‘I was told not to make eye contact with Tom Cruise’: meet the world’s most prolific film extra

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/01/jill-uncredited-worlds-most-prolific-extra

As a new film spotlights her 60-year career, record-breaking film extra Jill Goldston discusses turning down Warren Beatty’s indecent proposal and hanging out with David Bowie

95 points · 16 comments · view on lemmy.world

16 Comments

Lophostemon@aussie.zone · 30 pts · 2y (3 replies)

The idea that anyone could have the gumption to have lackeys order people not to make eye contact, is breathtakingly shitty.

Even the Queen never ordered that sort of crap.

livus@kbin.social · 10 pts · 2y (2 replies)

@Lophostemon well no, as far as monarchs go she was fairly modern.

But it is kind of funny though. Like, what's so scary about eye contact.

danekrae@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2y (1 reply)

If you're as short as Tom, people are looking down at you.

Lophostemon@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 2y

They’d have to get down on their knees and probably tousle his hair, saying “hello little fella! How are you today? Have you had a nap today?”

Warwick Davis certainly towers over him, metaphorically anyway, if we’re talking about morals, ethics and humility.

cryostars@lemmyf.uk · 25 pts · 2y (5 replies)

Tom Cruise is a piece of shit

livus@kbin.social · 24 pts · 2y (4 replies)

@cryostars doesn't seem to have bothered her though:

“Extras are the lowest and you don’t ever speak to a star unless they speak to you. We’ve been told: ‘Tom Cruise is about to come on set. Please do not make eye contact.’” She has always found the strictly enforced on-set hierarchy more amusing than demeaning. “I had self-worth, because I was part of the film. Films would be very boring without extras. You’d get on the tube train, and there’d be no one else in it!”

SinningStromgald@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 2y (3 replies)

He's still a piece of shit.

livus@kbin.social · 29 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Totally, not disputing that.

Massive contrast with Bowie in the same article, who came up to talk to her because he remembered her from being extras together before he got famous.

Moneo@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 2y

Aww that is such a sweet story

Smurfe@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 2y

Yes, he is. I worked on one of his films and he is everything you read about him. I witnessed him flip his shit but to be fair, that was when he and Katie Holmes were breaking up.

livus@kbin.social · 15 pts · 2y

Other stars who met with Jill’s approval included ex-Bond Timothy Dalton: “He didn’t get on with his co-star Joanne Whalley, so I had to do the love scenes with him. I used to pray, ‘Please, God, don’t let my hands sweat when he holds them!’” And Michael Caine: “He put his jacket over my head to stop me getting wet in the rain. A true gentleman.” She liked Warren Beatty too, though she says he somehow found the time to proposition her for a three-way with him and Jack Nicholson while producing, directing and also starring in the 1981 film Reds. “It might have ended more than friends. But not with Jack Nicholson as well! I said: ‘Sorry, no. I’m happily married!’”

CaptnNMorgan@reddthat.com · 12 pts · 2y (4 replies)

Nobody here has mentioned that "no eye contact" is really common in Hollywood. To the point that various celebrities including Conan O'Brien had that rule for their staff but was totally unaware and as soon as they found out, they put a stop to it immediately.

I'm not saying Tom Cruise didn't know but it's definitely a possibility.

livus@kbin.social · 7 pts · 2y (2 replies)

@CaptnNMorgan that's an interesting point.

As far as I can tell she never worked in Hollywood - she lives in the UK and the films mentioned in the article include a lot of British movies.

That might be why the Tom Cruise eye contact thing stood out to her as an example of ridiculous heirarchy.

I wonder if it was a Hollywood studio shooting on location, or some sort of co-pro.

CaptnNMorgan@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

It still could be someone on his team telling people that and he is totally unaware. Idk why I'm trying to defend Tom Cruise I'm just not convinced this is what makes him a bad person

livus@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y

@CaptnNMorgan yeah I'm happy to be agnostic on it. Ironically though, him acting unaware of his cult's behaviour probably is a big part of what makes him a bad person.

I just liked this article because I thought Jill Goldston's life sounds super interesting.

agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y

I wouldn't be surprised, especially for A-listers, especially on-set. Eye-contact promotes conversations which, even when they are more stimulating than "Oh wow! You're _____!! I loved you in that thing", eat up time in a very busy production schedule. It's even worse if the star is genuinely nice and personable, and sincerely appreciates their fans. It adds up to hours gone every day in 3-6 minute increments.