Willie Nelson, Charlie’s Angels, and Rocky Horror

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I did “extra” work on TV shows, movies, and commercials. Extras are the people who walk around in the background of a set to make the scene come alive—hence the term “extras.” It’s an actual profession, so if you look closely at the background of your favorite shows, you might spot some of the same people roaming around back there.

On my first day on set, someone burst my bubble by telling me, “You know what you extras are? You’re just props that eat.”

Aside from no glamour, extra work didn’t pay particularly well, but

it was a good fit for me because I spent most of the time sitting around waiting to go on. All this downtime meant I could make phone calls to find work and write jokes. Plus, I figured it was a good way to learn the ropes so that when I became a big star, I’d know something about TV and movie shoots and wouldn’t embarrass myself.

To get extra work, you signed up with an “extras” agency. Each night, you’d call a phone number to listen to a recording that would make the ACLU cringe. Because shows and commercials look for specific types of people, the recording could be very blunt. It went something like: “Tomorrow, we’re looking for fat people. We need really big, fat, obese people who are overweight by at least 80 pounds,” or “We need white males age 18 who look 12,” or “We need tall Black women over 40.” You get the picture—they wanted a particular look. If you matched their description, you’d call another number to get booked.

The next step? Showing up at some horrible hour like 3 a.m.—well before the rest of the cast. Extras have a reputation for being unreliable, so they made sure you were there early. You also had to bring at least three outfits for the costume department to inspect, and usually insult you about.

Despite all this, I got some interesting gigs. My mom was thrilled when I

spent an entire episode of Ally McBeal sitting behind Calista Flockhart in court. She made sure to broadcast my “success” to friends and family so they could watch the episode. I’ve had my name in lights on the Vegas strip, sold jokes to late-night TV, and performed in front of thousands of people every week. But give me a (very) few bucks to sit behind Calista, and I look hugely successful!

I also got to be in the first Charlie’s Angels movie with Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore. It was the day all three stars were on set. I was in a racetrack scene, and if you pause the movie and look closely, you might spot me in a smart green pantsuit strolling around the infield. I won’t say which one of those ladies flashed us extras by pulling up her shirt—maybe she felt sorry for us.

What impressed me more than the star-flashing was getting

sunburned during the shoot. The next day, I got to sit in the makeup trailer to tone down my red face. Sitting next to me was Tim Curry of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame. He, the makeup artist, and I had a lovely chat. The makeup artist even shared stories about working with Farrah Fawcett on the original Charlie’s Angels TV show!

While Tim Curry was a highlight, many of the extras on the set were nutty. At the time, studios didn’t do background checks, so a lot of extras were fresh out of prison. For big scenes that required hundreds of people, they’d take anyone. Look closely at the background of your favorite show—you might spot someone who owes you child support!

One time, I was doing a movie at a large event center in Los Angeles. With hundreds

of extras around, I clutched my purse tightly because I was surrounded by these crazies. After the first scene, we were told to move around to make it look like a different group of people. I headed to the top of the bleachers, away from everyone. As I climbed up, I heard someone yelling, “Jan! Jan! Jan!” It was my buddy David, whom I’d met on a set earlier that month. He’d had the same experience with whackos and had escaped to the rafters, too. We spent the rest of the day sticking together, no matter how many times they told us to switch seats.

I did extra work on and off for a year or two, racking up appearances on shows like Boston Legal, Gilmore Girls, ER, and others that are long gone. I even got in a made-for-TV movie about the Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs tennis match.

Commercials were more interesting to me, though. They paid

slightly better, and the shoots seemed to go faster. I even got national attention in a few commercials where studios paid us to give fake glowing reviews about their new movies—movies we hadn’t seen! On one occasion, I returned a week later to do another commercial, and the director recognized me. He said, “You can’t do this again!” I pleaded, “Please, I need the money.” He relented and paired me with a guy and some kids to make me look different. Don’t you know, that’s the commercial my friends back home saw! I got calls asking if I’d gotten married in the six months since I moved to L.A.

While I’m still waiting for my big break to put my movie and TV knowledge to use, I did have some fascinating experiences on those set —like chatting with a crew member who used to be a roadie for Willie Nelson.

And that’s what I have to remember - Some new experiences may not pay off immediately—or ever—in the way you expect, but if they sound interesting, do them anyway. Whether you end up next to the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or just someone who’s a horror, you’ll have a fun and funny memory. And that’s what life is all about.

Jan McInnis is a Keynote Speaker, Comedian, Comedy Writer, and Master of Ceremonies. She has written for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue as well as many other people, places, and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For 20+ years she’s traveled country as a keynote speaker and comedian sharing her unique and practical tips on what business leaders can learn from comedians (no, it’s not all about telling jokes). She can be reached at www.TheWorkLady.com, or [email protected]? She’s also a GREAT Master of Ceremonies. Click here for her emcee site?