Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are coming to Ely – as the cathedral has been chosen for yet another huge Blockbuster.
The News can reveal that scenes for the hugely-anticipated new film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth are going to be filmed at the cathedral.
The movie stars Irish-German actor Fassbender as Macbeth and Oscar-winning French actress Cotillard as Lady Macbeth – and both will be appearing in scenes inside the cathedral’s Lady Chapel.
And as if that isn’t exciting enough, residents of what’s been dubbed ‘Elywood’ are also being given the chance to be extras in the film, which is being directed by Justin Kurzel.
The filming – the seventh time Ely Cathedral has been used as a movie location in recent years – is taking place from Thursday, March 20 to Saturday, March 22.
The Casting Network Ltd, based in Surrey, is now recruiting people aged 16-80 to feature as extras in the film.
Lesley Gogarty, director of the casting firm, said: “It seems that Ely is one of Hollywood’s favourite UK locations at the moment.
“Banquet scenes for Macbeth are being filmed inside the cathedral’s Lady Chapel from March 20-22.
“Fassbender is definitely appearing in those scenes and it is highly likely that Cotillard will be too.
“We’re looking for local people to star as extras in the film and we need approximately 100 people each day.
“Those roles will include everything from earls to servants – it’s extremely exciting. As the film is set in Scotland in medieval times, for historical accuracy, we can only consider Caucasian men and women age 16-80.”
People who qualify as extras will be paid although people must live locally as no travel expenses will be paid.
Mrs Gogarty said: “All applicants must have good availability for costume fitting in the first or second week of March and obviously for the filming days.
“Men ideally need collar length to shoulder length hair with a beard. If your hair is longer than shoulder length you should be willing to have it cut, and if its short you need to start growing it out. Facial hair is great too. If you don’t already have a beard, please start growing one.
“There are no false beards of hairpieces/wigs on this production so please do not ask to be considered if your hair is short of if you are not prepared to grow a full beard Women ideally need very long hair with no obvious highlights and no obvious dye.”
The news comes just months after scenes for Blockbuster Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, were filmed at the cathedral.
The ‘Ship of the Fens’ has also been used in The King’s Speech, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Other Man and a recent Bollywood film.
Among Fassbender’s most notable roles to date are slave owner Edwin Epps in 12 Years A Slave, which has earned him a 2014 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Magneto in the superhero film X-Men: First Class and the android David in the science fiction movie Prometheus.
Cotillard has starred in a whole host of films, including La Vie en Rose – for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress – Rust and Bone, The Immigrant, A Very Long Engagement, Furia, Les Jolies Choses and Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.
In 2012, she also received widespread acclaim for her performance as the orca trainer Stéphanie in Rust and Bone and won the Globe de Cristal Award, the Étoile d’Or Award and the Hawaii International Film Festival Award for Best Actress and received nominations for the Critics’ Choice Award and Screen Actors Guild Award, to name just a couple.
For information about becoming an extra in Macbeth, call 020 8391 2979 or visit thecastingnetwork.co.uk.
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