Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. is in the midst of preparring for production. Just like the first movie, James Gunn's jobs as writer and director are giving him a lot of hats to wear, from making sure the actors know what’s in store for their characters to putting together Awesome Mix Vol. 2. Gunn is also notable for his interactions with fans on social media, but there’s one thing he would like people to stop doing: asking him if they can be extras in the sequel.
Evidently a lot of people have been messaging him about auditioning to be one of the background performers in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. After receiving hundreds of the same inquiry, Gunn decided to set the record straight this morning by going on his Facebook page and specifying exactly what his job as a director doesn’t entail. In his words:
I do not schedule auditions and I do not cast and find extras. There are people who do do that and, with a little bit of detective work, you can probably find out who. But it's not me. I only see background faces and audition tapes at the end of the line, after the extras casting director and casting director have sorted out all the best possible options, and I choose from there.
Gunn also admitted that, while he let some of his friends and family members (like his brother Sean) cameo in his movies, he won’t provide the same treatment to a random person messaging him on Facebook or Instagram. To be fair, most of us would say the same about any personal projects we may be working on.
However, don’t think that Gunn isn’t understanding of people’s dreams of wanting to break into or want to wear alien makeup in a Marvel movie. It’s just that his social media accounts are intended to be a jobs posting board. Gunn continued:
I want this page to be a page where we can discuss films and art and ambitions and careers and psychological well-being in the midst of all that. I can share what little I know about these things, and will answer questions as often as possible. But, as I've stated many times before, it's not a hiring forum, and never will be.
The fact that Gunn even interacts this regularly with fans is impressive, so it’s generous of him to offer such advice and tidbits. For those looking to be hired in some capacity, Gunn did “help out" by pointing them to actor Michael Rooker’s page for that sort of thing. No doubt the man who breathes life into space pirate Yondu will be glad to hear that.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will begin shooting sometime next February in Atlanta, Georgia, and arrive in theaters on May 5, 2017. In the meantime, if you want to be an extra in the movie, just keep an eye out for more official postings in the months leading up to principal photography.
