PORTLAND, Ore. -- More than 100 people were ready when doors opened for an open casting call Tuesday afternoon at Mister Theater in East Portland.
Many them were crossing their fingers for 15 minutes of fame as an extra on season four of the TNT series The Librarians.
“I'm feeling pretty good,” said Colin White, who was waiting for his turn.
“I think we all have a pretty good shot on this show,” said Cassandra Frost, who wants to pursue a career in acting.
“I think today is great. We've got a lot of fresh faces,” said Bill Marinella, with Marinella Hume Casting Portland.
The Librarians is one a handful of productions that will be filming in Portland through the summer.
“We also have an HBO series coming in next week,” said Tim Williams, executive director of Oregon Film, part of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television.
The new HBO series is currently being referred to as the "Untitled Alan Ball HBO Drama” series. The title hasn't officially come out yet. Alan Ball is known for writing popular HBO shows such as True Blood and Six Feet Under.
"Those interested in working as extras on the show can submit online by this Wednesday evening or attend our open casting call this Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Cast Iron Studios, 1430 SE 3rd Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, OR 97214."
Along North Mississippi Avenue, flyers have been posted telling people how filming on April 25 will impact streets. It’s expected filming will occur on North Mississippi between North Mason and North Cook Street from 6-11 a.m.
There are other productions as well.
“Portlandia is going to come back for season eight, which will be their last,” said Williams.
He said there's also something else in the works.
“Hopefully we'll be able to talk about it soon. That will also be here during the summer,” Wiliams said.
Williams said Grimm spent about $300 million in its six years in Portland. While Grimm is gone, he said there are more opportunities ahead.
“Over the last few years we've been tracking anywhere between $130 million and $180 million of in-state spending on these projects as they come through,” said Williams.
He said it was only about $10 million of in-state spending about 10 years ago, and between 22-25 projects come through the state every year. That number is likely higher, because not all production companies work with Oregon Film.
The activity in Portland is good news for aspiring actors.
A spokesperson with Cast Iron Studios said they’re already filling spots, so if folks want to get a jump start on things, apply online.