act like apes. I loved this feature. It looked like a lot of fun. It got me wondering just how the film companies arranged to have all the people in the background. I remember thinking - 'I'd love a go at that'. I didn't know where to start. The internet (before google!) wasn't much help. I then had a brainwave...
I got a number for the BBC in Belfast. I rang them and asked them where they got their extras from if they are making a show here. The woman on the other end of the phone was very helpful. She gave me 2 phone numbers and told me to ring them. I was very grateful! I was about to offer my thanks and say goodbye when she said she would put me through to someone who could give some more advice. So I heard a few clicks and then I heard a voice with an English accent say 'Hello?' I explained that I was interested in extra work and we spent the next 30 minutes having a great chat. He explained how it all worked. How, if they were filming a military scene, they would use ex-military as extras as they knew how to hold a weapon and dress properly. He gave me a lot of helpful advice about how to behave on a film set. He was a really nice guy! After a while I thought I'd let him off the hook so, just before I said my goodbyes, I asked him what agencies he used. I can still hear his reply, because I nearly fainted.
"Well, when we made Tomb Raider, we used...."
It turns out, I was talking to Terry Madden! I couldn't believe it! He was incredibly helpful. The lady at BBC in Belfast had put me through to Terry at Elstree studios, presumably while he was working on 'Die Another Day'! Well, if I had a passing interest before, I had a burning desire now!
I had also asked the lady at the BBC which agency was the more popular of the two. She told me to try 'Actor's Ireland'. I gave them a ring and they told me to send them a photo and a few details (measurements etc). So I sent them off and figured I'd be at the bottom of a long queue. I have to say I was gobsmacked when they rang me a few days later to say they had a job for me...
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