THERE’S a new name in town: a mysterious, handsome man offering a way to gain a place on the silver screen.
Just who is Ripley Gant and what about his casting agency. The only person who is in the know is David Alexander Stewart – the man behind the new organisation – and I met with him to get the lowdown.
David is a seasoned ‘extra’ who has appeared in film, television, advertising features, even fashion modelling.
“After a career in advertising and public relations, one day I was having a cup of coffee with a friend who asked me if I was in Game of Thrones? Although my answer was no, he went on to tell me that he was a regular on the set and enjoying every moment and advised I joined. There were about 400 extras required over the series and when I applied I was booked almost immediately and so began my life as an extra.”
What is an extra? “If you look at any production on television or film you’ll see, for instance, a pub or a restaurant and while the camera focuses on the leading actors it would be silly if the background was complete empty of people so extras are recruited from agencies to make the scene look natural.”
Who are these extras? “Mainly people who are interested in such productions and have time and talents to offer. Although no experience is required, they must be able to take direction, have patience to wait for their call to the set and not expect to net a fortune.”
It’s perfect as a serious hobby and while it isn’t going to become a full time wage, it offers fascinating opportunities, enjoyment, and a way to meet other people with a sense of adventure.
A CV TO ENVY
Since Game of Thrones, David has been a guest in a wedding scene in a church in Ballyhalbert; a footman in the sandhills of Dundrum during the filming of BBC series The Woman in White; and an extra on Emmerdale, He’s been a professor; a piano teacher working in Chris de Burgh’s house in Bray, Dublin; and has appeared alongside Mel Gibson and Sean Penn. During The Man Who Invented Christmas, he had his hair permed and for over an hour a moustache was added to his upper lip – hair by hair.
So what of Ripley Gant and David Stewart?
“I thought how interesting and varied is the life of an extra and I decided I’d open an agency to guide people through the process of contacting a film or television production company, to have a big picture book for companies to leaf through to selected the type of person they are looking for, be it young, middle aged or more mature, they can see a photograph and a list of details, gender, age, hair and eye colour, height, measurements, even down to shoe size and location. Also a list of interests of each member of the agency – TV, film work, theatre, fashion modelling even offering a pet to be auditioned. Being flexible and available at short notice is a plus as is having a driving licence and a car. Some people provide a showreel and if it’s voice-over work being your choice, a reading of an ad is required.”
After only six months, Ripley Gant casting agency’s list of extras is building, there are some familiar faces but mostly men and women who simply want an additional interest in life. There’s a one-off membership fee of £25; you must be 18 and the profile at the moment is 30-plus. However, you must be aware that you are self-employed, responsible for your own tax situation and that David’s company will negotiate the fee with the production house and his agency retains 15 per cent of that fee. As David points out, this is not a career move and you won’t make a fortune but you might just be lucky and catch the eye of a producer or director who will want to take you on to higher things. The details of hopeful extras are sent to top production companies so the window of opportunity is vast.
You can get more information at www.ripleygantcasting.com
MUSIC IN THE SUNSHINE
I know where I’d like to be on Tuesday July 11 2023 – in the village of Logos on the Greek Island of Paxos, where Belfast woman Kathryn Baird has gathered Irish and Greek artists together to present Irish Wings, the annual cultural exchange and dialogue between the two islands.
In the past she has invited artists from Ireland including Paul Muldoon, Horslips, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny. This year, sitting in the courtyard of the local school, Catherine Heaney will remember her father’s love of Greece. “Our main event will be Catherine reading her father’s Sonnets from Hellas, together with music inspired by these poems which has been composed and will be played by the Hellas Ensemble, a group of Irish and Greek musicians based in Derry.”
Kathryn added that this will be the first time that the uilleann pipes and the Irish harp will be played on Paxos.
In this unique event the group will also be playing music inspired by one of Heaney’s translations of the work of Greek poet, Constantine P Cavafy. Joining the many guests who will gather for the event will be the Irish Ambassador to Greece, Ms Iseult Fitzgerald, and apart from the musical entertainment, they will also be able to visit a ceramics exhibition in which six Irish ceramicists enter into a dialogue with seven Greek colleagues to exchange ideas and designs.
