Fan of 'Guardian' meets star

From:The Progress Star
Date:10/1/2003

A Forest Hills woman got a taste of Hollywood this summer. Maria McCool spent the day as an extra for the television show "The Guardian," which stars Australian actor Simon Baker.

The show was filming outdoor shots in Pittsburgh because the series is based on the actual experiences of a native Pittsburgher who tries to use the legal system to protect children.


"As soon as I got home, the phone started to ring. 'How was it? Did you see him? You're a star now; can I have your autograph?'" McCool says.


She got the job through a friend who knows the owner of a local casting agency that was handling the hiring of extras on the show. As a background extra with no lines, McCool made $6.75 per hour.


Playing the part of a background pedestrian, McCool started her day at 5 a.m., meeting her fellow extras downtown. Arriving with four wardrobe changes in tow, she didn't expect the long day ahead.


Tucked away in the basement of a local church until they were needed on set, McCool and the other extras anticipated their call to action.


"To describe our group of basement dwellers as diverse is an understatement.


"Some had done this many times before, some were acting students eager to make an impression or add to a resume and some, like me, were moms or dads with full-time jobs that were doing this for the first time."


When the first round of extras was picked to go on camera, McCool and six others were left to anxiously await their turn. After a few hours, they were sent to the wardrobe crew to prepare for their scene.


"Once we were above ground, the sunlight blinded us, fresh air filled our lungs, our spirits soared!


"We were ecstatic to be finally strutting our stuff in front of the cameras."


McCool was the last pedestrian in a line of extras and got to do a "crossover," which meant Nick, Baker's character, almost bumped into her during the scene as he raced across the street.


She describes Baker as down-to-earth, despite being swarmed by hair, makeup, wardrobe and personal assistants between every take. With the weather sweltering in the high 80s, McCool says, Baker kept things light with his sense of humor.


After her crossover, McCool and the other extras walked up and down Seventh Avenue, posed by fences, in a parking lot and at a bus stop. At one point they crowded around an ambulance as an actor was rushed in and even moved cars.


McCool says the first rule of filming she learned was to never look directly into the camera. The second rule was that the background extra does not talk when the camera is rolling.


"I learned this rule the hard way, getting personally shushed by the assistant director."


At the end of the day, McCool says, she enjoyed rubbing shoulders with a star who has a dazzling smile and twinkling eyes. The highlight of the day was a photograph she had taken of herself with Baker, which he insisted they be in together.


"I was, to put it mildly ?star struck!"


McCool's footage is expected to be in episodes four and five of this season. The season premiere was on Sept. 23.


"The Guardian" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS.

From The Progress Star