20 questions with Jesse Heiman (World's Greatest Extra)

in #life8 years ago (edited)

He's acted alongside Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Kirsten Dunst and many other A-list celebrities. He's kissed supermodel Bar Refaeli more than 50 times. And he's gained his own following of dedicated fans.

Jesse Heiman, also known as the "World's Greatest Extra," has made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to his acting ability and unique appearance.

But what was that kiss with Bar really like? Who are the most interesting and friendly actors in Hollywood? And how in the world does someone make a living as a professional extra?

Today's exclusive 20 questions spotlight falls on one of the most prevalent faces in Hollywood... whether you notice him the first time or not.


20 questions with Jesse Heiman (World's Greatest Extra)

1 - How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

Jesse - Living my dreams to the fullest one year at a time.

2 - What led you into the world of acting and becoming the "World’s Greatest Extra?”

Jesse - I needed income to live in LA and signed up for extra work first as just a job, but then when people said I have a good look for it, I stuck to it and put 110% into every aspect of it. Now it's my career and I don't look back with any regrets.

3 - To date, what has been your favorite movie or TV show to be a part of?

Jesse - Tie between working for five seasons, and almost every episode, of Chuck as a regular character named Fernando and working for six weeks with Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn on Old School.

Speaking-wise, no doubt, Schmoolie the Deathwatcher: my award winning lead role in a short film still playing the festivals.

And, of course, the GoDaddy Superbowl ad.

4 - Who is the most interesting actor or actress you’ve had the chance to meet?

Jesse - Jim Parsons, Colin Hanks, James Van Der Beek, Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen.

5 - What would your top tip be for someone who is interested in trying to do extra work?

Jesse - Just stick with what works.

6 - We have to talk about your kiss with Bar Refaeli. Did you audition to be in the commercial or did Go Daddy contact you? What was your first reaction when you learned you’d been selected to kiss Bar?

Jesse - Yes, two auditions. The first was with a blow-up doll; the second with a stand-in who said my kiss was the only one she remembered. I felt like I won millions and was rewarded for years of hard work.

7 - How many takes did you and Bar go through to get the perfect kiss?

Jesse - 65

8 - On a scale of 1 to 100… how was it?

Jesse - 1000

9 - What did your friends and family say after they saw the commercial?

Jesse - They all supported me. Some couldn't watch. But they were proud.

10 - I understand the kiss was recreated with Jay Leno and Maria Menounos. What other celebrities have you locked lips with?

Jesse - Too many to remember. Of all of them, I'd love to kiss Sarah Silverman again. She's so sweet.

11 - Does it bother you that media outlets referred to you as the “geek” or “nerd” who kissed a model?

Jesse - Nope. I am a geek and nerd in real life, so whatever.

12 - Is it difficult not to get star-struck when working with people who are incredibly famous?

Jesse - I don't really get too star-struck anymore. I'm just very respectful of their success and happy to receive any tips from them.

13 - Is it rare that you get the chance to chat with the stars of the TV shows or movies that you’re working on? Or are they typically fairly friendly?

Jesse - Most are very friendly but I don't bother them too much. On a set, work comes first, then chatting if they are up for it.

14 - If you could have been an extra on any movie from the past, what movie would you appear in and why?

Jesse - Smokey and the Bandit series; Back to the Future series; Animal House

15 - Is it true you were offered a role in an adult film? If so, did you turn it down?

Jesse - Yes and yes. I wouldn't do that, but I'm down for romantic comedies or an artistic or Tarantino-like film that would call for it.

16 - What is your biggest pet peeve?

Jesse - People who don't respect others' opinions or choices that help get them to whatever dreams they are chasing.

17 - What do you hope to accomplish through your career?

Jesse - I'd like to work on a franchise film or series where I would play a role people love or love to hate, but be needed for more than one film or season.

18 - Are there any shows coming up that we should keep an eye out for a Jesse Heiman appearance?

Jesse - Did an episode on Son of Zorn and also appeared on the first episode of Scream Queens this season, so you can watch it on demand.

19 - What is your most embarrassing moment?

Jesse - One of my most embarrassing moments actually led to one of my early success stories.

When I was on the original Spider-Man, I was originally selected to be a guy eating a donut on the school bus, but that day I had a bad stomach reaction to eggs and needed to get off the bus to use the bathroom. So instead of being that guy, Sam Raimi, the director, felt bad for me and placed me right behind or next to many of the main actors for several scenes at the high school, especially the high school fight scene where I can clearly be seen behind Kirsten Dunst.

That led me to getting seen by my friends and family in a film for the first time and those who, at first, doubted my work became believers and proud supporters.

20 - What is one thing very few people know about you?

Jesse - In American Pie 2, I play Petey the trombone player... I actually played the trombone from 6th grade through high school and college.

Edits: spelling of star-struck and "Petey" in question 20, not "Peter"


This was one of my favorite interviews, to date. My sincere thanks goes out to Jesse Heiman for providing great answers!

As always, thanks to all of you for taking the time to read.

Who would you like to see me throw 20 questions at? Drop me a comment below and I'll work on setting up the interview.

If you like what you read, be sure to follow my blog!

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Whenever possible, I do my best to verify my interviews to prove they are authentic.

Here is today's verification. Thanks to Jesse for Re-Tweeting this to his thousands of followers! He's one solid dude...

All for one and one for all! Thanks for sharing this post with your crew. Namaste :)

Cool post, thanks for the sharing. Namaste :)

Interesting post!

Thanks! This was a fun one :)

I remember having seen that video of "worlds greatest extra" and suddenly it dawned on me that I remembered him in most of those movies. :D

I had a similar experience! A few years back, I read a brief 5 questions interview with Jesse in Maxim, and I'd been meaning to reach out to him and ask him more questions for some time now.

Awesome interview!

65 takes for a kiss! And people say it's not hard work.

Haha! Thanks man. Lucky dude... Lucky dude.

Very interesting post and something completely different

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