You may remember, or not, or not care, that a few years ago my brother Jarvis and me were extra’s in the movie “Hidalgo.” Recently another movie shot a few scenes here in the Black Hills, and I signed up to be an extra again.

The movie was “National Treasure II” staring Nicolas Cage and they were shooting the final scene of the movie at Mt. Rushmore.

When you sign up to be an extra in a movie you are basically signing up to be a piece of furniture. You are just “stuff” they can put here and there to make everything look as though it is actually happening at a busy public place. I don’t think some people realize or are willing to accept the fact that they are a prop, nothing more, just a blurry figure passing through a shot to give it some life.

You can always pick out those extra’s that have it in their head that they are going to be discovered on the movie set. They’re the overly eager ones, dressed to the nines, and trying everything possible to get noticed.

If I learned anything in being an extra for Hidalgo it was don’t be an eager in your face “Pick Me, Pick Me” volunteer for anything. Those people generally end up far away from the action where they sulk and pout and believe there must be some misunderstanding. Do they realize what they’ve done? Do they know who I am?

We were to report to Mt. Rushmore at 5:00 p.m. to check in and let the wardrobe people give us the once over to make sure we weren’t wearing anything inappropriate. Rhinestone clad spandex, velvet muumuu’s, sombrero’s, logos, and anything else that may be a distraction. Thankfully those weren’t the only clothes I brought with.

Once you checked in and got checked out you were given a box lunch. Star treatment; salty ham on stale bread, a bruised mushy apple, and crushed bag of chips. Then we waited…and waited…and finally waited some more.

To be an extra you have to be a very patient, laid back person, which fits me perfectly. You want me to be a piece of furniture, well stand back and be amazed at the skills of this “Lazy-Boy.”

Every once in awhile they would come and grab about 30 people to take to the movie set. Myself and a few others were enjoying the evening chatting and watching the “Pick Me, Pick Me” extra’s bum rush the people in charge of sending them up to the set every time they appeared.

We “loitered” until about 11:30 p.m. when a guy came down and asked if we had been on the set yet. “Nope we’ve just been sitting here chatting.” He sent four of us up to earn our money as furniture. Why did he pick me and the other three? Possibly because one of us four had been in Playboy three times, not “read” it, but was in it. So the beauty and the three beasts sauntered to the set to be a part of a little movie magic.

To our surprise we were ushered up to the front and were told to walk behind Nicolas Cage and his female co-star and “act” like we were chatting. The only instructions; don’t speak, don’t look at the camera, don’t look at the actors, don’t talk to the actors, and remember what you did the first time because your going to have to do it over and over and over and over. By the time they got what they wanted I had memorized Nicolas Cage’s lines and could have easily stepped in if something “unfortunate” would have happened to him.

Unfortunate? Let’s just say I was “acting” close enough to Mr. Cage that I could have gave him a little punch in the back of the head if I so chose.

Twelve hours after my arrival, at around 5:00 a.m. as the sun was poking up over the hills, they shut the cameras off and told the furniture to go home.

What’s the going rate for the use of “Lazy-Boy” for 12 hours? Seventy-five bucks. Not much less than my co-star Nicolas.