Many of you are either involved in the "Cabrini" movie as extras, featured extras, stand-ins or crew, or know someone doing this.
This movie is an incredibly huge win for Western New York, and involves some very big names.
I am personally delighted that many of you heard about the opportunity through WBEN and the afternoon program.
Being an extra involves a lot of WAITING and long days.
Last Thursday and Friday, for example, we worked well over 12-hour days.
Most of which was...waiting.
When you arrive to check in, you have to take a COVID test, which takes a minute.
Then you check in, like a time-clock, which is followed by a wait in line to be handed your wardrobe, and this line can take up to 45 minutes, or maybe more, to go through, after which you try to find an empty place in which to change.
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Many of the ladies taking part have a LOT of articles of clothing and props to use, including corsets, depending on their roles.
My "wealthy American" wardrobe is heavy, black and very hot.
Learned early that wearing a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops to the staging area really speeds up the change into costume.
Typically, we put our street clothes and other necessities in a "carry-on" style bag, and some of us like to bring that bag to the set, or shooting location.
After we change into costume, we see hair, and given the 1890's style it can take a half hour or more for the stylists to dress just one woman. Then we see make-up and get "final approval" before heading for bus transport to the shoot.
Upon arrival at the shoot, we wait, and they have air-conditioned tents available.
When they are ready to shoot your scene, you walk (in my case) about 3/10th's of a mile to the set itself, and generally, wait.
Given the high temperatures and humidity, you learn quickly the value of hydration, but folks don't want to drink too much, as peeing in the 1890's involved button-flies and a lot of undergarments for the ladies.
Early Saturday morning at Delaware Park, my body told me it really needed water and I gulped down two large and very cold bottles of water to enormous relief, and it came out of my pores as fast as I could put it in.
For the actual filming, it is quite easy to require 20 or more takes, especially for scenes which involve many moving parts, and sometimes the horses can be real a******s and not do what we need them to do exactly when needed to do it.
When they yell, "That's a wrap for today, people, thank you!" we dash, in uncomfortable footwear, to catch one of the school busses for the 20-minute ride back to the staging area.
After being in costumes for many hours, we can't wait to get out of them and to do so and to save time in line returning our wardrobe, most people begin disrobing on the bus, and no one has an issue with that, as we are all in the same boat: exhausted, drained and wanting to return home as quickly as possible.
The same thing happened in massage school.
At first everyone was shy and bashful, but after getting to know people you just don't care and don't stare and by then the kids are long gone.
Before we can go home, we must stand in line to return our wardrobe and retrieve our driver's licenses, which are used as a "security deposit" so we don't make off with souvenirs, and then "clock out."
Many of the extras have worked day after day on "Cabrini," and some have been given "lines."
That is, speaking parts, however small.
It is a fascinating experience seeing how a movie is made, and many of us have developed a very strong respect for the perfection, dedication and hard work of everyone from the stars of the movie all the way to the person who cleans up after the horses.
A movie this big is like a grandfather's clock with many moving parts that must be properly coordinated, and the logistics are awesome.
Most of us are in awe at how much planning is involved.
By far, the best part of being an extra is the people with whom you work, and I am stunned by the number of people I know personally, as well as by the "one degree of separation" with almost everyone else.
And it is super-cool when people I do not know come up and tell me they heard about the opportunity to be an extra through the radio show or the Bauerle and WBEN Facebook pages and WBEN.COM.
And everyone has been nice, friendly and helpful, even though some of the shoots have been grueling.
Frank Rossi, my acting teacher, has been instrumental in putting together thousands of extras and applicants.
Frank has cast over two dozen WNYers as principal actors and literally thousands of background actors.
Frank is grateful and said, "Thank you to all our background Buffalo and WNY actors. They have been phenomenal, and we'll finish strong because that is what we do here in Buffalo!"
Among the many people I know personally, one is Gigi Grizanti, with whom I attended Kenmore East, and we go back a long way together, including The Eagles' "Long Run" concert at The Aud.
Gigi plays a nurse, and her cousin Vinny (seriously) is also involved.
Erie County legislator Frank Todaro is also working a lot in "Cabrini," along with his 9-year-old son Giovanni Todaro.
There are SO many kids working this movie, and everyone just adores how dedicated, patient and good they are, and we all love them and are proud of them.
Especially Frank Rossi.
Young Giovanni Todaro told me, "It takes a while to get my costume and makeup on."
Giovanni has worked many, many days on "Cabrini" and is happy about the new friends he has made and explains it is "cool to hang out with famous actors that are from different parts of the world."
At nine years of age, the late hours can be tough but Giovanni is a hard worker: "When I had to do a late scene it was hard to stay awake after midnight, but glad that part of the movie is over."
His Dad Frank Todaro is as impressed as anyone with the hard work and adaptability of the crew and told me, "I am always very impressed when an unforeseen situation comes up and how they adapt and make it work within minutes."
He added another point that has been made very clear: "I have a newfound respect for the movie-making industry and all its employees. They all work very hard."
No one will argue that, and BTW, politics has NOT come up during filming.
We are all there to make a movie.
It is a blast, and received some very good news from Frank Rossi yesterday which I'll get into at another time.
I have more days of shooting upcoming, and some extras are working pretty much EVERY day, and am very happy for them, and the crew has treated us wonderfully and I so appreciate the wardrobe ladies: Alicia, Layla and Mary, as they have been SO helpful from Day One.
Special thanks to Tim Wenger and Joe Beamer for making many last-minute adjustments to the radio schedule, as sometimes you don't receive much notice on your call-time, that is, when you are to report.
This experience is so cool, and getting to work for Alejandro Monteverde and with Cristiana Dell ‘Anna (an AMAZINGLY talented and brilliant human being) as well as world-renowned tenor Roderigo Villazon, who is such a character, and all of the WNYers and others who have flown in from LA, Philly, Italy and elsewhere just to be extras is a real honor.
I am unable to post in-costume photos, but I did send some to Billy Bob Thornton so he recognizes me, as we are going to see him again soon.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
