We were invited to be extras in the movie, Nomadland, so for six days in January 2019 we hung out in the desert at Quartzsite, Arizona with a group of nomad friends, the production crew, and two veteran actors, Frances McDormand and David Strathairn. It was great fun and we even got paid!The movie is based on the nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. The book documents the lives of nomads, many whom lost jobs and savings after the 2008 economic crash, and were forced to go on the road to find temporary jobs at Amazon fulfillment centers, sugar beet processing plants, and campgrounds. The movie is a fictionalized account based one of the main nomads in the book, Linda May. Frances McDormand's character, Fern, is left without a home when her husband dies and the company town where she lives closes down. The movie follows Fern's journey as she struggles with living in a van, working at Amazon, and making friends among the nomads.
One of her stops is Quartzsite where she joins the nomads at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. That's when we came in! Chloe Zhao, the director, works without a rigid script or many professional actors so we just went about our lives with the filming going on around us. Tony and I had very minor roles in the background of a few scenes. I think we're probably cut out but our RV is in the background in the first few seconds of the trailer. :-)
We were not supposed to take photographs but I got a few of the gathering of vehicles. The group photo was taken by a member of the crew. Frances and Bob Wells are laying on the ground in the front and Tony and I are right behind them.
The movie was to premier at the major film festivals this fall but all were canceled due to coronavirus. An alliance forged by the Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride festivals is showing the films at different venues. Nomadland premiered at a LA drive in on September 11 to rave reviews and will be at drive ins in New York, in theaters in December, and online on September 26 .
Cool what fun
ReplyDeleteIt was a very interesting experience. I'd do it again anytime!
DeleteOh man, I hope you don't get all stuck up now and forget us little people when you are rubbing shoulders with the glitterati.
ReplyDeleteWe're getting recognized on the street and people keep asking for our autographs! ;-)
DeleteProbably the biggest thing to ever hit Little Bay De Noc.
DeleteWe were mobbed!
DeleteI can't wait to see this movie, esp now that I know you guys are in it! Jimmy and I both read the book and really enjoyed it (tho it isn't an "easy" read). I'd watch FmD in any movie 'cause I think she's a great actress. Must have been fun to be around all this.
ReplyDeleteI was going to rent the movie on September 26 but they're already sold out!
DeleteI think we'll have to have eagle eyes to spot us if we didn't get cut.
I guess I missed the group photo because I was trying to be a good boy and stay out of the way of production until I was called for. That, and being a guy who tends to hang out in his van most of the time anyway.
ReplyDeleteBlowing up the photo degrades it so much that I've guessed on the identity of lot of the people. I wasn't sure if you were hidden in the back row somewhere.
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