I’d happened across Tony Hawks’ website and noticed a call for extras. This was something I’d wanted to do for a long, long time, not because I was particularly interested in being on-screen, but for the purposes of seeing how a real film set worked. Gathering in a nightclub before our scenes, I met my fellow extras. A couple, like myself, had come via the website, but the majority were drama students looking to get their first real experience.

We were filming in the basement floor of Waterstones in King’s Road for a couple of scenes. The first, 202, saw me approaching a sales desk to purchase a book while Tony did a little bit of acting a few feet away from me. Then followed a short break while the crew reversed the lighting and cameras to shoot the same scene but from the other side. There were a fair few takes while the director encouraged the small child playing Tony’s girlfriend’s son to do a proper expression. Then it was our second scene, being in a queue. For a British crowd, not too tasking, but we were warned a couple of times to not look at the camera and, if we couldn’t manage that, to look at the floor. I avoided the problem by focusing my gaze on a monitor out of shot to see where best to stand.

Soon enough our morning’s work was done. I knew it wasn’t particularly great form to approach the star and the director while they were essentially working, but I couldn’t resist; I considered it payment for my excellent fake book buying.

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