READERSVOICE.COM: Can you list your favorite books of all time?

DAN SMICZEK: Hmmm….I can only think of three that really rank high for me. Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert Heinlein) – Read this for a class in High School and it completely blew my mind! Still one of the most memorable books I’ve ever read.
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller Jr.) – An excellent example to give everyone a little perspective on even our own history. One man’s lunch box is someone else’s holy relic.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone – (J. K. Rowling) It really pisses me off when you hear some nimrod adults whining that it’s a kids book why would they read it. When I was working on the first movie I was a little skeptical but as soon as I started reading it I was completely sucked in.

It is a fantastic example of opening your imagination and reliving your youth. I am so happy that kids today are able to enjoy such an excellent adventure!

RV: Generally what sort of things do you like to read about?
DS: I’m a huge film fanatic so my interests tend to lean that way but I’m also someone who will pick up the latest thriller or a good sci-fi novel.

RV: What sort of newspapers, or magazines or journals do you read, for example about the visual effects industry you work in these days, or just generally?

DS: My free time runs pretty short these days but I do get one industry magazine that is fantastic! Cinefex.

RV: How did you get started as an extra, and what is it you enjoyed about it?

DS: Actually my first opportunity to be an extra pre-dates everything on my site. I’ve been a film nut ever since I was a little kid.

When I was still living in Houston I learned about an opportunity to be a part of a football crowd for the movie ‘The Faculty’ courtesy of (at the time) a little website for film geeks everywhere: Ain’t it Cool News.

So I dragged along a few co-workers for an all night shoot and had an absolute blast. There is just something about being on a set that I absolutely love. Maybe it’s the behind the scene nature of it all that most people don’t get to see.

When I moved out to LA it was definitely high on my priority list to find out how to be an extra out in LA. Fortunately I ran across Cenex/Central casting which at the time was one of the main casting agencies for all the shows on TV and also a lot of films in the LA area.

I basically went and signed up….that was all there was to it. Little did I know within a month or two I’d be standing on the set of The X-Files!