My time as an extra in ‘Evan Almighty’

Neighbor, cameraman, reporter, college student, car driver and congressional staffer: Those are just some of the roles I played last summer as an extra in “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to 2003’s “Bruce Almighty.” The movie stars actors Steve Carell, Lauren Graham and Morgan Freeman, and is directed by Tom Shadyac, who also directed “Bruce Almighty,” “Liar Liar” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

The role I enjoyed the most was being the reporter because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do in real life. It was pretty cool being able to act it out on screen.

The movie is about Evan Baxter (Carell), who is newly elected to Congress and called upon by God (Freeman) to build an ark, much like Noah did in the biblical days. We all know Evan Baxter as Bruce Nolan’s rival reporter in “Bruce Almighty.”

Being an extra in this film was probably the most exciting experience of my life. For 40 days I was treated like a star, especially when I was a stand-in for Carell’s son. I stood on top of the ark and read my lines. My scenes were filmed in Charlottesville, Crozet, Waynesboro and Richmond.

Each day I woke up at around 3:30 a.m. or 4 a.m., as call times were generally 6 a.m. When filming the scenes in Charlottesville and Crozet, I had to allow time for driving from Richmond. It got pretty expensive having to fill my gas tank every day we filmed, but it was worth it when I got to set.

When we arrived at the set, we received our extra’s vouchers (used to get paid), lined up for extras check-in and ate breakfast. After filling our bellies, the extras formed a line for costume checkout. Next came hair, makeup and tons of sunscreen that was necessary for the summer’s high temperatures. The film’s production assistants were awesome, bringing us water, sun screen, towels and even smoothies on unbearably hot days.

The extras served as onlookers while Evan Baxter and his children building the ark as animals walked two by two, assisting him in the process. I also appeared in congressional scenes filmed in Richmond.

Filming usually lasted 12 hours each day, and extras took lots of breaks that included gourmet snacks and catered meals. The movie snacks were called craft service, but some of the extras dubbed them “crafty.”

During the filming I met Carell, Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, Jonah Hill and John Michael Higgins. Every actor was nice and easy to work with.

Working with these actors showed me the real world of Hollywood. It’s waking up at 4 a.m., being at work at 6 a.m. and working 12-hour days. It’s