Dillinger said a stand-in isn’t on camera, but they are paid more because they were more involved with the scene. An extra is possibly on camera, but paid less because they are only brought in for that shot, and then they go back to the holding room.
“I was chosen as a stand-in because I fit the description of one of the actresses in a scene,” she said. “So I would stand in for her while they were setting up the lighting and getting everything ready to shoot that scene. That way, the actress could be going over her lines and preparing for the scene.”
Suzette Carter was also an extra. “They even had me drive my car in one of the scenes,” she said. “There were many days that I sat in there for hours, but since I’m retired, I have the time.”
She said she enjoyed meeting new people.
Dillinger said the show helped Memphis because it created jobs.
“In every scene other than the main characters’, everyone else was local paid extras,” she said. “They also hired caterers to feed everyone, and some sets had to be built, so they had to hire construction people.”