Queenslanders invited to apply for paid extra roles on Ron Howard’s Gold Coast movie, Thirteen Lives

Queenslanders, particularly Thai men, are being invited to apply for hundreds of paid extra roles on Ron Howard’s Gold Coast movie, Thirteen Lives, depicting the 2018 Thai cave rescue

Hundreds of Queensland punters have the opportunity to land a paid extra role on international blockbuster feature film, Thirteen Lives.

Filming on the Ron Howard movie, depicting the incredible 2018 Thai cave rescue, will begin on the Gold Coast from late March and the production team have put out an open casting call for extras.

The casting call is predominantly for Thai men and women based on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, aged ten and older, but is also open to those from other Asian backgrounds.

Extras casting director Bud Hopes said they would be paid $26 per hour with some roles lasting up to 30 days on the blockbuster set.

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A supplied image obtained on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, of Australian doctor Richard Harris (centre), and the medical team he worked with to assist in the rescue of 12 Thai boys who were stuck in an underground cave with their soccer coach, but have since been rescued. (AAP Image/Supplied by DFAT)

“There will be some days we will have 300 characters on set from Thai navy Seals to Thai police, government officials,” he said.

Thirteen Lives is one of a number of international productions underway in Queensland and Hopes said they had struggled to find Thai extras available on the Gold Coast.

He has cast extras on big Gold Coast productions for the last 15 years – including Godzilla vs Kong, Aquaman, Thor: Ragnarok and Kong: Skull Island – and said “it’s the busiest we’ve ever been”.

“The industry at the moment is really healthy and we are doing it with a covid overlay which is very difficult,” he said.

“They are international films and along with that comes a real attention to detail that creates that real authenticity on screen.

Casting call for extras on Thirteen Lives

“The script is amazing and we have one of the best directors in the world telling the story.

“We really have to strive to pay respect to the story. It has to be told accurately and with authenticity.”

“We need good stories at the moment.”

It comes after Howard and Imagine Entertainment co-owner Brian Grazer sent out a casting call on Monday for four Queensland crew members to work on the film as part of a development partnership with Screen Queensland.

Anyone wishing to apply for an extras role should send their name and a photo to [e-mail].