Harry Potter’s Author Secretly Worked As A Background Extra

J.K. Rowling just worked as a Background Actor on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and it’s pretty incredible.

Working on set as a background extra is hard work. You have to wake up extremely early, arrive on set “camera ready” and make sure not to stand out as soon as the director says “Action”. But, this didn’t stop the creator and author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, from working as a background extra on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

Frankly I think they’re the sweet, unsung heroes of the movie business.

J.K. Rowling recently posted an amazing and unique story of how she sneaked on set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and worked as a background extra. She explains what it’s like to work as a background actor and it’s pretty amazing.

What I saw was a secret society of people who cannot live without film. They’re smitten with it, and they’re ultimately no different to anyone else who works in the biz: They work long, weird hours loitering in waiting rooms day after day, in full costume, for the chance to be a part of the magic.

Frankly I think they’re the sweet, unsung heroes of the movie business.

J.K. Rowling also commented on how difficult it is to work as a background extra:

What I’m saying is this: yes, being an extra is a lot of standing, sitting, walking, pretend-talking and discreet-eating in the background of a shot. Yes, there’s a lot of killing time. And yes, it’s expensive agony if someone ruins a single take or gets fake snow on the back of their vintage suit.

What’s interesting though, is how Rowling was able to witness the hidden culture inside Extras Holding and base camps.

They splinter off into different tribes: There are the nappers. The readers. The knitters. The gossips. The cryptic crossword posse. The hours-long card game players. The spontaneous yoga teachers. The compulsive snackers. The very serious actors practicing accents they’ll never get to use in this film.

To read the full and amazing piece by J.K. Rowling, click here. It’s definitely worth it.

If you’re interested in a role in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff movie, check out our guide to auditioning for a role on Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them here.

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