Leona Toppel, 73
Title: Movie extra
Years on job: 20
Pay rate: $55 a day and up
Q. Do you consider yourself an actress?
A. Yes, but the important thing is that other people consider me an actress.
Q. Has the majority of your work been as a film extra?
A. I suppose so. You could say the majority of my theatrical film work has been as a background artist. I’ve been a principal in dozens and dozens of educational and industrial films. And I’ve done a lot of work in mock trials, whether I play an expert who’s a psychiatrist or whether I manufacture cement blocks with rebars.
Q. So how do you describe your job?
A. I act and I write. I recently completed my second book, “How I Broke Into the Movies … And How You Can Too” (Xlibris, $20.99). The point of the book is to show what extras go through, and how to go from being an extra to getting a better role.
Q. How much do you make as an extra?
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A. I hope you’re sitting down. You get $55 for eight hours, time-and-a-half for overtime. Usually you get very good meals, and you get parking provided. So the money stinks.
But the point is: I walked into the movie set for “Dennis the Menace” as an extra, and I walked out as a contract player that day for Warner Brothers.
This doesn’t mean contract player forever, unfortunately, but just for that movie. I’m still getting residuals for that. I made a lot of money on that. So you can go from $55 a day to hundreds of dollars a day.
Q. Whom did you play in “Dennis the Menace”?
A. I was the pinching lady. Dennis is trying to be good [at a garden party thrown by Mr. Wilson], and all of a sudden, he looks terror-stricken and he exclaims, “Cheek pinchers!”
I’m the middle cheek pincher. I pinch his cheeks and ruffle up his hair. It was a lot of fun.
Q. How did you get started in this field?
A. It’s all in the book. It’s too long to go into now. My first legitimate work as an extra was in a television movie, working with Ed Asner. Whenever I say “working with,” I’m not doing these big scenes with them. I’m on the same general planet as them.
Q. What other stars have you “worked with”?
A. Tom Hanks was so nice on the set of “A League of Their Own.” He talked with me one day. Extras are not supposed to speak to the principal players, unless they speak to you first.
I broke that rule once with Wilford Brimley. I had seen him in “Cocoon” and some other things, and I like the guy. So we were standing next to each other, and between takes, I said to him–very quietly, because no one was supposed to know I was talking to him–“Mr. Brimley, I really enjoy your work.” He booms back, “What did you say?” I had to repeat it, because he knew I had said something to him, and then so did everyone. So I repeated myself, and he booms back, “Oh honey, I heard you the first time. I just love it when people tell me that!” Now, when people tell me, “Hey, I got your book and I just love it,” I yell, “What did you say?”
Q. Describe a typical day as a film extra.
A. There are certain things that happen when you get to the set: You check in; you get your voucher; wardrobe checks what you’re wearing. If it isn’t fine, they tell you what to do. They go into their huge caverns and bring out stuff for you to wear. And that’s about the only typical stuff that happens.
Q. What’s the best part about your job?
A. Getting the job. You’re auditioning with dozens of other people, and when someone thinks you’re the best for that part, I gotta tell you, that is a big ego booster. At the same time, you must remember that it’s not because you’re such a great person; it’s because you’re what they want. Even if you’re fat and funny looking, if that’s what they want, you’re it.
There are many good things about the business. You can’t help but understand society better than when you’re with other extras, other people from different cultures and economic backgrounds. Almost always, we all get along and we learn from each other.
Q. What’s the worst part?
A. There’s a lot of waiting around. If you have to wait around with people who are not pleasant, it makes for a very, very long day. And of course, we would like more respect and more money–I’m not sure which comes first.
Q. What advice would you give to someone interested in this job?
A. Don’t give up. You might not make it the first, second or 15th time, but if you really want to do it, do it. And go in with the attitude that you are not going to be a star.