We all love going to the movies, seeing the stories and adventures on the big

screen. In today's entertainment we take you behind the scenes as we talk to

someone who not only goes to the movies but was in one as well. Listen out as

she introduces herself – which film was she in, and what did she do in it?

Alex Goodship

My name is Alex Goodship and I was in a film called Pride and Prejudice and I worked on that

film as an extra.

Callum: That was Alex Goodship there. Did you catch the name of the film – it was

Pride and Prejudice. This film, based on the book by Jane Austen has just been

released in the United Kingdom and it stars the British actress Keira Knightley

and American star Donald Sutherland.

What role did Alex play in the film. Listen again.

Alex Goodship

I worked on that film as an extra.

Callum: She worked on that film as an extra. An extra is someone who appears usually

in the background. They don't have a speaking role; they form part of crowd

scenes for example.

The film is set in the early 19th Century, this was in what was called the Regency

period - when women's clothing was very different. This was one of the reasons

Alex wanted to be in the film – not because she really wants to be an actor. 

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Alex Goodship

I don't think I decided to become an extra, I just really wanted to be in Pride And Prejudice

because I like the book very much and I quite fancied the idea of dressing up in long flouncy

dresses with lots of decoration and curly hair tied up on top of your head.

Callum: She says she quite fancied the idea of dressing up. If you fancy doing something,

then you are interested in doing it, you think it will be fun. But was it fun, what

was it like to work as an extra 'on set'. Was it fun and exciting?

Alex Goodship

It's very hard work, much more hard work than I expected. You work very long hours, you do

an awful lot of standing about, do a lot of repetition so it gets quite boring but also on set it's

extremely hot and when you're wearing these Regency costumes you just spend the whole day

just drinking gallons of water and looking forward to the moment you can take it off.

Callum: She found the experience very hard, working long hours, standing about and

doing the same scenes over and over again. She said it got quite boring at times

and that the costumes were very uncomfortable. However, she did meet some

interesting people. Listen now as Alex talks about some of her experiences on

set – who did she meet, and what accident did she prevent.

Alex Goodship

I met some really nice people, cos you do a lot of hanging about, sitting around and trying to

kill time and I really got talking to some very interesting people. I met KN and had a little chat

with her while she was chewing her gum. I met DS, he came up and shook my hand and said

"Hi I'm Donald, pleased to meet you!" And I said "Hi I'm Alex" Then one of the other actors, I

forget who it was, but I was standing behind them doing some filming and he stood a little too

close to a candle and set his hair on fire and I had to put it out. 

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Callum: Alex met both Keira Nightley and Donald Sutherland and described how during

filming one actor's hair caught on fire and she had to put it out.

Being an extra seems to have it's high points and low points. You get to meet

some interesting people, but you also have to stand around a lot, which can get

boring. Would alex like to do it again? Listen to find out.

Alex Goodship

Straight after the event I thought I never want to do anything like that again 'cos it was so

knackering. Enough time has passed now that I might consider doing it again but I think I

might go for something that wasn't a period drama so I wouldn't have to wear all of those

clothes again.

Callum: Immediately after taking part in the film, which was more than a year ago, she

felt that she would never want to do it again because it was so knackering. This

is a very informal British English expression which means something is tiring.

However, now, she might think of doing it again – only this time, not a period

drama - not a film set in past times so she wouldn't have to wear such

uncomfortable clothes again.