Sunday, March 30, 2008; Posted: 12:43 PM
Whatever the read, more than 800 people snaked through Mill City Paintball yesterday, resumes and photos in hand, for a chance to be an extra in the new Ricky Gervais movie This Side of the Truth.
"It's long hours and low pay but it's fun," said Lynne Sylvan, 44, a personal trainer from Concord, who waited 2 1/2 hours to drop off her photo. "I waited five hours once for extra work, this was a piece of cake."
Gervais, who created the British version of The Office, has lined up an all-star cast: Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, Louis CK, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, and Jason Bateman. This Side of the Truth tells the story of a world where Gervais is the first person to tell a lie. Filming in Lowell begins April 14.
Greater Lowell has become a filming hotbed in recent weeks with This Side of the Truth starting soon, and the Kevin James-Adam Sandler movie Mall Cops filming at Burlington Mall. Sylvan landed a spot as an extra in Mall Cops, as did Ryan Gibbons, 19, a student from Lowell.
Gibbons was looking for more work yesterday.
"I came to see all of the hype and everything, I've been waiting for all of these movies to shoot in the area," he said.
"I'm looking forward to working with Jennifer Garner because I'm a big Ben
Affleck fan," Gibbons said. "Anyone who is somehow connected with Ben Affleck has to be a good person."
One hopeful, Joe Bass, 66, a Dracut retiree, played Santa Claus in the Will Smith flick Enemy of the State. His white beard is perfect. Unfortunately the Fresh Prince star had been naughty that year.
"I was close to Will Smith on the set but he walked right by me," Bass said. "I think he is afraid of Santa Claus."
Karen Dervin, 40, of Burlington, a lab manager at Massachusetts General Hospital, said she tried out because she is a huge fan of Gervais. "Just to be on the set with him would be a lot of fun," she said.
Dervin was accompanied by her fiance, David Dooks, 40, of Burlington, a special-education teacher. Dooks also decided to take his chance at stardom.
"It was either come to this or do laundry," Dooks said.
"It's a change in routine from my 9-5 job," Dervin said. "I just wanted to do something different."
"If we end up in the movie and not be able to see ourselves it would be okay, just being exposed to the set and stuff would be a great experience," Dooks said.
"We don't want to be famous," Dervin said. "We'll take the fortune, you can keep the fame."
To see a video of the castin call, visit www.lowellsun.com
To see a slideshow from the casting call, visit http://extras.lowellsun.com/slideshows/castingCall/ index.html
To see more of The Sun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lowellsun.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Sun, Lowell, Mass. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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