Coming soon to the big screen: a Brandon High School graduate.
Adam Rickabus recently returned from New York where he was filmed as an extra in ‘Super Ex-Girlfriend,? a movie to be released next year starring Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson.
‘It was a really, really good experience,? said Rickabus, a 2004 BHS graduate. ‘It was a blast. It made me realize (acting is) what I want to do with the rest of my life.?
Rickabus, a sophomore studying media arts at Butler University in Indianapolis, received a call from his agent around 2 p.m. Dec. 4 telling him he’d been selected as an extra and he needed to be on the set in New York the next day at 11 a.m.
Rickabus flew to Manhattan (at his own expense) and was on the set for two days, working 12 and a half hours the first day and 13 and a half the second day. He was part of three scenes total. Rickabus is not sure if he will make the cut, but is hopeful about one particular scene in which he sits at a table in a restaurant with another extra who plays his date. During that scene, he is seated behind Anna Faris, another star in the movie, in which Uma Thurman’s character is dumped by the Luke Wilson character and she uses her superhero powers to get back at him. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman.
When Rickabus wasn’t working, he hung out on the set in a holding room and was paid for doing so, as were about 70 other extras.
‘They treat you well,? says Rickabus. ‘In Hollywood every minute is worth money.?
Lunch was catered and what he calls ‘good stuff?– including fish, chicken, ribs, and rice.
Rickabus met Luke Wilson, who has previously starred in several movies, including ‘Old School? and the ‘Legally Blonde? films.
‘He’s exactly like his character in ‘Old School,?? says Rickabus of Wilson, whose nickname on the set was ‘L-train.? ‘He’s a very easy-going and fun guy. I had a good 15-minute conversation with him about his past work, the bar we were shooting in and high-fiving.?
Rickabus didn’t get to meet Uma Thurman, whom he said was very serious about her role and would leave the set as soon as possible when she wasn’t being filmed. He noted that he made eye contact with her several times.
Rickabus said there wasn’t anything about the experience he didn’t like. He has been an extra in two other movies, ‘Martians from Venus,? and ‘Flannel Pajamas,? in which he was also a stand-in, but ‘Super Ex-Girlfriend? is his first feature film. He thinks people would be surprised to know the amount of activity occuring on set.
‘There’s a lot that goes on,? Rickabus said. ‘A lot of components to making it, with lighting, etc. No matter what is going on on camera, the entire scene is happening at the same time. Even stuff that isn’t on the camera is being acted out. So even if they don’t make it on screen, they’re still acting.?
Rickabus? next role will be in ‘Insane Asylum,? an independent film which will start filming every other weekend in New England in May. He will play an insane person and is being allowed to develop his own character, which he has chosen to make a speaking role.
‘I die at the end with pig guts on me for some reason,? he says. ‘My agent set it all up once again. They just asked if I had a problem with gore. No problem at all.?
Rickabus hopes to have more feature parts and says if he is not doing movies by the time he finishes college, he will move to a bigger market and get a job behind the scenes doing production, editing, filming, working as a director’s assistant or whatever he needs to do.
‘The more ways you attack it, the more ways you can get in there,? he says. ‘It’s always been my passion to be an actor and I hope it works out. I’m pretty confident.?