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Writer Kristi Eaton searches for her big break during a casting call for an upcoming Oklahoma-filmed movie.
They say it takes hard work and determination to make it in show business. When I heard that an Oklahoma company was casting for a movie (rumored to be a romantic comedy starring Ben Affleck and shooting in Bartlesville), I wondered whether the blood, sweat and tears I knew I’d inevitably endure by being herded like cattle at an open casting call would be my break.
Apparently, many, many people in Tulsa and the surrounding area had a similar idea. Instead of spending their Saturday morning lying in bed sipping coffee, watching cartoons or relaxing at the lake, more than a thousand people stood in line at the Doubletree Hotel at Warren Place hoping for that big break. There were few guidelines: Everyone was invited, no matter race, age or look. Details were few, and parts available ranged from extras to possible speaking roles.
Here’s my experience trying to get my break:
10:10 a.m. The casting officially begins at 10 a.m. I had planned to be in line by 9 a.m. to beat the crowd, but that didn’t happen. I leave my house at 10 a.m. and 10 minutes later am pulling up to the hotel. It took me a good 10 minutes to follow the line as it snaked through the hotel and ended back outside.
10:15 a.m. Sweat? Check. Now I only need blood and tears.
10:18 a.m. I realize I have a mix of people around me; most are friendly, but each harbors a secret belief that he or she will be the lucky one to get the coveted speaking role. A guy in his late 20s a few spots in front of me has done events like this a few times. He recalls that “American Idol” tryouts are far worse, because not only are potential contestants standing outside in the heat all day, but they also must listen to off-key singing for hours on end as performers warm up for their turn. Thankfully there is none of that today.
11:08 a.m. The guy behind me, probably in his early 20s, can’t stand in line for more than 10 minutes at a time before he has to wander and ask the women behind him to hold his spot. He also says he believes that everyone who doesn’t have “the look” should be told to leave.
11:33 a.m. Peggy, the older woman in front of me who hopes to be cast as a grandmotherly type or “nosy neighbor,” and I begin sharing life stories. A retired elementary school musical teacher, she has been interested in performing her whole life. She was an extra in the 1997 film “Eye of Gold,” directed by Tulsan Tim Blake Nelson.
1:45 p.m. Within striking distance of the ballroom, where the real action takes place. Headshots and resumés begin appearing out of nowhere.
2:05 p.m. Peggy gets plucked from the line and told to proceed to another room. We all begin gossiping about which role they are going to cast her in.
2:17 p.m. I’m inside the ballroom, where I begin filling out a form that asks for my contact info, age, weight, height, measurements and whether I’m willing to cut my hair. It also requires me to circle the days I am able to work from sunrise to sunset from now until mid-November.
2:25 p.m. I’m given a number (lucky number 786) to hold in front of me as they take a headshot and profile picture of me with a tiny point-and-shoot digital camera. I hope this is the first and last time in my life when I’m simply known by a number.
2:26 p.m. I now wait, hoping that I am one of the lucky ones contacted to be able to wait around some more on a film set as an extra, all in hopes of possibly making it onto the big screen for a few seconds.
