By Cole Armstrong
In the Hudson Valley, background extra work has given many seniors an opportunity to work on regional Film and Television productions. The job of an extra is often overlooked, but actually fundamental to each project, adding production value and a sense of scale. Another visual aspect that is often overlooked, are the picture cars that appear on screen.
We recently reached out to three local background extras to talk about their experience and to find out how they provide more than just their presence on set.
“I moved here as a six year old in 1956 when my dad got work at IBM,” says Kevin Fouhy. “We moved from South Bend, Indiana into an apartment in Hopewell Junction while we waited for a new home that was being built in Poughkeepsie.”
After retiring from Metro North Railroad in December of 2016, Fouhy began following his passion for cars by buying a classic 1973 Cadillac. It became a catalyst for his newfound career after he saw a Hudson Valley Film Commission post looking for local “period” cars for the HBO mini series I Know This Much is True, starring Mark Ruffalo. He applied and ended up using his Cadillac five times until it was revealed that the narrative would be moving up a decade. “No problem,” thought Fouhy who went out and purchased a 1985 Chevy Cavalier Convertible that they would go on to use for scenes from the 1980s.
Fouhy and his cars have also appeared in Pinball (Choice Films), Mindy Kaling's HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls, HBO's The White House Plumbers, co-starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux and two Hallmark productions, One December Night, and A Spectacular Christmas, starring Ann-Margret.
The work made him eligible for SAG-AFTRA membership - the American labor union representing approximately 160,000 film and television actors. Thanks to all the work, Fouhy was quickly able to pay off the initiation fee.
Fouhy isn’t the only area senior providing an arsenal of antique automobiles. After retiring from civil engineering and land surveying, Wallkill based Steven Terwilliger, began pursuing a passion he had since high school in the 1970s, when he worked as a stagehand on a school production of the musical, Carousel. Terwilliger continued his AV work into college for extra cash, assisting in sound and running lights during school shows and events.
His first work for the local industry was in 2011 for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. He worked alongside hosts Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, and Ed Sanders to build a new home for a family that included a little girl with dwarfism. Terwilliger also worked with Chef Robert Irvine on an episode of Restaurant Impossible, shooting scenes with the D9 crew where Irvine remodeled a restaurant in Port Jervis, New York.
In 2018, Terwilliger was able to provide his pride and joy, a 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Sport, for the making of Mob Town, a gangster movie starring David Arquette, based on a true story. Terwilliger was involved in four scenes in and around the city of Newburgh.
Staatsburg’s Owen Clarke is another local resident who has provided period cars to productions, including I Know This Much is True, The White House Plumbers, A Spectacular Christmas, and The Green Veil, featuring Irene Bedard.
“I started collecting cars very early on,” said Clarke, a retired banker. “I always figured that when I retired, I would somehow provide movie cars to films as a hobby. When I heard about the Hudson Valley Film Commission, I sent pictures and descriptions of my cars and how they could contact me. Fortunately, I’ve been asked to participate in several different movies.”
Among the cars owned by Clarke is a Lincoln 41 Continental that he points out was the sister car of the one used in The Godfather scene where Sonny gets shot at the toll booth. Clarke also once owned a 1957 Continental Mark II which was originally owned by actress Doris Day.
In addition to his cars, Clarke has worked several times as an extra. In The Green Veil,' he was cast as an FBI agent in a scene that he found particularly moving. “The FBI agents were seated around a conference table and in the center of the table was a speaker phone from which Dwight D. Eisenhower was talking to us. After he finished, the head agent of the group said we needed to have a toast, so we all toasted with what was probably tea water that looked like scotch. Then we broke into a song rendition of God bless America. Getting to do that gave me a tremendous feeling.”
When Clarke worked as an extra on I Know This Much is True, he was able to get his grandchildren involved. They appeared in the theater scene and the planting and dedication of the tree at the school. “After I took them to wardrobe to get measured, I told them they had just earned about $35 a piece. They were so excited. Then, all the food came out for craft services and I told them they could have anything they wanted, as long as they didn’t get sick.”
With every production, Clarke donates a portion of his earnings to charity. He was previously on the board of Dutchess Outreach which provides food pantry and soup kitchen services in the county. Some of the non profits he has supported include Feed The Children; a non profit organization supplying food and resources to families struggling economically from the pandemic, as well as The Christian Appalachian Children Fund.
As projects premiere, keep an eye out for Kevin, Steven, Owen and their magnificent picture cars. For up to date information about film premieres, visit www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
If you’re interested in being a part of an upcoming Film & or TV production, check out daily posts on the Hudson Valley Film Commission’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hudsonvalleyfilmcommission
If you own a picture car that you would like considered for Film & TV projects, send a photo with year, make and model to filmcommission@me.com.
Several new productions are ongoing in the region with several new ones starting up, including the Peacock series, Poker Face which recently posted for background extras through the Hudson Valley Film Commission.
Grant Wilfley Casting Inc. is seeking Hudson Valley locals to work as background actors in the Peacock series Poker Face, created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne. Filming is based in the Newburgh, Fishkill area. To submit your information for consideration, visit www.tinyurl.com/pokerfacecasting