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Overlooked by Oscar Extra! Extra! Read All About Him!By Rick Horowitz To the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: I am writing you this letter at 6:00 in the morning, after turning off my TV in great dismay. Once again, you have announced your nominees for this year's Oscars, and once again, my name was not among them. This is greatly disappointing to me. I have been living here in Los Angeles for almost 10 years now, in my continuing efforts to be a Big Star in the Film Industry. I have been making good progress, but I feel I am still missing that one big boost that can take me to the Top Rung of the Industry. The kind of boost that only a certain little statue can provide. (You know the one.) So I'm asking you once more: Why no Oscar for Best Extra? I know that all the public cares about are the Biggest Stars, and I'm not saying they're not important to a movie's success. I also know directors are important, too, and so are the people who write all those words the Big Stars are saying while the directors are directing them, and so on. But I expected the Academy to see the Bigger Picture, if you'll pardon the expression. Without us extras, a lot of those Big Stars would be standing there all alone, and the directors wouldn't have nearly as many people to direct. You already give Oscars to people who draw the costumes and who splice the pieces of film together, and they're not even on the set most of the time. Would it hurt you to make up one more little statue for us? (Or maybe two more, one for Best Man Extra and one for Best Woman.) I know what you're probably thinking. You're thinking I'm some Hollywood wannabe who's just trying to make trouble. Wrong. I'm a professional, just like you. Let me tell you about some of my memorable recent parts. Everybody says that the D-Day landing scene at the beginning of "Saving Private Ryan" was one of the most exciting things they've ever seen in a movie. I agree -- and who do you think played Dead Soldier No. 1763 in that scene? (Not the one with his leg blown off -- the one right next to him, near the water.) Even though I technically died before the camera got to me, I think I brought a lot of reality to my performance, both the way I hit the sand when I got shot and also the way I held my breath without moving afterwards. I don't begrudge Tom Hanks anything, but without me, I just don't think the scene works. But without an Oscar (or at least a nomination) to show for it, who's going to believe me? It's very frustrating. I also served my country in "The Thin Red Line," but to show you my versatility, I died in a totally different position this time. I was also very picturesque, which I knew the director was looking for in this particular film, as opposed to the other one. It was almost a subliminal thing, and I think it lifted the movie to a Whole Different Level. That should count for something at Oscar time, am I right? A lot of actors get hung up on accents -- they're afraid to do foreign films, or even English ones. Not me. Versatility is my middle name, so I can work anywhere. That's why I was so good as 11th Man on Street in "Life is Beautiful." It was in Italy, but I walked through that town square so naturally, you couldn't even tell I was an American. I was also Rotting Corpse No. 19 in "Elizabeth" (I guess they'd seen some of my other work, not that I want to be typecast), and then Second Man From Left in Back Row in "Shakespeare in Love." I even read two of his plays (Shakespeare's) before the shooting started, just so my facial expressions while I was sitting there would be totally authentic. I realize that some of my strongest scenes were left on the cutting-room floor, but I still think it was one of my top performances ever. Now, what do all these films have in common? That's right: They're all Oscar nominees for Best Picture! Do you think this is a coincidence? Hardly. I'll spell it out for you: Every one of the Best Picture nominees had extras in it. Not to mention that one of the extras in every one of those pictures was me, lying down, standing up, sitting, whatever it took to turn a good movie into a Great Movie. That's what extras are all about. I thought the Academy knew that. You still have time to make things right -- just say you forgot to announce it. P.S. I already have a tuxedo. Posted 2/10/99. Fresh stuff right here twice
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