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Harry Seehoffer spent ten days working as an extra on the set of Pearl Harbor. Most of the time seems to have been spent floating, or waiting to get into the cold water. Harry relates that he's extremely pleased with the final film, and had a wonderful time working with Cuba Gooding Jr. and hundreds of other extras. Harry got the job through his agent, and even though a majority of the extras in the scenes he was involved in were guys in the military, there was a sense of camaraderie that made the shoot fun, though long and at times, exhausting. Seehoffer relates that 100-300 extras were involved in the bombing scenes he worked in. Of those 300 people, he believes only half a dozen were civilians. When asked why he felt they chose to use military personnel, he believed it lent an air of authenticity to the shots. All the extras, including the non-military ones, were required to have their hair cut in 1940's military fashion, even though there would never be a real opportunity for the movie-going public to get a look at the hair of the extras floating in the water. Again, Seehoffer felt it had to do with creating an atmosphere for the people involved in the filmmaking and not so much for the movie's audience. The water shots of Japan bombing Pearl Harbor were filmed in Rosarito, Mexico. Harry said the area they used was next to the facility used for the making of James Cameron's Titanic. The Titanic set has now been made into an amusement park, with the public invited to tour the facility and see where the historic film was created. The bombing scenes he was involved in were actually filmed a year ago, and the water was freezing. Many of the extras were allowed to wear wetsuits under their costumes, however some didn't enjoy that luxury. Just as the military men who lost their lives back on December 7, 1941 were in various stages of dress, so were the extras. Some extras had to float in the freezing water wearing only their boxer shorts. Seehoffer got the chance to watch the stuntmen and crew work with the explosives used in the bombing scenes - though from a safe distance. Harry shares that the set itself was an extremely fun place to work. Cast, crew and extras spent a lot of time relaxing, joking around, and enjoying themselves. Working with Cuba Gooding Jr. was a pleasure, Harry states. Gooding was very friendly, making a point of talking to the extras and in Harry's words - was "awesome" to work close with. |
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