Inside Furman, Spring 2007

Small roles on the big screen
Four Furman employees cast as extras in “Leatherheads”

News flash for those who have been living in a cave for the last six months or perhaps have not read The Greenville News in 2007: Hollywood megastar George Clooney is directing a film called “Leatherheads.” And cast and crew were in the Upstate earlier this year to film the movie, which is set to debut later this year.

Here’s something, however, you may not know: Four current and former Furman employees were cast as extras in the film, a romantic comedy set during the early days of professional football in the 1920s.
Jim Leavell (professor emeritus of History and Asian Studies), John Roberts (Marketing and Public Relations), Ed Marshall (Special Projects) and Bill Berg (Institutional Planning and Research) responded to casting calls and were selected for small roles in the film.

Roberts, director of internal communications, was cast as a referee in several football scenes. During one scene he was asked to blow his whistle and stop a play after Gus, an oaf-like, meathead football player, accidentally pummeled the head referee.

After a few run-throughs, the director asked Roberts to rush in and attend to his comrade in stripes.
“From my angle, the only way to the referee was through Gus, so on the first take I kind of rushed in, blew my whistle and pushed Gus out of the way,” says Roberts. “The director said he liked my ad-libbing, so I spent the next two hours trying to push this 350-pound guy out of my way. But I got a bit of camera time, which was neat.”

Unlike many of the other extras who spent most of the day in the stands or on the sidelines, Roberts was able to mingle with the film’s crew and with professional actors on the field.
“I took the opportunity to ask a lot of questions of people working on the set,” says Roberts. “I was probably on the verge of maybe being annoying. But it was interesting, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about the inner workings of the film.”

During some down time, he even tossed the football with one of the film’s stars, John Krasinski, well-known for his role as Jim on NBC’s “The Office.”

“He throws like a girl,” says Roberts.

Marshall, director of Special Projects, received a callback six weeks after answering the casting call on a lark one evening. Marshall, who plays a football fan, was fitted for a costume at a warehouse on Batesville Road.

“This place looked like Goodwill on steroids,” quips Marshall. The wardrobe people fitted Marshall into an 80-year-old suit. “I’m a 42 long, but in this era, I’m a 43 long. I’m not sure why inches have changed since the 1920s.”

The purple suit, double-breasted with monster stripes, was complemented by a real bowtie and a puffy shirt reminiscent of the one immortalized on “Seinfeld.” The only thing not issued to Marshall as a part of his wardrobe were his glasses. Practically blind without them, he elected to wear them the day of the shoot, hoping their round style would fit the time period of the movie.

This made for some funny moments, as people from the film’s crew kept asking Marshall if his glasses were his own, or a prop. Each time, he’d answer “prop,” and each time, the crew person, after giving him a long, inquisitive look, would nod in agreement, “OK.”

Berg, director of Institutional Planning and Research, responded to the film’s final casting call. When he arrived, the casting director looked him over and said, “I know I want to use you, but I don’t know what for.” Suddenly she said, “I know! You’ll play a barber.”

On the day of his shoot, Berg arrived in downtown Greer, where an old storefront had been transformed into a barber shop. Somebody handed him a shaving mug and said, “You’re going to give George a shave.” And before Berg could respond, Clooney bounded in with a “Hey, how ya doin’? I’m George.” And he sat down in the barber’s chair.

With virtually no direction beforehand, the cameras started rolling, and Berg started rolling along as well. He lathered Clooney, who, in his dual role of actor/director, suggested that Berg pick up the 1920s style straight razor, pinch his nose, and give him a few “swoopy” motions across his neck and face.

Then Clooney delivered a line from the script, to which the bewildered Berg nearly answered, “Are you talking to me?” But instead, he retained his poise and managed a more “in-character” response.
“I was just trying not to look at the camera,” says Berg, whose whirlwind scene with Clooney lasted about 10 minutes.

Leavell’s foray into movie stardom had inauspicious beginnings. Initially it was his wife, Judy, and two of her friends who were interested in auditioning for the film. Leavell volunteered to drive them to the audition, and as long as he was there, he decided to throw himself into the mix. It turns out that he was the only one called back.

“This was an odd beginning,” admits Leavell who spent three days on the set of “Leatherheads” and plays a newspaper reporter as well as a general “extra.” Later, he noticed there were very few women cast as football fans, which could be a reflection of the times. The film’s effort at historical accuracy provided some solace to his wife’s disappointment.

“It helped,” says Leavell, looking as if he had dodged a bullet.

Look for Leavell in one scene where Krasinski, playing the quarterback, makes a big play at the goal line to end a game. Players and fans spill onto the field to celebrate; Leavell was selected as the “cue,” or the first person to run, after which everyone knew to follow.

While Roberts, Berg, Marshall and Leavell played different roles, all commented on how organized the production was and noted the congeniality of the film crew and actors.

“The most incredible thing to me was the logistics of the production,” says Berg. “The army of people working on the film that need to be housed each night and fed each day, it’s amazing.”
Leavell recalls make-up artists making their rounds throughout the day, checking that the extras’ sideburns were looking good.

Outside Berg’s barber shop was an authentic barber pole, and when the camera man started to frame the scene he knew he needed the pole moved two inches to the right. Crewmen sprang into action, dismantling and reinstalling the pole so it could be a part of the relatively short scene.

“You can begin to understand how films like ‘Leatherheads’ can have $50 or $60 million budgets,” says Berg.

Marshall observed, “It is an elaborate exercise, a lot of down time, but I was impressed by the level of professionalism of everyone involved. The crews were working long hours, but they were so organized and so upbeat, they truly made you feel a part of the show.”

Roberts says he was most impressed with Clooney’s on-set demeanor.

“He was not pretentious or anything,” says Roberts. “He joked with the extras, tossed the football during the down time, and was good-humored and very jocular. He put everyone at ease and was just fun.”

So, if you see our movie stars around campus, try to treat them as you would anyone else. Just remember to follow these simple rules: Ask before taking their picture instead of running up to them with a camera phone and freaking out.

And don’t disturb them while they are working.