Working as an extra can be a thrilling experience, but at the same time, it can also be very exhausting. A Big Bang Theory extra once worked a ten-hour day on the set of the sitcom. However, the experience can be well worth it and in some cases, the extra can even steal a certain scene. That was the case in Quantum Of Solace when an extra stole a scene from Daniel Craig.
In the following, we'll take a closer look at an extra and their experience on the set of the 1994 film, Maverick. The extra revealed a memorable moment that saw Gibson grow taller next to his co-star, Jodie Foster.
Turns out, Mel Gibson might've been insecure about his height. Hollywood critic Barry Norman proved this to be true in his book, speaking about an experience alongside Gibson, and how the actor wouldn't admit to his true height, claiming that he was over six feet.
Let's take a look at how it all went down, and how Gibson was able to build a friendship with Jodie Foster during the film.
Mel Gibson Pulled Fits In The Past Over His Height
In his book See You In The Morning, Hollywood critic Barry Norman discussed some of his experiences with actors. Among the many names, included Mel Gibson. Clearly under six feet, Gibson was adamant about being the same height as Norman, who was over six feet. According to Norman, Gibson grew angry about the situation.
"There was the occasion at a private dinner in Hollywood when Mel Gibson insisted he was as tall as I was. I disagreed politely on the grounds that I was just over 6ft and he most certainly wasn't."
"But then he grew quite angry about it, until some diplomatic soul suggested we should settle the argument by standing back to back."
When they finally went back-to-back, Norman stated that suddenly, Gibson grew a lot taller than he really was.
"I could feel him going up on tiptoe behind me so that the top of his head would reach the same level as mine, whereupon the diplomatic soul pronounced us of equal height and Gibson said: 'See? I told you so."
"I just looked down at him and said: 'OK, Mel, if you're happy, I'm happy', but God knows what all that was about."
Turns out, Gibson might've enhanced his height for a certain role as well, according to an extra on-set.
An Extra From Maverick Revealed That Mel Gibson's Height Was Increased During His Scenes With Jodie Foster
Extras have some great stories about their experience on-set. Back in 1994, a certain extra had quite the memory working alongside Mel Gibson on a boat. According to the extra alongside Buzz Feed, Gibson was made to look taller during his scenes alongside Jodie Foster.
The on-set extra revealed, "I was an extra in the movie Maverick. We were a small group for the exterior boat scenes and spent an average of 12 hours on a small sternwheeler with the stars. Mel Gibson is surprisingly short and had to stand on boxes to look taller than Jodie Foster."
Of course, such an alteration was not made public and kept quiet behind the scenes. Regardless of the height gain, it seems as though Foster and Gibson had a great time together on set.
Mel Gibson And Jodie Foster Grew Close To One Another Following Their Role In Maverick
Mel Gibson had several hits during the '90s and Maverick in 1994 was yet another one. The film crushed it at the box office, bringing in $183 million off a $75 million budget. Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster were a major reason for the success and according to IMDb Trivia, the film created a close connection between the two.
The publication writes, "Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster became close friends while making this film. She was also considered to play Gibson's love interest again in Conspiracy Theory (1997), but she turned it down to make Contact (1997), and the role went to Julia Roberts."
"Both Gibson and Foster still love to play poker. They worked together again on The Beaver (2011), which was directed by Foster."
Julia Roberts and Michelle Pfeiffer were also considered for the role of Annabelle in the case Jodie Foster was not available. Clearly, Gibson was happy with the final casting outcome.
