Extras ready to give Boyne Valley welcome to Hollywood stars

ANN CASEY A HUGE number of extras are being sought for the film ‘The Last Duel,’ part of which will be filmed in Bective next month.

An open casting for huge crowds of Irish based extras will take place on Friday (21st February) at Liberty Hall, Dublin anytime between 10am and 6pm.

As well as providing work for a huge cast of extras, the film is expected to provide a substantial tourism boost for Bective in the coming years.

It will attract a lot of tourism to the area," says Michele Whelan of Meath Tourism, "It will provide a boost to the area. People are still attracted to where Braveheart has been filmed," she said. ‘The Last Duel’ is an epic period feature film soon to be shot in various parts of Ireland over the coming months. It will be directed by Ridley Scott and will star Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer.

Auditions take place at Liberty Hall Theatre on friday 21st Feb

Filming will mostly take place around Dublin, Wicklow, Meath and Tipperary. Affleck, Damon and Nicole Holofcener have written the screenplay which is based on the book ‘The Last Duel’ by Eric Jager. Set in Medieval France, the story is a tale of betrayal and justice. "We will be looking to directly employ lots of film extras for huge crowd scenes in the coming months," said a spokesperson.

"We want men and women, bone thin, medium or broadly built, sporty types, tall, short, long and short hair, bald men and women, naturally coloured hair or be prepared to dye it, long and short beards, no beards, amputees, crooked or missing teeth."

They will be looking for crafts people, individuals skilled with swords or axes, blacksmiths, farmers, military trained people, archers, bakers and fishmongers. They are particularly keen to see quirky, unusual, weird or wonderful looks or skills.

"There will be featured and special extra roles and we will be casting people on the day.

"You do not necessarily need to have had any previous experince to apply." Applicants should live in Ireland and have a work visa/pps number.

Filming is expected to take place at Bective Bridge from 23rd to 30th March with road closures in place. Set in 14th century France, the movie is described as an epic tale of betrayal and justice. It is about a woman who claims she’s been raped by her husband’s best friend, but when no one believes her accusation, her husband challenges his friend to a duel, the last legally sanctioned duel in the country’s history.