The 10 Hottest Extras Working in Hollywood Right Now

Image via Complex Original

As Seen In: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Other Significant Work: Disgruntled student in Mean Girls 2 (2011); Guy in the hallway in MTV's Awkward
Place Of Birth: Portland, ME

Eric Clapton (no relation) knows how to appreciate someone else having fun. That's why he got the coveted role of School Dance Extra No. 42. There were two things he knew he had to nail at the audition: One, does he pass for around 18 or younger? Sure. Two, is his face boring enough that you will not notice it? Damn right. In fact, Clapton's not only hardly noticed by critics for his forgettable mug, but he's being barely spotted by his peers in the biz as well. That's why Eric Clapton is a two time winner of the very unknown Academy Award for "Best Blend by a Bland Extra."

Before The Perks of Being Wallflower he won for his little brother's fifth birthday home movie, when Clapton himself was only seven. "We knew Eric was destined to be boring," explains his mother, "We didn't even notice him in the back of his brother's movie. We assumed all of Eric's home videos were lost in the fire. We have them all, we just never focus in on Eric."

But is Mama Clapton proud of son Eric? "He's OK, I guess." —TA

As Seen In: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Other Significant Work: N/A
Place Of Birth: Eighty Four, PA

O'Ringer made her debut as an extra in last year's The Dark Knight Rises and everyone's been breathlessly awaiting the announcement of her next project. She promised an update to the situation on her xanga three months again, but since then, not a peep. Sadly, the president of the Taube O'Ringer Fan Club remains in a self-inflicted vegetative state, the result of a prolonged breath-holding session that restricted the flow of oxygen to her brain. (We're praying for you, Tammy Tams.)

By now, everyone knows the struggle of the little actress from Eighty Four, the town in Pennsylvania famous for its lumber and postal confusion. She was first discovered at the age of 34, working a pair of stilts outside the local diner for dinner change. Christopher Nolan's most trusted assistant dropped his to-go coffee when he met eyes with O'Ringer. The two will be wed in May. —RS

As Seen In: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Other Significant Work: Confused girl in Gladiator (2000); Condescending cheerleader in Law & Order: SVU
Place Of Birth: Vienna, Austria

There are few names in extras known to always bring the heat. Sammy "Stinkface" Schmaltz is one of those names. Casting directors know that if they need an extra to look unimpressed or surprised, Stinkface is the only person to call.

Her work in Silver Linings Playbook is the best example of Schmaltz's talent. When Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper perform a painful-to-watch dance, it was Schmaltz's time to shine. In fact, her performance drew comparisons to other Extra Greats like Maude "Hold the Phone!" Jenkins and Thomas "You Can't Do That In Here!" Christopher. We highly recommend checking out her earlier work, as the confused girl during a fight scene in Gladiator and as the condescending cheerleader in Law and Order: SVU. —TA

As Seen In: Lincoln (2012)
Other Significant Work: Civil War reenactment performer specializing in Southern generals and soldiers
Place of Birth: Richmond, VA

That look of shame on Robin E. Lee's face above? That's what happens when, hoping to honor your family's rich Confederate heritage, you audition for a role in Steven Spielberg's prestigious, Civil War-themed biopic Lincoln and land the worst possible job: playing a nobody extra who follows Honest Abe around while wearing the blue gear of the North.

For any other unknown thespian, working with heavyweights like Spielberg and Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis would be a dream come true—for poor Robin, it turned into a historical nightmare. Over the last 10 years, he's been hustling below the Mason Dixon Line as a Civil War reenactment specialist, a career move that honors his great-great-great grandfather, Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee. Hell, his first name is a nod to the man who's considered to be one of the greatest war minds of all time.

In Lincoln, Lee can be spotted three times, his first scene coming at the film's beginning, when Day-Lewis' Lincoln speaks to two black soldiers—Lee is standing off in the background, looking as if someone stepped on his Dixie flag.

If you happen to see him walking around Hollywood these days (he now lives there, having caught the big-screen bug hardcore), though, you'll notice a sharp change in his disposition. And why's that? Because in his next film, Steve McQueen's forthcoming Twelve Years a Slave, Lee plays a plantation owner's nameless underling. It'll be all smiles, for sure. —MB

As Seen In: The Master (2012)
Other Significant Work: JCPenney Female Slacks Model of the Year, 2009
Place Of Birth: Sheffield, England

One look at that face, and you know that Littlemore got her start as a catalogue model. Beginning in the lady's jogging suits section of the Sears Fall 2008 catalogue, she became the youngest model in history to be named JCPenney Female Slacks Model of the Year in 2009. She was 31.

P.T. Anderson was using a rest stop bathroom when he saw her gams. It's been a wrap ever since. —RS

As Seen In: Magic Mike (2012)
Other Significant Work: Enthusiastic audience member at Dr. Oz
Place Of Birth: Trenton, NJ

When Penelope Dell walked into the audition for extra on Magic Mike, she knew what she was getting into. "It was about strippers," she said, "And I am all about strippers." Dell, the 36-year-old professional film extra, is no stranger to the business. She's known the ins and outs for 15 years, but this, so far, has been her most screen time. At the audition, most women showed that they could, indeed, get hot and bothered by Mathew McConaughey, but Dell, without a doubt, brings the "wow" factor. Critics are more than impressed with her work. One New York Post reviewer went as far as saying, "Dell brings something new to the table here. She's not just an actress, not just an extra. She has a look that says, 'Gimme a slice of that!' Make sure you keep an eye out for Penelope Dell in the Where's Waldo world of extras." —TA

As Seen In: Argo (2012)
Other Significant Work: Good Will Hunting (1997), Surviving Christmas (2004), Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010)
Place of Birth: Cambridge, MA

When Ben Affleck moved to Cambridge, MA, as a kid, he quickly befriended Daniel O'Brien, the neighborhood's very own, pint-sized answer to Marlon Brando. "Danny was amazing as Jesus in his school's Easter play, The Stations of the Cross," says Patty O'Brien, Daniel's mother. "Really, no matter what show he was performing in, Danny was always the star. People would come all the way from Brookline to watch him act." One of O'Brien's biggest fans was Affleck, who, according to O'Brien himself, "would always ask me for advice."

Today, O'Brien puts it more bluntly: "I taught that guy everything he knows." Struggling to find his way in Hollywood, O'Brien got shut down in audition after audition until Affleck and their mutual acquaintance Matt Damon convinced director Gus Van Sant to cast the hungry actor as one of the dudes to whom Damon's character says, "How do you like them apples?"

Seven years later, though, O'Brien's relationship with Affleck soured after the former talked the latter into taking on the high-concept comedy Surviving Christmas, which, of course, was terrible and bombed. "I told him, 'You need to be funnier,'" recalls O'Brien, "and when the movie bricked, he blamed me."

That failed bit of wisdom, O'Brien claims, is why Affleck made him grow his beard out to resemble Affleck's own in last year's Argo and relegated his initial, bigger role (O'Brien says he was originally a lock to play co-star Scoot McNairy's character) to a mere pedestrian during the film's tense scene pictured above. "I'm telling you, every time he watches Argo and sees me looking like him but doing little more than sneezing in the left frame of that scene, Benny-Boy laughs his ass off," says O'Brien, fuming.

The good news: O'Brien may have the last laugh after all. While his old friend was readying the Argo publicity machine last spring, O'Brien filmed two movies with acclaimed director Terrence Malick, working alongside Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman. "Ben's really gonna be pissed when he realizes that I'm starring in the better Malick films," O'Brien says with enthusiasm. "That To the Wonder one he made with Terry is getting sodomized by critics. I love it!"

The bad news: Why couldn't Affleck cast an Iranian? —MB

As Seen In: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Other Significant Work: Public Enemies (2009), Lawless (2012)
Place of Birth: Austin, TX

Tom Sinclair knows that his career—which, while far from reaching leading-man status just yet, is steadily rising—could be in a much bigger place now had he not gotten overly squeamish.

At first, Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow cast Sinclair as Dan, the C.I.A. officer (ultimately played by breakout star Jason Clarke) who tortures the detainee during the film's brutal opening sequence. "I thought I could handle it when I first read the script," says the 47-year-old Hollywood journeyman. "Once we began filming that scene, though, I got a bit gun-shy. It was too real. I vomited all over Jessica Chastain's shoes, ran out of the room, and cried."

Bigelow, bless her soul, felt compassion for Sinclair; rather than giving him the proverbial boot off her set, she found a small part for the embarrassed actor: He's one of the anonymous soldiers running around the Jalalabad, Afghanistan, base when Chastain's character confirms Osama bin Laden's dead body. "Kathryn could have been like any other director and fired me," says Sinclair, "but she kept me around. You've got to respect that."

Since Zero Dark Thirty's release, Clarke's stock has grown considerably—he recently landed the lead in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the highly anticipated sequel to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. As for Sinclair, he'll next be seen in the summer blockbuster White House Down, playing a random Secret Service agent who gets his ass whooped by the film's villain, played by, that's right, Jason Clarke.

"I'm currently trying to play one of the apes in Dawn," says Sinclair, looking toward the future. "Jason's putting in a good word for me, too. I think I'm becoming his good luck charm." —MB

As Seen In: Spring Breakers (2012)
Other Significant Work: The "Go Fuck Yourself With a Smile" American Apparel Mesh Jorts Ad Campaign
Place Of Birth: Calabasas, CA

This is a very special story: "Kat"—with the quotation marks—was discovered a few weeks ago, making her one of the first documented cases of a non-extra becoming a hot extra after already appearing as an extra. Let's explain better.

Rayban wasn't an official extra on Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers. She just happened to levitate on a cloud of cool through the shoot as the cameras rolled. Then, she found herself sitting next to Werner Herzog at the ArcLight in L.A. during the film's west coast opening. The famously difficult German director connected the dots while watching Rayban lick butter from her fingers during the end credits. Through his tears, Herzog recognized her face as the one of perfect, symmetrical smugness in the St. Pete's party scene. Since then, Rayban has been the go-to extra for many a filmmaker, including Vincent Gallo, Vincent Gallo, and Vincent Gallo. —RS

As Seen In: The Avengers (2012)
Other Significant Work: Stunt work on the upcoming Cheers reboot
Place Of Birth: New York, NY

Born with a shockingly full head of kinky brown hair to the Jr. family, of the Lower East Side, Rhea Perlman Jr. was destined to work as the double for Rhea Perlman, best known as Carla on Cheers. Anticipating a lengthy oral history of her life and career, Jr.'s family has been recording all of their family interactions since the little curly-headed girl first came back to their tiny apartment, swaddled in pink and white.

Look for "The Oral History of Carla's Double on Cheers and That One Episode of Karen Cisco" in late February 2014. —RS