Felipe Ferri, a self-proclaimed “hardcore Game of Thrones fan,” was one of the lucky extras to take part in the long-awaited results of the Season 4 Purple Wedding scene.
Ah, the satisfaction of being the right fan in the right place at the right time.
Game of Thrones: This is what it was like to be an extra on HBO’s hit show http://t.co/fiuFCLjhwu pic.twitter.com/spBBhLFwqg
— BGR (@BGR) August 19, 2015
“At the time I had only read the first book of the series, so I wasn’t expecting the major spoiler that happened on that precise episode. But let me tell you — if there is a situation where it is alright to receive a spoiler, that was it! I had the rare opportunity to see that little p**ck King Joffrey choke to death a dozen times just a few paces from me!” Game of Thrones extra Ferri wrote in response to a question on Quora . “It wasn’t me who poured his wine, though.”
The Independent reported that 3,500 fans flocked to Spain earlier this summer for the opportunity to win the lottery of Game of Thrones extra status. Extras will be needed from September 3 through 18 to shoot scenes from the upcoming Season 6. The $50 (£35) per day compensation may seem like being paid to stand around in Disneyland all day for many.
“The work as an extra is fairly easy,” commented Ferri. “Most of the time you are waiting, because not all scenes required all extras. While we waited we chatted, or walked around the set, or spent time watching at the beautiful view of the sea that particular location had. When we had to shoot, there was a production assistant who placed every extra on the place he should be and explained what we should be doing. Being a servant, I mostly had to walk among the tables pouring fake wine on the noblemen chalices, or carrying plates with fake food from one place to another.”
Ferri reminisced on his Season 4 extra status, including his involvement in the famous Game of Throne s scene, calling it “an amazing experience” as he played a servant during King Joffrey’s wedding feast. The Purple Wedding scenes were filmed in Croatia’s coastal city of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic Sea.
“The five days I spent on the set were amazing. They were intense — we had to meet at a pickup point at 4am and were dropped off at the same point at 7 pm, but everything was so exciting that even the long hours didn’t matter,” he said, in awe of his Game of Thrones surroundings. “We spent the whole day in costumes and it was amazing to be surrounded by noble men and women, soldiers, servants and maids.”
This is what life is like on the set of Game of Thrones http://t.co/Q4WBILC21z pic.twitter.com/LjrUGIpsOl
— The Independent (@Independent) August 20, 2015
Ferri was so caught up in his sudden extra role on Game of Thrones , he began to immerse himself in the series universe, becoming a part of his surroundings and fantasy time period.
“It is funny that you kinda begin to think that everything is real,” he said. “It is kinda scary, if you think about it. It was also extremely funny the anachronisms that you see in a place like that. Though your brain is starting to accept that you are in a medieval world, suddenly when you look to the side you see a servant typing on his iPhone.”
What is King Joffrey like in real life? Felipe was able to get the “extra” scoop out in person.
“For a fan,” wrote Ferri, “it is kinda difficult to separate the actors from their characters, so it was a real surprise when I struck in conversation with Jack Gleeson, the actor who plays Joffrey, and he turned out to be a really nice guy who let me take a picture with him!”
As an extra, Ferri was able to meet and observe most of the Game of Thrones cast.
“Lena Headey, the actress that plays Queen Cersei, was also extremely nice. Everybody on King’s Landing was on that scene — Tyrion, Sansa, Loras Tyrell, his grandmother and his father, Lord Tywin, Lord Varys, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lady Brienne, Ser Jamie, Oberyn and Ellaria Sand… Well, you know, you watched the episode. I could chat to some of them and take a glimpse to others. I also discovered Lord Varys’ secret to be informed of everybody’s lives and whereabouts in King’s Landing… He checks everybody’s profiles on Facebook between shots! Probably he uses a medieval version, like Westerbook or something. :-D”
Want to be an extra on the hit HBO series? Filming locations for Game of Thrones Season 6, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, are planned all across Spain in Almeria, Gerona, Navarra, Peniscola, Santa Florentina castle in Barcelona, and Zafra castle in Guadalajara.
[Image via Game of Thrones Wiki]