BALTIMORE (May 1) -- Who wants to be a movie star? Hundreds of people came out to the set of Ladder 49 with hopes that an arm, or maybe the back of their head, would end up on the silver screen.
It was 80 degrees in the real world, but on the set of Ladder 49 it was Christmas Eve. Us would-be movie stars were forced to trade in our tank tops and shorts for red and green turtlenecks and wool coats. Then, there were a lot of lines to stand in followed by lots of sitting and waiting. Oh no, the life of an extra is not an easy one.
Production assistants and members of the film crew told the sea of extras where to stand, sit, what to wear, where to go, and when to eat. Your time was no longer your own, but belonged to this big movie making machine that was able to transform a day that felt like the hottest day of summer into the coldest day of winter, and turn extras into church going, hymn singing Catholics.
Most of those in attendance had a
