Spaniards battle to become extras in new season of ¡®Game of Thrones¡¯
Yes to brawn, no to tattoos, as makers of HBO series hold auditions for new episodes in C¨¢ceres province
Sleeping outside on a blow-up mattress; braving downpours, skipping classes... such are the lengths that some Spaniards will go to for the chance to appear for a few brief moments in the hugely successful television series Game of Thrones.
¡°I would even pay to appear in it,¡± says V¨ªctor Rosado, a self-declared hardcore fan of the HBO show. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind at all.¡±
Getting rid of my hair is like ending my life, but I would do anything for ¡®Game of Thrones¡¯
Jos¨¦ Torres
Rosado is one of more than 4,000 people who gathered in the village of Malpartida de C¨¢ceres, in Spain¡¯s Extremadura region, in the run-up to the series¡¯ seventh season ¨C the third to be partly filmed in Spain.
¡°It¡¯s rained on us, we¡¯ve been buffeted by the wind, and now it¡¯s boiling hot, but it¡¯s all worth it,¡± says Rosado.
Hundreds of people lined up all morning outside the local sports center on a grey Monday morning for the chance to be selected as Game of Thrones extras by casting subcontractor ModExpor Internacional.
A total of 2,400 men and 600 women made it through the first round. ¡°They checked that we didn¡¯t have tattoos or braces on our teeth. And that we didn¡¯t have dyed hair or highlights,¡± explains F¨¢tima Pe?a, another huge fan of the show.
If successful, Pe?a, in addition to appearing on the show, will also receive €54 a day for her efforts.
The show¡¯s makers are as tight-lipped as ever about the storylines for the new season, but have let it be known that military experience and a high level of fitness will be an advantage.
¡°They told me that most of the guys would be soldiers, and I fit that profile,¡± says Daniel Ruiz as he flexes his biceps.
¡°We have to be ready to shave our heads and get rid of our beards. Getting rid of my hair is like ending my life, but I would do anything for Game of Thrones,¡± says Jos¨¦ Torres.
ModExpor Internacional says that around 500 people will eventually be selected to participate in shoots in C¨¢ceres, Trujillo castle and Malpartida.
Filming is expected to take place from mid-November to mid-December.
Previous Game of Thrones locations in Spain have included Seville, Pe?¨ªscola, Girona, C¨®rdoba province and Bermeo in the Basque Country.
English version by George Mills.
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