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Extras
Selected for Movie (War of the Worlds)
by Roberta Anderson
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There was already
a steady stream of headlights turning off U.S. 11 onto Greenhouse
Road by 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The line of hopefuls outside
of the gym door at Rockbridge County High School stretched back
to the front parking lot and steadily grew longer as the sun
gradually poked its way over the Blue Ridge Mountains, providing
a bit of welcome warmth.
"Now I know why it's called a cattle call," grumbled
a voice from underneath a heap of blankets piled up against the
side of the school. The "cattle
call" was
for 500 extras to be cast in Steven Speilberg's "War of
the Worlds," portions of which are scheduled to be filmed
here in Rockbridge County next week. |
A LONG LINE of people hoping to be cast as
extras in the movie "War
of the Worlds" winds its way around the grounds of Rockbridge
County High School Saturday morning. (Mary Price photo) |
Peter Gleich and Brett Sharp of
Lexington were first through the doors when they opened at
8 a.m. The pair, who work year-round at Young Life near Goshen,
arrived at 11 p.m. Friday with plans to spend a chilly night
under the stars in their sleeping bags. "Hey, it's a once
in a lifetime opportunity," Sharp said, "not to mention
extra Christmas money. When the opportunity comes along, you
have to take it. Just the opportunity to be bossed around by
Steven Spielberg is
pretty cool."
Once the doors opened, the line moved quickly. Prospective extras were asked
to fill out a short information sheet asking for addresses and clothing sizes.
Men and women were separated into two lines once inside the gym, with the men's
line significantly shorter.
Boisineau chirped "Good morning, how are you?" to each individual,
while her associate was considerably less enthusiastic. Other than wanting to
know how far the home address on each card was from Lexington, the casting directors
gave the hopeful extras little opportunity to make much of an impression. |
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MORGAN KOHTZ (left), Annie Gardner, Lilley
Gardner and Evelyn Branscome huddle together in the early
morning darkness on Saturday, hoping to be cast as extras.
(Roberta Anderson photo) |
Earlier this week, Boisineau said all
of the roles in the movie had been filled,
including the 10 children who were cast. "Please let everyone know that
we had very strict guidelines about what was wanted for the children that were
selected," she said. "We would have used everyone of them if we could
have."
In the meantime, preparation continues out in the county for next week's filming.
The Virginia Department of Transportation reports that Decatur Road near Bustleburg
will be closed starting Friday morning between Hyde Road and the Brownsburg Turnpike.
VDOT officials report that the movie production company plans to tear up the
pavement
on Decatur Road and add potholes to add dramatic effect when National Guard tanks
splash and bump down the road during the filming. |
On Monday, Dec. 13, other access roads to the area, including portions
of Stuart Road, Hyde Road from the Brownsburg Turnpike to Decatur Road
and Decatur Road from Fox Road to Stuart Road, will also be closed.
All repairs to the pavement on Decatur Road are supposed to be made
by Dec. 16.
A little to the north, High Rock Road from the Brownsburg Turnpike to Walkers
Creek Road and Pisgah Road from High Rock Road to the Brownsburg Turnpike in
Augusta County will be closed beginning Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
No changes to the road are planned but the movie production company has asked
that the roads be closed in order to shuttle people to the shooting site.
Production
officials reiterate that the sets will be closed to the public during
shooting.
Movie crews
have already been spotted along side of Decatur Road, proving once
again that there seem to be no monetary limits imposed on the creators
of Hollywood fantasy worlds. Observers reported trees being removed,
only to be replaced by different trees and existing fences being torn
out and, naturally, replaced by other fences. |
 DUMP
trucks were seen Monday at work on Decatur Road, which will be closed
for several days for the filming of "War of the Worlds." (Doug
Chase photo) |
This article originally appeared in the Wednesday,
December 08, 2004 issue of the News-Gazette.
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