Making Movies

Find me 40 coolies, 1 fat Indian to play a Maharaja, 30 middle aged westerners, 12 dusky girls one of whom must be exactly 7 months pregnant at the time we shoot. Oh, and I need 2 elephants as well.

These were some of the extras the director Vadim Glowna told me to find to make the movie “The Devil’s Paradise” starring Sam Waterston (the Killing Fields), Jeurgen Prochnow (Das Boot), Suzanna Hamilton, and Mario Adorf. The movie, made in 1987, was based on the novel Victory by Joseph Conrad. Not only did I have to do the casting, I also got to act in the movie with both stars. You can view the credits for the movie here:
The Devils Paradise Credits

If you think making movies is all glamour and ease, think again. At times, it can be extremely difficult, frustrating, and downright exhilarating; often all at the same time. Extras tend to sit around for long stretches doing nothing. Then the action starts and you work hard for perhaps an hour or two. Often, you have to re-shoot a scene repeatedly. It’s boring, repetitive work.

I was approached by a friend of mine who offered me the chance to be the casting director for the Thai extras. I had never done any casting before but I figured it couldn’t be too hard to find a bunch of people. If only I had known.

Acting is all very well. If you know your craft it’s relatively easy. Casting for a movie is another ballgame altogether. It was relatively easy to find 40 coolies. There were plenty of men down at Khlong Toey who were happy to be paid for lugging empty bales on board a ship.

But where do you find a fat Indian?

I went to the most famous Indian temple in Bangkok on Silom Road, Wat Kaek. I’d never actually stepped inside the temple before, so that was an interesting experience in itself. The swirling incense, the brightly colored statues, large idols with people standing and bowing while they prayed. I stood there entranced watching everything. Then I snapped back into action and went in search of my fat Indian. I didn’t see one. But I did run into one of the temple caretakers and sat down for a cup of tea and a chat with him. He was an affable sort and we got on famously. I explained what I was looking for and gave him my phone number. The next day I had not one but three fat Indians come to audition. The director was very pleased after selecting the biggest one. When he started acting in front of the cameras he did an excellent job dressed in silks and jewels with a turban on his head waddling into the scene.

Next, I went looking for the middle-aged westerners. You would think that wouldn’t be too hard in Bangkok. But this was back in the mid-1980’s. Sure, there were quite a few westerners here already, but most of them had jobs and the assignment would take them down to Hua Hin for at least two days. Many phone calls later I had assembled my team. That took me about two weeks, while still looking for all the other extras we needed.

Then there were the elephants. I tracked down a mahout begging on the streets and talked to him. He agreed to turn up on the appointed day for a regal (to him) sum. He did me proud by turning up with two large elephants and a baby in tow.

Where do you find 12 dusky maidens?

They may not have been maidens, but there were plenty of dusky girls working in Patpong, so that’s where I headed. I soon found it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. I had a set budget. I soon figured out that if I paid each girl individually I was going to run out of money long before I signed everyone up. What to do?

I got to know one of the bar owners. I was a bit surprised to find out how young he was. He owned 4 or 5 of the most popular bars on the strip so he had plenty of girls available. We sat and drank, watched the shows, and negotiated a deal over three nights. Well…someone had to do it didn’t they? And I was on an expense account anyway.

At least I signed up the 12 girls, and we even found one who was six months pregnant at the time. When shooting started a month later she was just right size for the director. There was a rumor after the shooting that the girls supplemented the small fee they were paid by plying their trade with some of the extras. Who can blame them?

Once we had all the extras lined up the next job was to get them to the various locations. That was my job again. We hired a tour bus and away we went. The first shooting location was on a sizeable compound belonging to the Prince of Chantaburi. Prince Chakrabongse built a complex of bungalows, together with a Victorian-style gazebo on a scenic location near Hua Hin village.

The nightclub scene was shot in the gazebo, with an all-girl band playing old jazz. It was very atmospheric. The extras sat there for hours sipping ‘tea’ and looking very elegant in their 1930’s style clothes.

This was the first time I met the stars. I was impressed. Both Sam and Jeurgen were down-to-earth and very easy to talk to. My first scene was with Jeurgen, playing Escher. We were playing cards and I had to catch him cheating. Escher called one of his thugs and I had a knife applied quite realistically to my throat. The look on my face was suitably scared.

My next scene was shot on an old tramp ship off the coast of Surat Thani. I had a running fight with Sam. We must have looked good because we only did a couple of takes.

The following year my friend approached me again to cast another movie. By then I was deeply involved in running my own company. I regretfully refused his offer. Making The Devil’s Paradise was a lot of fun, but much harder work than I had bargained for. So next time you watch a movie, spare a thought for all the unsung heroes behind the production. They are the ones that really make or break a movie.

© Marc Holt. All rights reserved by the author.