The World’s Greatest Extra

Mitch Krieger, Staff Writer

February 17, 2013

Jesse Heiman. Chances are you just said “whosis?” out loud. You’ve never heard this name before, but I can almost guarantee you’ve seen the face to go with it.

Jesse Heiman, by profession, is an American movie and television actor. I use the term “actor” very loosely in this context, for Heiman is an “extra”.

An extra is anyone who has little-to-no lines in a show, movie, or commercial. They just show up in the background for a couple scenes. For example, some readers may have been extras in The Dark Knight Rises, during the Heinz Field scenes. Although being an extra is not a glamorous or very high paying profession, Heiman is the top dog.

Recently, Heiman starred in a controversial GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial alongside supermodel Bar Refaeli. You might recall the uncomfortable feeling you had when he kissed her for around 10…you know what, let’s just say TOO long.

Heiman, after asked on The Today Show how many takes it took when filming, confessed, “Uh, I can’t remember… It was just a great experience, it was like over 45 or something!” Reports have since come out that state it was actually 65 takes. Yeah, that feeling coming over you right now is called jealousy.

Besides the GoDaddy commercial, he has appeared in, what seems to be, pretty much everything you or I have ever seen. There’s a strong possibility he’s been in the background of your favorite movie or TV show. Probably both… Actually, probably more than that.

Get ready to be shocked. Since he began his acting career in November of 2000, according to an article published two years ago, Heiman has appeared in over 140 films and television shows. Just imagine how many more he’s been in over the past two years.

Notable films that he has appeared in include American Pie 2, The Social Network, Spider-Man, Van Wilder, Catch Me If You Can, and Old School. No joke, I was just watching the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory while writing this article, and he just showed up. Either Heiman is the most impressive, hardest-working extra in the history of Hollywood, or he’s a witch. I’m leaning towards the latter.

If you don’t believe that you’ve ever seen Heiman before, you should definitely check out this hilarious video-compilation showcasing just a fraction of his work. It’s a YouTube video titled “World’s Greatest Extra.”

Here’s a link: http://youtu.be/IdEBu7ODVk8

Be warned: this video is like that video in The Ring. Until the day you die, you will never unsee its contents. You will never unsee Jesse Heiman.

Enjoy!

About the Contributor

Mitch Krieger, Staff Writer

As you walk through the halls and see the many faces of students of Bethel Park High School, a certain person catches the eye of the people throughout the building. This young man’s name is Mitchell Alexander Krieger. Mitchell, a Senior member of yearbook club, Ways'n Means, the National Honors Society, Hawk Eye, PACS, and DECA, is the definition of a well-rounded, intelligent high school student. Mitch is intrigued by other cultures and traditions around the world. One of his dreams in life is to travel the world and experience all of the unique cultures and ways of life. Mitchell’s favorite part of the world is Europe because he likes how one small area can be so diverse. Mitch said if he could switch lives with anyone in the entire world, it would be Anthony Bourdain. He admires Anthony because he travels the world but doesn’t experience the tourist attractions in countries. He said Anthony experiences different cultures first-hand by living with families from that area and lives as they would for awhile. When it comes to his future, Mitchell is completely undecided. He has gone back and forth in his head multiple times, yet still has no idea. Something that most people don’t know about Mitch is that he isn’t just “the funny guy.” He has feelings and is in fact, sort of sensitive. Mitch values being different in life. He doesn’t necessarily want to be another face in the crowd. Mitch said, “Life is a gift, not to be wasted. You can’t settle for being the same, or for being good enough. In life, whenever everyone says something is perfect, you must be the one to say it can be better.” Written by: Jake McCall, Staff Writer