“Iron Man 3,” which will begin filming in Wilmington this summer, held an open casting call for extras Saturday, Apr. 21 at Independence Mall. The casting call was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and many UNCW students jumped at the chance of being on the big screen or just making some extra money this summer.

 

“Iron Man 3” will be using the sound stages at Screen Gems Studios, and the Tona B. DahlquistCasting Company is in charge of hiring extras for the production. They are looking for people of every type, age, race, gender, etc. Extras will mostly be used in large crowd scenes, but some may be used for background talent.  

 

Kerri Robinson, a sophomore at UNCW, shared her experience of working as an extra on a production here in Wilmington. She was an extra on “One Tree Hill” last semester and according to her, the process should be similar for “Iron Man 3.”

 

“First they had us fill out a form with our name and other information for payment purposes. After that, we got to have snacks and wait for the stylist to come around and check our outfits and tell us which one to wear. When we were finally ready, we had to wait about three hours before we were even needed for a scene. Luckily, they made up for the waiting with the delicious dinner. It was nice to have my friends with me or I would have been bored,” said Robinson. 

 

Robinson expressed that it would be fun to try and be an extra again. Her previous experience was positive, but she thinks this would be different.

 

‘”Iron Man 3″ will probably have way more extras. A much bigger crowd will be needed for certain scenes. Also, being in a movie might be different from a TV series, because the actors and camera crew are new to each other,” said Robinson.

 

Wilm on Film tweeted, ‘”Caged Heat” (aka “Iron Man 3″) casting has brought about 2,000 people to Wilmington’s Independence Mall, mall managers estimate.”

 

The people that made their way to Independence Mall on Saturday were greeted by a huge line, beginning at a back door by Ruby Tuesday. The line filled the entire sidewalk and wrapped all the way past the restaurant, El Agave. There were many different types of people waiting to get inside, ranging from mothers with babies, older couples and groups of teenagers. Everyone in line was holding a sheet of paper with their general contact information to give to the casting people inside.

 

Katrina Whittier, a junior and a communications major at UNCW, has been involved in Wilmington’s film industry during her time here, filming different things for her film and communication classes. She thinks “Iron Man 3” will have a great impact on the town and it’s film industry.

 

” ‘Iron Man 3’ will be huge for Wilmington. With so many things being filmed here, it is really making a name for the town. Wilmington is diverse and the perfect area to film; it has the beach, a downtown scene and a college area,” said Whittier.

 

Whittier also thinks this production will provide many opportunities for UNCW students. “College students love being extras in films. It is a perfect and fun opportunity to make some cash! This will definitely help anyone aspiring to be in the film industry to get a sneak peek, first-hand, of what they could possibly be doing in the future. We will also be able to see the challenges of the industry,” she says.

 

A security guard, patrolling the line of people at the open casting call, explained that the casting company was only looking for crowd extras, so they did not specifically need college-aged students, but they were always happy to have them. 

 

Even if not everyone is able to be a part of the production, look for “Iron Man 3” filming around Wilmington during the summer months. The biggest production Wilmington has hosted will greatly impact the film industry and the town’s economy, and it will provide UNCW students with something fun and exciting if they are staying in town for the summer.