WHY I LOVED BEING AN EXTRA IN A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Being an extra in the Soul on Fire movie was an absolute blast.

The Soul on Fire movie is a moving story of John O’Leary and his life journey.

I’ve been keeping a secret. The eight pages of legal mumble jumbo I signed, way too early in the morning, before the sun was even up, almost two years ago, has kept me from saying anything.

I suppose it’s all just another day in the life of a show girl, right? LOL.

I’m joking … kinda.

Because I really did sign a really long document, really early in the morning. And no, I didn’t read it for detail.

But now the time has come to reveal my secret, “movie-star” life!

What in the world am I actually talking about?

Well … I had the privilege of being cast as an extra (which I subsequently learned in the “biz” is referred to as a “background artist”) in a major motion picture.

The movie is a true story about St. Louis native John O’Leary and his life story.

Yup. I got to experience the lights, the cameras and ALL of the action that goes into making a feature film firsthand.

And it was an absolute blast! I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

SOUL ON FIRE MOVIE LIFE OF AN EXTRA: A BIT OF BACKGROUND

It is a faith-filled portrait of resilience and the miraculous recovery of motivational speaker, John O’Leary, as well as the O’Leary family. 

The Soul on Fire movie is the work of director Sean McNamara and was filmed in St. Louis. It stars Joel Courtney, William H. Macy, John Corbett and Stephanie Szostak. Masey McLain, in a particularly heartwarming role, portrays John’s wife, Beth O’Leary. 

John O’Leary’s story and his life’s struggles are nothing short of incredible. He traveled an unbelievable road as a young boy suffering severe burns (mainly third-degree burns) over almost his entire body as the result of an unfortunate incident in the family home.

His chance of survival was very slim.

But he defied the odds and has gone on to lead a radically inspired life. It is one of those inspirational movies  that makes you laugh, makes you cry and makes you walk away feeling better about humanity.

The faith-based film was release in theaters October 10, 2025. 

It is a celebration of heroes who assisted John in recovering. This includes the support of his family and family members, frontline workers, and even Baseball Hall of Fame announcer, Jack Buck. As well as the support of the wider community.  

It makes me proud of my hometown, St. Louis. Because our city also plays a starring role in the film.

My husband, Matt, had the privilege of knowing Denny O’Leary, his father, through his volunteer work with the APDA. Denny had Parkinson’s Disease later in life and would attend many of the organization’s events while Matt was president of the local chapter.

They are an awesome family who have faced a lot of adversity, but have leaned on their faith and each other throughout it all.

It was a privilege to be just a small part of bringing this story to life.

SOUL ON FIRE MOVIE LIFE OF AN EXTRA: HOW THIS ALL CAME ABOUT!

My hometown of St. Louis was all abuzz, almost exactly two years ago. They were filming a major motion picture here and needed extras.

I thought, well that sounds like a fun day! I’d always wanted to see what it was like “behind the scenes.”

And let’s be honest. There are not a lot of movies filmed in St. Louis, Mo.

So I filled out the form. Along with hundreds, if not thousands, of other hopefuls. And then I waited. And waited.

Crickets.

I saw reports on social media of filming around the city. My feathers got a little ruffled. Why were all those people chosen and I wasn’t? Argh.

And then it happened.

An email popped into my inbox asking if I’d like to be part of a gala scene that was filming at one of our city’s most iconic ballrooms.

Good grief. This is type casting!

I was in! And I could bring a plus one. If only I knew someone who had two custom tuxedos and full white-tie attire! Oh wait! I do! I live with that person! And in fact, I married him!

We’re gonna be in a movie Matt!!! Start steaming one of your tuxedos …

SOUL ON FIRE MOVIE LIFE OF AN EXTRA: A LONG DAY ON THE SET

We got the information as to where to be and when to be there the day before the shoot. Our call was a bit early at 7 a.m.

Part of the instructions we received detailed what we were to wear. One of the scenes we were going to film took place in the 1980s.

Since all of my clothes from that era are LONG gone (thank goodness), they suggested we just wear timelines black or navy pieces. Check and check. I’ve got that covered.

We got to the set early and signed the aforementioned legal papers. A production assistant checked out our attire and said we were good to go!

In fact, she proclaimed, “you guys look great.” And if I do admit, I think we looked quite fetching!

When we were on set, I felt like I was part of a movie about a movie. LOL.

Let me explain that perspective …

The director, production assistants and prop designers looked like all of the people you see playing those parts in movies.

You know exactly what I’m talking about …

Everyone was wearing black. There were lots of black puffy vests. Many people had black baseball caps on. Men were in cargo shorts even though it was winter. Everyone was scurrying about, wearing headsets. Everyone had that “creative” look.

It was a scene of a scene!

And all of the extras, who are technically called background artists, were gathered in a holding area until it was time for the scene.

It truly reminded me of all of the movies I’ve watched, about making movies.

But despite the long hours and the waiting, it was super fun!

And there were snacks!

Always wanting to be prepared, we had stopped by Starbucks on our way to the shoot earlier that morning.

But I loved the fact they had grapefruit flavored Bubly! It paired perfectly with my sous vide egg bites. Gotta get my protein!

SOUL ON FIRE MOVIE LIFE OF AN EXTRA: THAT’S A WRAP

During the day, I was part of two scenes while Matt filmed three.

We learned a lot along the way, including how to “Hollywood clap.”

What?

Look for it in films that you watch. You’ll notice that people don’t actually clap, they more grasp their hands together in rhythm, so they don’t make a sound. Apparently they dub the sound of applause into movies in post production.

Who knew?

We wrapped our shoot around 2 p.m.

Did I mention we had so much fun?

And then we waited to see when the film would be released, which happened in October 2025.

So if you are looking for a truly inspirational movie to watch, check out “Soul on Fire.” And look for us!

The adventure was truly the definition of what it means to “make every day bold.”

We decided to throw our hats in the ring for something a little outside our comfort zone and had a blast doing it.

Plus we met interesting people and made memories from the day that will last a lifetime.

I love it! How will you decide to Make Every Day Bold?

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