Being an extra on Jimmy in West Cork
Jimmy brings James Stewart’s story to the screen, with KJ Apa in the lead and Aaron Burns directing. Filming at West Cork Film Studios brought that story close to home for those of us who took part. This is my experience as one of the extras — and the beginning of a conversation with others who were there.
It was my first time on a film set, and I spent most of it listening.
Between setups you end up standing with the other extras, the ADs and the crew, and you hear how each of them got there. Almost everyone had a different route in, and almost nobody had a straight one. People had built real careers out of persistence and word of mouth, and they were generous about explaining how.
For many of us, the route onto Jimmy came through Extra Extra, the Cork agency that handled extras casting for the production.
Jimmy was incredible to work on. The producers were brilliant with everyone on the floor. The cast and crew were generous with people who had never done any of this before. The other extras I met made the long days good craic. And West Cork Film Studios gave all of that work a home.
More than anything, it felt like a serious film being made with real care in a place that was proud to have it. The scale mattered, but so did the atmosphere: people being looked after, departments doing difficult work quietly and well, and a West Cork community becoming part of the story for a few strange, memorable weeks.
Jimmy reaches US cinemas on 6 November. For those of us who were there in West Cork, seeing it reach the screen will mean something personal.
Those conversations also helped inspire me to build CastMe. That is my small part of this story. Now I would love to hear what the experience meant to the other people who were there.
With thanks to the cast, crew, ADs and extras on Jimmy, to the production team, to West Cork Film Studios, and to Screen Ireland.
The stories behind being an extra
The response to this account has opened up the possibility of a short documentary. What does a first day as an extra feel like? What do you learn from watching a crew work? What stays with you once filming is over?
We want to listen to the people who can answer those questions: background performers, crew and the local community. Your memories will help shape the film. We are starting with conversations, with the aim of developing and organising the project through CastMe.
