Becca Monaghan
Sep 10, 2024
unbranded - Newsworthy / VideoElephant
We've officially hit the 'ber months which means one thing for Harry Potter fans: hot chocolates and movie marathons.
Since all eight films dropped on Netflix last year, they dominated the streaming services far and wide. Not to mention, the final instalment's release in 2011 was a box office smash and grossed more than $1 billion.
Now, TikTok user Samantha Clinch has gone viral for sharing her behind-the-scenes experience on set as an extra.
In one clip that's racked up 7.6 million views, Samantha lifted the lid on how much she was paid as a 13-year-old extra.
She explained how she worked 12-hour days and described the time as the best experience in her life.
Samantha would be on set for 5am and "be leaving at rush hour and be on the bus in heavy, heavy traffic."
All-in-all, Samantha was paid £35 as an extra: "In the grand scheme of things, getting paid £2.91 an hour isn't that bad and this constant stream of food – it's like an all-inclusive."
Her pay soon jumped up to £75 when she got a speaking role as Eloise Midgen.
@samanthaclinch Replying to @Bear The money video 💰 How much I earnt as an extra, how much I earned as #eloisemidgen how much #danielradcliffe was paid, how we got the most for our money 🍴 AND what I spent it on 🥲 #nostalgia #harrypotterbts #harrypotterextra #harrynpotter #harrypottertok #harrypotterandthegobletofire #gof #harrypottertok #childstar #fyp
It didn't take long for fellow TikTokers to flood the clip with comments with one joking that "as a kid, £35 a day is living the dream!"
Another thought extras were volunteers, adding: "I'd be an extra in a movie for free. lol, I just want to be on a movie set!"
"My grandad was an extra for Harry Potter, he said it was tiringgggg, poor bloke was in his 70s but an amazing experience," a third recalled.
Meanwhile, a fourth wrote: "I'm cryyyinngg!!! The square bars I'm pretty sure I ate about 15 a day! And made sure breakfast and lunch I was eating twice."
Clinch also lifted the lid on her other experience on set in another video, including how much she was paid, the food they were served – and one particular scene where she was 'spat at'.
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)