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"The Extra" Press Notes
Excerpt from Cast Information
It's role reversal, in a sense, for Shaun Micallef and Jimeoin. Having known each other for more than 10 years it has often been Jimeoin performing Shaun's material, that is, until The Extra.
"It so nice to be working with Jimeoin and performing some of his writing," says Shaun. "Originally he was performing my dross that I was coming up with for Channel Seven so this is his chance to get back at me."
The Extra is about people being noticed and every character in the film has their own unique style of doing just that. Detective Paul Ridley is a man who doesn't want to be a detective; he wants to be in films. "He will pretty much do anything, even abusing his powers as a police officer in order to get in and know the right people," says Shaun
"He's a guy who has a small hosting gig on a television show called Crime Catchers. He has tasted fame, or some lesser mutation of that, and now wants to really go for the whole banana."
The role of Ridley was a chance for Shaun to do something different than the characters he'd done before. "That's the good thing about doing films, or things, written by other people, it's nice to get tested every now and then."
And tested he was. In a scene that is pure magic, Ridley must audition for a part in the film. He is asked to sing, unaccompanied, in an empty room. "It was really one of the most humiliating things," says Shaun. "I don't like auditions anyway, let alone pretending on film in front of everyone, singing and doing impressions. It is really horrible. And I hope I brought that to the role."
Speaking of that audition scene Director, Kevin Carlin, "In the film, Shaun asked if he could ad-lib the scene and I agreed. He bought out about eight characters and when he finished there was an eruption of applause from the crew. It was one of those magic set pieces you were privileged to witness."
Shaun's early comic work was with Artist Services as a writer and actor for Full Frontal, where he created a range of memorable characters including Milo Kerrigan, David McGhan, Fabio, Jim Waley and Roger Explosion.
He went on to write and host in
his own television shows Micallef Tonight and three series of The Micallef
Program and also wrote and performed in Welcher and Welcher. His other
television appearances include Seachange and Blue Heelers. He has also appeared
in the feature films, Bad Eggs and The Honourable Wally Norman. In 2001 he
hosted the Logies and has also won a Logie for Best Comedy Program for The
Micallef Show. More recently, he co-created with writer Gary McCaffrie the
successful telemovie Blackjack, starring Colin Friels.