I was an extra on the new Superman film: Here's 5 behind the scenes details you’d never guess

Superman is set to be the biggest blockbuster of the summer — and while the world will be watching to see what director James Gunn has done with the Man of Steel, I will be watching it differently, remembering just what it was like of set.

That's because I was a background extra on the new Superman film which was shot largely in Cleveland, Ohio, where I reside.

Superman isn’t my first rodeo, I’ve worked as a movie extra many times over the past couple of decades. The first thing I had to do once I was cast as a background extra in Superman was to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to insure I did not spoil any plot points before the film’s release.

But now that the trailers are out and my scene has been teased, I think it’s OK to reveal what it was like behind the scenes of this epic new film.

1. Cleveland can pass as Metropolis (as it should!)

I watched the latest Superman trailer in a crowded bar in Cleveland. People hooted and hollered when recognizably Cleveland scenes appeared on the TV. Yes, much of the new Superman movie was filmed in the humble midwestern city of Cleveland.

Why the middle of the USA and not one of the more glamorous coasts? Well, I’m sure cost was a factor, as it’s less expensive to film in the midwest, and Cleveland offers tax incentives to give Hollywood a reason to travel.

But it makes total sense that Superman should film in Cleveland, given its roots. Superman’s creators were from Cleveland; writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster met as students at Cleveland’s Glenville High School. They began self-publishing their Superman comics in 1933. Five years later, they were publishing the comic books under the label that would eventually become DC comics. The rest, as they say, is history.

2. Being an extra is hard, sweaty work

This was not the longest movie shoot I’ve done (shooting days can be 16 hours long or more) but it was one of the toughest, physically. We were running, sprinting actually, uphill on a hot summer day in business attire for seven hours!

My costume consisted mostly of my own clothes (including my own shoes, thank goodness, I had to run while wearing someone else’s ill-fitting heels on another film and would prefer not to repeat that) but my costume fitting had been done several days prior and the whole outfit was kept in Wardrobe for me. Call time was 6:30 a.m. They gave us a hot buffet breakfast, sent us to Wardrobe, put us on a bus, and had us on set and ready to go at about 8:00 a.m.

There were probably a couple hundred extras on set that day. All we did was run up the Detroit-Superior bridge over and over and over. We ran as fast as we could, while screaming and looking terrified.

It’s a curved bridge, and we were running uphill each time. I was wearing a pantsuit and dress shoes, pulling a wheeled suitcase. We repeated the scene from about 8:00 a.m. until nearly 3:00 p.m. when we finally broke for a boxed lunch in the holding area. There had been just one short break for drinks/snacks/bathroom around noon during the seven hours on set. Some people were sent back to set after lunch but I wasn’t, I remained in holding. We were all dismissed about 6:45 p.m.

All of that would have been challenging on a temperate day, but it was 85 degrees, humid, and we were in direct sun the whole time. The PAs (production assistants) kindly came around very frequently with cold water and sunscreen. I think I accepted maybe three bottles of water, I really could have used more but didn’t want to have to use a restroom excessively, given that I’d have to leave the set to do so.

3. We ran from an imaginary falling building

So why on earth did we run up a bridge over and over? This is the specific plot point that I signed an NDA that I wouldn’t share, but it is in the trailer — skip to 1 minute in to see it — so it’s not a secret any longer.

Superman | Official Trailer | DC - YouTube

Watch On

The premise of the scene was we were running away from a villain, and at some point (marked by a verbal cue from the director) a building comes crashing down on us. Nothing actually fell on us in real life; the falling building was added via CGI after the shoot. We were told to scream and look scared. We did our best, but it’s hard not to giggle when there is nothing actually coming after us or onto us.

4. There are whole days of shooting with no stars

In addition to the hundreds of background extras on set that day, there were some cast members sprinkled in. A cast member is generally anyone who has lines in the film, although I did meet one cast member that didn’t have lines. While she didn’t say anything, she drives a car in the film and has a camera on her face the whole time. Unlike us background extras, she had a hair and makeup team for this scene. And I can tell you from having been a cast member in a different film, pay is about 8-10 times higher.

Unfortunately, I did not get to see David Corenswet, Rachel Brasnahan, Nicolas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, or Alan Tudyk that day. None of the big stars were part of this particular day of shooting. My guess is that the entire day’s shoot will be just a few minutes of the film, maybe just seconds. After all, I spent over a week of long days shooting a single scene in Spiderman III, and that entire scene was only a few minutes long.

5. James Gunn is a cool guy

Usually the director doesn’t speak directly to background extras, but James Gunn gathered us all at the end of the shoot to thank us for our hard work. After he was done filming in Cleveland, he wrote the loveliest thank you note to Cleveland on his social media. He specifically mentioned us lowly background extras as part of his tribute; I’ve never heard a director say anything like this on all the films I’ve done:

“The wonderful background actors on the film were always so fun and funny and they clapped after takes, something that reminded us Hollywood cynics why we make movies in the first place. The pride you feel in being where Jerry and Joe first created Superman was invigorating. You exemplify his spirit. But just as much it’s the pride you have in your community, your hometown, your radio stations and restaurants and gathering places that touched me.”

Despite the challenges, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat! I always enjoy meeting other extras on set; there’s a sort of instant comradery on a film set like no place else. I love the novelty of a day’s work so different from what I normally do. I always have stories to tell. And I consider it a great honor to be selected for even the smallest part in creating a film, especially a big one like this with an A-list director and class act like James Gunn.

• These are the best Superman comics to read