Ben Lomond local Scott Allen acted as an extra Feb. 11 during filming for the movie “Contagion,” set for October release.
The movie is directed by Steven Soderbergh, and Allen’s scene starred Jude Law and took place in Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco.
According to the Internet Movie Database, “Contagion” is “an action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.”
After hearing about a casting call for extras at the Embarcadero YMCA on Jan. 30, Allen, 32, stood in line in the rain with a photo and an information card for 45 minutes before being seen.
“I really didn’t expect a callback — there were thousands of people waiting in line, too,” Allen said. “And my photo was kind of blurry.”
Two weeks later, though, he received a call telling him to meet at the Bill Graham Center in San Francisco the following Friday morning. He was instructed to shave his beard and wear a suit and tie.
“I got there a few minutes late, due to traffic, and had to change in the parking lot,” Allen said, with a laugh. “Nobody seemed to mind. I think some others may have been doing the same thing.”
Once he got into the building, he found vanities stretching along one wall and a breakfast buffet along another.
“After hair, makeup and wardrobe, we all just waited around to be called to set,” Allen said. “Then, it was finally time.”
The filming took about three hours and included standing in the park on that very sunny day and walking directly past Jude Law every time the director yelled “Background!”
“We were told to walk forward until we heard, ‘Cut, reset!’” Allen said. “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be.”
After the shots were taken, everyone was herded back into the auditorium for lunch.
“It was a great experience. I could definitely see myself doing something like that again,” said Allen, who was paid $80 for his work as an extra. “Especially if the scene doesn’t end up on the cutting room floor.”
Amy Nelson, a student at University of California, Santa Cruz, is the girlfriend of Scott Allen and accompanied him to the shoot, where they strolled hand-in-hand through the park.
