Dan (Notorious D.I.G) telling me that his wife recently got a part as an extra in a Cornish film – which she ended up refusing after being told she’d have to have a fake tattoo on her butt, and said tattoo would make an appearance in the film – plus a recent watching of World War Z, reminded me of my favourite Dan story (who has featured previously on this blog here and here).

Imagine, if you will, it’s 2011 and World War Z is filming on a ship in Falmouth, Cornwall. Dan is there, as an extra. Brad Pitt is also there, and Matthew Fox, Jack from Lost, which had recently been hugely popular (though its deus ex machina conclusion made it all a complete waste of time).

They are filming one scene with some three hundred people. In the middle of the scene, the Red Arrows perform an aerobatics display overhead. The planes are in shot and the scene has to be filmed again.

There is a lot of waiting around. Dan finds himself near Matthew Fox. Being a huge fan of Lost, he’s desperate to talk to him. Dan’s just about to in fact, when someone walks past him, stands in front of Matt, and exclaims “Lost, mate!” with his thumbs up, and walks off.

Dan thinks, “What a dick”, and figures Matt’s not going to want to talk to any fan now. Then he hears Matt say something: “Do you go hunting around here?” Dan’s not sure who Matt’s talking to. “So do you go hunting around here?” He’s talking to Dan. Who doesn’t know what to say. “Uh, no, there’s no hunting around here. Uh, I used to do some clay pigeon shooting with my in-laws.” Anyway, they chat for a few minutes.

They chat again the next day, when they’re filming in a tiny cabin with only room for three actors. Matt asks Dan where to go out around here, and Dan suggests Truro, where Dan is a DJ at a nightclub.

To Dan’s surprise, Matt turns up at the nightclub the following night, on Saturday, in disguise (hoodie, hat) with his stunt co-ordinator. Dan’s not even sure if Matt will remember him, but he does. Dan gives them free Champagne (what is it about rich people always getting free stuff?), and Matt drinks a lot, and starts smoking in the nightclub. Dan has to tell him to stop smoking, then Matt puts the cigarette behind his back and denies that he is. Dan is okay, whatever. Later Matt is making out with a young woman. Her boyfriend turns up and shouting and trouble ensues. At about 4am Matt and the stunt co-ordinator were stumbling around Truro clutching bottles of Champagne.

Matthew Fox’s role in World War Z was originally meant to be a major one, but he ended up like Dan, virtually an extra. Dan insists he can be seen in the finished film, amongst hundreds of others because the T-shirt he was wearing stands out. Dan also had a cigarette break with Brad Pitt, and he said he was smaller and less handsome than you’d imagine. I’ve heard that from other people too who have met him.