'Piranha 3D' casting begins tonight
Bikini-clad extras wanted

Hollywood has come to Lake Havasu City, and hundreds of local residents could have the chance at their 15 minutes of fame.

Casting associates from the new, soon-to-start filming, thriller “Piranha 3D” will be holding an open casting call April 18 at their offices, located inside the London Bridge Resort along Bridgewater Channel.

Good Faith Casting, LLC will also be at Kokomo tonight at 9 p.m., looking for its first round of extras for the film. Good Faith Casting associate Chris Davis said they would really like to encourage people interested to show up in their swimming suits — girls in bikinis, boys in swim trunks, although it is not necessary.

Davis also recommended wannabe extras not bring a copy of their headshots. The casting agency will have a camera on-hand to take photos. While the majority of would be actors the filmmakers are looking for are between the ages of 18-25, they need people of all ages.

A good deal of casting for the film will be done April 18, at the Good Faith offices. Casting Director Faith Hibbs-Clark, owner of Good Faith Casting, will be on-site for the first time.

Some lucky Havasu residents might have a chance at getting a speaking part, Davis said. This will be the first casting call for speaking parts.

There is money involved in the gig, too. Extras will be paid $7.25 per hour. Speaking roles offer even more. Davis said the Screen Actors Guild day rate for extras with speaking parts is a minimum of $759 per day. For featured extras, the pay scale is often more. Davis said the more screen time an extra has, the more he or she gets paid.

As with many movies, a day of filming can often run into overtime, at which time extras would be paid time-and-a-half.

Money isn’t the only incentive being offered. Davis said all extras would be fed three meals a day. He also indicated there could be potential giveaways, such as large flat-screen TVs and DVDs, though nothing is certain.

Davis said the nice thing for residents is a movie part would add a little extra income and give extras a chance to go behind-the-scenes.

Davis stressed the importance of enthusiasm for the extras, stating they are looking for people who will really act drunk during the party scenes, despite the presence of alcohol on set, and who would really act like they are dying when they die in the film.

“The extras will make or break this film as either a campy B-film or a classic cult film,” Davis said.

Piranha looks to be a big-budget Hollywood thriller. The film is a remake of the 1978 original.

Internet Web site FEARnet is reporting Oscar-nominated actress Elizabeth Shue is in talks to star in the film. Shue is best known for her roles in the 1995 film “Leaving Las Vegas,” “The Karate Kid” and “Cocktail.”

“Mirrors” director Alexandre Aja is set to direct “Piranha 3D.”

The film will also reportedly feature the same digital-3D technology being used by “Titanic” director James Cameron for his most recent film “Avatar,” Aja said in a recent interview with MTV.com.

Cameron has another association with the “Piranha” series. His directorial debut was the 1981 sequel to the original, titled “Piranha Part Two: The Spawning.”

You may contact this reporter at twaggoner@havasunews.com.