EVER wondered what it is like being behind the scenes of a film/TV series? An extra spills all.
Wil Cheung is not only familiar with stars in the galaxy but also in TV series and films.
For the last seven years, when he is not working at Kielder Observatory or taking photographs around the world, Wil likes to spend his time brushing shoulders with celebrities as a TV film and film extra.
"My first was as a doctor for the ITV series Paranoid," Wil said.
"Since then, I’ve been involved in films like Peter Rabbit 2, Tom and Jerry, Trainspotting 2, Eurovision- the story of the fire saga, Nativity 4 and I’ve also been in several seasons of Vera which is fun filming in the North East and more recently in Hexham at the Market Square."
Wil's latest role was next for the next Tom Cruise film but did not know that until a few days before filming.
He said: "A couple of years ago I was allowed to film for a few days in Birmingham for a feature film.
"It wasn’t until days before I found out it was for Mission Impossible 7.
"I was so excited as I love the films and I am a fan of Tom Cruise.
"However, with productions, you never know which scene you’re going to be in, and which actors will be there but on the first day early in the morning Tom was there.
"We spent four days filming various scenes at Birmingham Train station which was transformed into Dubai airport.
"Quite a few times I was filming metres away from Tom.
"He would always acknowledge us and chat with us, thanking us for our work, and making sure we were all ok.
"This was quite unusual, as ‘extras’, we rarely are spoken to by the main actors. He was very humble and made us feel very valued which was special.
"Up until then, I had never spoken to any of the lead actors.
"It's not expected that they will even acknowledge you, as everyone just gets on with the scene and perhaps in the zone.
"But Tom was different he would make a point to speak to you which was really nice of him.
"I wasn’t sure if I would cut, and luckily enough 43 minutes in, you see me walk across the screen in front of Tom in my blue suit for a couple of seconds.
Urging others to try the experience, Will adds: "For those who are a fan of films I highly recommend getting involved as a supporting artist/ extra it's fun to see the behind scenes in productions and you also get to meet interesting people too."
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