If you regret not trying out as an ‘extra’ for Bass Reeves, here’s how to apply for other projects.
I feel like I missed my big break into showbiz by not applying to be an extra when Taylor Sheridan’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves was filmed in Stephenville last week.
And after hearing how much fun it was during my interview with Lori Bramlett Mayfield, I was really kicking myself.
Dang it!
Stephenville resident Dr. Dwayne Shaffer was also cast as an extra in the television series and he reached out to me this weekend to explain how others can try out for the same experience.
“If your readers are interested in joining the cast in the future Taylor Sheridan ‘Lawmen’ series, they can sign-up entirely free at MyCastingFile.com,” he told Beneath the Surface News. “This links to Legacy Casting. They have not started choosing the cast for the new series yet, but they are actively recruiting for other projects, including ‘Walker.’"
Extras are paid, on average, about $225-250 per day, he said.
Dr. Shaffer has so far worked 10 days on the set of Bass Reeves and will return for additional filming in Strawn on May 10.
His first day of filming in Glen Rose was in a Confederate war camp set after the battle of Pea Ridge, where he played a battle amputee.
“The Strawn scenes were set in a town known as ‘Checotah,’” he said. “My work was primarily in the street, but one day was in a bordello, in a town unknown to me.”
The Stephenville scenes were set in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Prior to the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, it was the gateway connecting the American east and west.
“Fort Smith had rapidly expanding economic opportunities for whites, blacks, Native Americans and Mexicans; women were an economic force, seen in businesses, carriages and shopping independently, and these scenes portray this,” he said.
Dr. Shaffer said the work is interesting and exciting, but the days can be long.
“Everything is hurry and wait,” he said. “Typically, we walk through scenes eight to 15 times, then shoot eight to 10 times.”
But if you have the patience – and curiosity – to see what working as an ‘extra’ is like, give it a shot!
