WORLD'S LEADING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Dreamer Spotlight: Stephanie Forrest
Stephanie Forrest accepted a very special birthday gift this year. Little did she know she would have to work for it.
The day after her 22nd birthday June 14, and four days into her internship with Grant Wilfley Casting, Stephanie was cast as an extra for the newest Martin Scorsese film. Not a bad way to launch the summer in New York City. "I love New York!" she laughed.
Grant Wilfley Casting provides top-notch casting to the New York film and television industry. The company cast the background actors for Scorsese's documentary on the Rolling Stones, Shine a Light, including the body double for Mick Jagger. When a casting associate asked Stephanie to be an extra, she instantly agreed. "I was really excited. They just kind of threw me in," she said.
Stephanie was especially pleased with her famous director. Scorsese, who directed Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, and Taxi Driver, among many others, won "Best Director" Oscar for The Departed.
"It was really neat to see Scorsese because he is so well-known and talented," she said. "Everyone got really quiet when he walked on the set."
As an extra, Stephanie played an enthusiastic fan of the Rolling Stones. Along with 99 others, she rehearsed her role cheering, screaming and taking pictures of the band as they exited the back door of the stage. "We did the scene over and over again," she said. "They would yell 'cut!' and we would stop, then do another take."
The experience lasted ten hours, from early afternoon to half past midnight. "I was exhausted because I had worked all that morning," Stephanie said.
As a result, Stephanie gained a new appreciation for the extras. "A lot of people write off the extras as no big deal, but they are a huge deal. I didn't realize how much goes into it. The background actors set the tone of the scene. Every single person in a scene is an actor," she said.
Since her internship responsibilities include scheduling audition dates for extras, Stephanie spends time on the phone with many background actors. "I realized that acting is their passion, and they work really hard for their roles," she said. "This is their paycheck and they love what they do. Calling them is fun because I can hear them smile over the phone."
Stephanie's passion for movies dovetails with her current role. "I have always wanted to work in the film industry," she said. "It's great to live here and go to work in my favorite industry. It is kind of surreal, actually."
Shine a Light will debut in September. In some capacity, Stephanie plans to stay in the film business. "I want a career that I look forward to every day. I never want to dread work," she said.
Stephanie, a senior radio, television and film major and communications minor, attends Texas Christian University. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, she is the daughter of John and Cheryl Forrest.
