Checking the actress box as a movie extra

I recently posted about my daughter's aspiration to be an actress and how I try to encourage that desire, while maintaining a firm grip on being a realist.  Yesterday, I had an opportunity to put that into action.  In our family, we call such opportunities "checking the box".  When something is high on the "I wanna" list of either of my kids, I do what I can to check that box.  Some might call it "filling the bucket", but I happen to like lists, so "checking the box" it is.

Anyhow, a friend informed me that a crew was filming a Hollywood film, A Family Weekend, at a local sports tournament (being attended by her daughter's team). Friends and family were invited to stay after the tournament and be part of a crowd scene.  It wasn't far and we were available, making it a perfect opportunity for my daughter to see first-hand what might be involved on a film set.  Granted, she really wants to be on Broadway, rather than in front of a camera, but she has interest in both.

I really didn't know what I was getting into.  I falsely thought it would simply be a quick crowd swipe of us all cheering and we'd go home.  The actual filming of the crowd took about 2 hours and we were required to act!  That would have been ok if it were just my daughter, but I was seated there too.  I'm...um...acting-challenged. Ok, so it didn't required a ton of acting skills (cheer, look surprised, shocked, or concerned, etc.), but it was more than I expected.  With all the filming going on, I was soon wishing I had made that hair appointment that is about 2 months past due.

I have to admit, the whole process was interesting to watch.  It wasn't an exceptionally huge crowd either, so there is a good chance that we'll end up in the final footage.  My daughter wisely planted herself in the front row.  Those looking for fame need to be opportunists, after all. This pic was toward the end, when they were filming the crowd from behind.  There were shots from all angles and I hope our time involved gets my daughter at least a few seconds of fame!  If not, at least it was a learning experience on how things are done on a movie set.

An added plus - we discovered that one of my daughter's favorite actresses, Kristen Chenoweth (Wicked, West Wing), stars in the movie!