At the Age of 69, I Chose to Go to Prison. And I Got Paid for It!

Would you like to make some connections and new friends? Then join our closed Facebook group, The Ethel Circle, today. You'll love it!


Retirement for me was not an end. It was an opportunity to try something new. And that’s what I did. At 69, I went to prison, at the Queens Detention Facility in Queens, New York. And I loved it.

I was there because I was one of a few dozen extras in Netflix’s longest-running original TV series, Orange Is the New Black, much of which took place in that prison. So, not only did I go willingly, I got paid to be there — $125 a day.

Once home to more than 500 female prisoners, the facility closed before the shooting for Orange Is the New Black began. Still, as I entered the building, I could almost hear the slamming of metal doors and the metallic sound of handcuffs or shackles.

I was issued pink prison scrubs because I was to be housed with the old, the infirm and the crazies. Younger women were issued either tan or navy. Every fashion detail was covered down to our shoes, socks and the identification badges clipped to the pockets of our uniforms. Extras give the viewer a sense of realism while watching a scene but in my scrubs, I soon felt like a real inmate and not an extra.

Much of our time as extras was spent in a large holding area, where we sat around waiting to be called for specific shots. We enjoyed the party-like atmosphere and traded information about other casting calls and companies. I noticed that one of the other extras, Susan, was reading the same book as me. We began talking about it and soon had several others join us to form an unofficialb book club. We have since become Facebook friends and meet occasionally for dinner.

Our lunch breaks gave us additional time for socializing. While each production company is different, the one for this show gave us breakfast and lunch, and for those of us whose appearances ran late, dinner too. The one negative — many extras complained of gaining weight as snacks were available throughout the day.

One of my most memorable scenes had us sitting with our color groups in the actual mess hall. Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) the religious zealot who had her front teeth knocked out when she tried to murder Piper (Taylor Schilling) was also dressed in pink, and sitting at a table across from mine. We laughed as we made up outrageous stories of why we were in prison and then rated our stories.

One woman said she confessed to a crime she didn’t commit just to get some peace and quiet away from home because she had 16. We rated her a 10 out of 10. Another woman said she was in because she liked the prison food. It was fun. But when action was called, the smiles left our faces, and we all took on our somber roles as prisoners.

The principal actors came in only on the days they were scheduled to shoot. They had private areas in which to learn their lines and get into their characters. Occasionally I did get close to some of them, with their heads buried in their scripts just before they were called to do their scenes.

We all hoped to be placed near a major player so we would be seen on camera. My day came when we were told to line up. I followed one behind Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) through the heavy barred door and out to the exercise yard on the rooftop of the prison. A short time later, Piper staged a fight to keep the guards from discovering a weapon on one of the other prisoners. While I stopped to watch the skirmish, two of the guards led her away. So I was clearly visible in the final take.

And while none of the scenes that were overtly sexual called for extras, I was a part of a violent scene. It was when a gang-like war emerged between two prison blocks, the “Navys” and “Tans," in the outdoor recreation area. Those of us in pink were told to stand to the rear and cower fearfully while those in other blocks were told to scream and raise their fists threateningly as the two sides came closer and closer together, to engage in physical conflict.

In one scene, Gloria Mendoza (Selenis Leyva), also portraying a prisoner, was showing the extras dance moves until a guard walked into the classroom. Her part called for her to play coy, sidling up to him. The director kept suggesting different approaches and she was brilliant in her transformations.

My career as an extra began years before with Robert Redford and his baseball movie, The Natural, when I was living in Buffalo, New York. I saw an ad in the newspaper stating a search was on for extras. This was before computers, so I brought my application, with a photograph, to the address listed and left it there. Two weeks later I was invited to come to a cavernous room and outfitted in clothes circa 1940s.

The filming began in late August during a heat wave and continued through a spell so cold that we sat on newspapers and wore long underwear under our summery ‘40s dresses and seamed stockings. My job was to be a baseball fan and I spent the following month at an outdoor sports stadium where, with many other extras, I rooted or booed for a team as directed.

I passed Robert Redford in the hall and he nodded and said hello, but other than that chance encounter, we extras rarely saw him up close. The one star who stood out though was the personable Glenn Close. She had a scene in which she sat in the stadium and introduced herself to the extra who had been seated next to her. When the scene was re-shot several days later, she remembered his name and said “Hello Mr. Johnson.”

While some shows like Orange Is the New Black and The Natural supply costumes, others specify that extras supply their uniforms. I have a friend who owns a police uniform so she is called for lots of shows that feature police. Another friend was an extra in a film where she needed to come with a formal gown. She purchased one thinking she’d wear it briefly and then return it — but the shoot went on for four hot days! So, she now owns this party dress.

I have worked as an extra in other films and television series but none were as exciting as The Natural because it was my first, or as Orange is the New Black, because it was just so amazing.

If you are interested in becoming an extra, Casting Networks is the agency I used, but there are many other casting websites online. Most enlist background artists for productions all over the country.

There’s no cost to sign up but some will ask you to appear in person to take headshots and participate in an orientation. So, you may want to stick with a service that’s local. I needed to fill out a long form with questions such as height, weight and clothing sizes. On the form, there were also sections for sports I played, and talents. I even listed things like knitting and sewing because you never know what a casting person is looking for.

Any of us can have new and exciting experiences as extras. Age is no deterrent. What I especially like is that there are always interesting people to meet, talk to and eat with. I don’t have to do my own cooking and, in addition, I get paid.

Now I am going back to my computer to look for more casting calls. Maybe I can go back to prison!

 
Would you ever want to be an extra in a movie or TV series? Let us know in the comments below.