That Time I Was in the Movie “Resident Evil: Apocalypse”

Catch me in all my glory in the scene starting at :53 as a random SWAT guy

I've always loved the Resident Evil franchise.  

In 2003, I didn’t own a PlayStation or PlayStation 2, but I lived with a friend who did. I watched him play for hours on end as he “streamed” Resident Evil right before my eyes in the living room space we shared. I was happy to not have the stress of controlling the protagonist’s fate.  

I was fresh out of school and struggling to land my first “career job”. So, I worked two gigs: one at World’s Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto (which was not, in fact, the world’s biggest bookstore). The second was as an “extra” in movies/TV shows in Hollywood North.

In October, I got a call from my agent asking if I wanted to be part of a “zombie movie”. She could not confirm nor deny at the time that it was Resident Evil (even though there were rumblings that it would be filming in Toronto) - and turns out, it was. Needless to say, I accepted the gig. I had the choice of being a zombie or a SWAT trooper, and chose the latter, thinking I would get more screen time (after all, there were hundreds of zombies).

The shoot was broken up into two 16-hour days during the middle of chilly October, and as a SWAT trooper for Umbrella Corp, I was fortunate to wear a full set of gear. I was also lucky enough to be randomly selected to have a "task", and that was to scan people with a fake glow stick to see if they had the virus as they entered Racoon City. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to talk though, because then I would have had to pay me 3x more.

I’m one of these guys, though I can’t remember which!

In the same scene, I was also on top of a wall where I "shot" at people as they ran in terror back across the Bloor Viaduct once the virus was discovered in a person. The whole scene, despite taking 32 hours to shoot, was no more than 30 seconds in the movie, maybe less.  My screen time? Close to one, maaaaybe two seconds if you add up all the cuts.

The actors were fed really well - a full spread with shrimp, sandwiches, fruit, all kinds of delicacies fit for royalty. What did us “extras” get for a meal?  

A wheelbarrow of hot dogs wrapped in foil, with no condiments.  

I'm not even exaggerating. A guy came with a wheelbarrow and delivered our boiled hot dogs, and we swarmed it like farm animals to a trough. Not going to lie - we were so hungry that they still tasted great. 

I didn't meet Mila Jovovich, but I did meet Sienna Guillory, who played Jill Valentine in the movie. And when I say “meet”, I mean I stood about 10 feet from her while she worked, and I was in my SWAT gear so she didn’t “meet” me back since my face was covered at all times.  

I hung out with Razaaq Adoti, who was one of the military guys in the movie. I remember him joking that while we ran away from the wall (spoiler: they shoot at everyone for not evacuating on time) we could do a roll or fake trip on the ground to add some drama.  

How much did you get paid?, you might ask. If I remember correctly, it was $8/hour, -15% which went to my agent. Today, the rate is about $22/hour. Classics game, classic movie, classic 2003 hourly minimum wage.

But it wasn’t about the money. I would have done it for free. To play a small part in a movie inspired by a game I loved was payment enough. Besides, there were other perks: people would sneak in on the set and ask us for autographs and pictures. Unfortunately, that was strictly against the rules (in fact, one other SWAT trooper was fired on the spot for letting a kid hold his prop gun). 

10/10, would definitely do it again.

Bonus Fact:  I was also an extra in the show Soul Food, which starred Vanessa Williams (no, not the singer!)