Star Trek Looking For Little People January 22, 2008
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: ST09 Cast , trackback
The extras casting agency working on the new Star Trek movie is currently seeking little people for background work on film. They are specifically looking for men and women who are 4’4″ or shorter (age range 18-60, any ethnicity). It is not an open casting (like the one in October), but being done using Hollywood casting notices. The actors are required for shooting in mid-March.
Will Star Trek have alien aliens?
No word on what roles they need these background actors for, but it is likely some kind of alien. A possibility could be the gold-skinned Ithenites seen in the TOS episode “Journey to Babel” (pictured). One area where Star Wars has excelled in is creating truly exotic aliens. In Star Trek, especially on TV, the variety of aliens has been more limited. Most aliens tend to be roughly the same size and shape with (of course) various differing foreheads. However it looks like JJ Abrams Star Trek is going to break the trend. Sources tell TrekMovie.com that this is something that was important to the film makers. It is evidenced in this casting call and a previous casting call for people with unique and unusual facial features. Plus we have reported that the film has an ‘alien choreographer‘ who works with the background actors to show them how to act ‘alien.’
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Comments
Sweet First
If this is true, then it will be good to see the little gold-skinned people again as I don’t believe we’ve seen them since.
Of course, I always thought they were a little cheesy as-is and could use a prostetic update.
about time too! Decent aliens much needed. Of course the whole point was that the aliens were representations of different aspects of human culture, but we all remember the giant doll creature in ST:IV!!
Sorry – I always wanted to do that. I guess it’s the AICN factor in my genes.
Back to the aliens – I hope we see some non-humanoid aliens based on other species – insects, reptiles, plants… and as few bumpy headed aliens as possible.
Now for the big question – will klingons be bumpy headed?
It also could be for background crewmen to use in forced perspective sets like they did in ST:TMP. Maybe?
I wonder if their required for long distance shots like in the engine room (ST-TMP)
oh and dare I say it….First…no forget it
Alexander from Plato’s Stepchildren?
Star Trek X1: An Ewok Adventure
They are needed for the Ewok scene. Duh!
Midgets are funny looking.
Maybe the Lollipop Guild will make an appearance? I always thought Star Trek could use more three-part harmony singing.
One drawback to having so many different aliens right off the bat is that it kind of takes away from impact of meeting new ones.Star Trek should limit their aliens to a few known species and save some drama for the introduction of new ones IMO.
I am very interessted myself in small people, because we have many here resulting from pregnancy drugs, which this caused. I am not small, but I did not see a lot of people, who are. This is a cause for more aliens, who looks like small people, but I hope that Star Trek has a circus becomes.
#7 John Conner
The man who played Alexander passed away more or less 20 years ago.
How about Verne Troyer who played Mini Me in the Austin Powers movies?
#10 – FYI, I think “midget” is generally offensive and used pejoratively now. My understanding is that it’s one of those formerly medical terms that has gradually turned into something of an insult, much like “idiot” and “moron.”
And what’s with the picture accompanying the article? Did we need a reminder as to what little people look like, or is that some screenshot from a TOS episode?
I’m waiting for Bob Orci to come in, read the part about the casting possibly being for Ithenites, and leaving the comment, “Hmmm…” ;)
Hopefully we won’t have a ‘forehead of the week’ alien and they truly give us some unique and strange aliens in this film. This is one of the things that caused me to lose interest in Trek for a long time because of the different species that were turning out to be not so different and quite frankly boring…
STILL HOLDING OUT HOPE…
…that we see Cadets Arex and M’Ress slinking about in the background of Starfleet Academy at some point in the film…
…or better yet, on the bridge of the Enterprise!
I wonder if there are any Vulcan midgets. There are human midgets in Star Trek, why can’t there be any Vulcan dwarves, or maybe Klingon dwarves? That’d be hillarious.
#12
I AGREE!
that was Michael Dunn, a.k.a. Miguelito Loveless from Wild Wild West.
I’d love to see the Ithenites. Never knew that’s what they were called – but cool. If they’re doing that then bring in some Andorians and put their antenae on the back like they originally were. Now you’re talking canon with me.
and 4
Back to the aliens – I hope we see as few bumpy headed aliens as possible.
Right on, brother!
AND…
…I’m 5′ 6″. Does that count? :)
Human midgets don’t exist in the future…give me one example of a human midget in the 23rd or 24th century…
You don’t suppose they’re using them in the Engine Room the same way they created the “forced perspective” shots in ST:TMP? I noticed that they’re requested for backgrounds. That seems like extra work to me.
shawnp
read the second paragraph and calm down
Karlore
warning for trolling
Well I am 5’3 and a half. I think that qualifies as “hobbit”. right?
I love the Ithenites idea. I remember Daniels referred to them in an ENT episode, & I didn’t know what he was talking about. Now I do, & i love it!!! Bravo JJ.
Arrrr… gold dwarves? I heard of red dwarves…
I’ve seen bad, bad naughty old films with little people… Be good to see something good w/ their services in it…
Hey- Dunna judge me! It gets lonely out at sea… Arrrr…
#18–
I want an alien made o’ pudding.
(again, I’ve seen bad, bad naughty old films with pudding…)
#16 As a matter of fact the picture IS a screen shot from the TOS ep ‘Journey to Babel.’ :)
Silly little hobbitses! :-P
That was in reply to #27, btw.
It’s for the scene where Nero hits our heros with his “shrink gun”
#24-”Human midgets don’t exist in the future…give me one example of a human midget in the 23rd or 24th century…”
Ferndawg, have you checked your calender lately? Nobody on earth can give you an example of anything from the 23rd or 24th century.
We’re just pretending.
Hey everyone go watch the cable news channels right now! Heath Ledger just died. This is’nt a joke go now.
#20, #24 – We’ve seen a relatively small Ferengi, Nog. Even in flash forwards his adult height is 5 feet, since that’s Aron Eisenberg’s height. And he was generally shot as being smaller than that, ie. http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Image:Nog_stands_up_to_Martok.jpg
Even the random background aliens from ST:TMP, though humanoid, were more interesting than the foreheads we got from TNG onward. In early first season TNG “Lonely Among Us” got our hopes up with dog-men and snake-men, but it didn’t last.
I think a dwarf Klingon would be exceptionally dangerous. He’d have to be to make up for the size difference. Probably everyone around him would cover their crotches!
#35
How terribly sad. He was appearing as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie.
R.I.P.
.
Michael Dunn also played “Mr. Big” in the pilot episode of GET SMART!
He was outstanding in that also in addition to his signature role in WILD
35
Just heard
36
I agree, the Selay were sweet… would love to see them again. Maybe an intimate scene with a Gorn? You know… a hardcore Gorn movie… just with a Selay :D
Ledger. Drug related. What a tragic waste. Wasn’t he only 28?
#5
that was my first thought, too.
The terrible news about Heath Ledger is a reminder that we must all cherish each moment of life…it is so fleetingly short!
It also could be for background crewmen to use in forced perspective sets like they did in ST:TMP. Maybe?
Or like they did in the last scenes of Casablanca.
#5 very unlikely with the budget of the film however lord of the rings did it
44
Life is short if you make it short…
#47
I get your point, but drug use aside…even a healthy person could be struck down when they least expect it! Make every moment count!
Didn’t they use little people for the engineering shots in TMP to give the impression the room was larger?
Could just be something like that.
Shock and grief at Heath’s death.
Learn from this.If you have unresolved emotional issues do not turn to drugs.You can lose everything despite how much fame and financial resource You may have.Find God’s grace and a recovery program.
48
You’re right, like Picard once said…
50
It’s a lesson for all people. Find a friend!
4ft 4in or shorter?! Darn!! Foiled again! Dangit.. Im 5in too tall to be in Star Trek!! ARGH!!!! Why couldn’t they be looking for people who are 4ft 9in or shorter?! Fiddlesticks! :/
guys they were perscription drugs susspected suicide
I’m not trying to be offensive, but can someone explain why “little people” is a less demeaning term than any other? All these arbitrary rules are hard to keep up with.
Have you seen the Ricky Gervais Extras with Warwick Davies in it?
“Every day above ground’s a good day!”
-Detective Mel Bernstien in “Scarface.”
On a lighter note, my question goes out to British Naval Dude…..
I suppose you’re hoping the new Trek movie will get an “arrr” rating? :)
(rimshot)
It took how many threads to finally lay that one on us, Harry?
maybe jjs bringing back balock from the corbimite maneuver
#54 – I’m not sure, just the evolution of language I guess. I noted earlier in the thread that “moron” and “idiot” were once specific scientific terms, but ones that have not become insults. Another interesting example is the difference in calling blacks or Latinos as “people of color”, whereas the inverse with “colored” as the adjective would be taken as highly offensive by most American cultural standards.
#26 – By the way, Anthony, I was not in a huff earlier, so there was no need to calm down. Just a little facetiousness on my part.
Oops…”ones that have *now* become insults.”
57
You mean me (Gorn movie)? I’m neither british nor naval :P
#58 THX “it took how many threads”
I’ve been holding back….didn’t want people to get sick of my corn…..
yeah, yeah, I know…..too late!
Bwahahahahaha……….
my buddy went out for the first casting call and he matched the description perfectly. sag actor and all. and they totally screwed him over, put him on hold and then never called him in. he lost days of work because he was excited to be a part of the film. i have little faith in these casting people.
NCC…..nope, I was referring to BND #29!
65
Ah, OK, I thought you were referring to the Gorn language :P
64. Yes because your friend is the best ACTOR EVER!!!!!!!!!!! He did not get screwed over. He just did not get the part. That’s how auditions work my friend. It was his choice, right?
Okay, I’ll bite. I’m a ‘little person,’ although I generally hate that term and all that ‘Little People, Big World’ crap. But hey, for a role in the new movie, I’ll happily be whatever they want.
So, Anthony, how does one get one of these roles? SAG only?
DITCH the foreheads, especially on the romulans!! No further foeheads, let’s start doing more… just look at the judicial scenes in Trek IV…
And a Gorn! And a Horta! And Tellarites!!!
Heck, say what you will, but TOS had more imagination with absolutely no budget than just sticking pla-doh on a forehead.
NC(C)-17(01) would be a bad, yet suitable rating :D
Good night, fans… it’s 0050 AM here… Qapla’
#66 NCC “Gorn language”
I’m with you on this one! Growing up I always LOVED the Gorn episode! I bought the TOS-HD set and so what if the Gorn captain looks fake as hell? It was the PREMISE of the story that drew me in and wouldn’t let go!
I’d pay good money to see a Gorn vs. Mugatu movie!! It would make the Predator vs. Alien movies look like 101 Dalmations in comparison! Anybody else with me?? :)
#69 “Heck, say what you will, but TOS had more imagination with absolutely no budget than just sticking pla-doh on a forehead.”
You forgot dots, and stripes, and tatoos ;-)
People, let’s be politically correct here. In the 23rd century, and the 21st, for that matter, they’re no longer called “ALIENS” but “undocumented extra-terrestrials”.
Funny, I’ve heard they like to be called “other-worlders”….
BTW, what alien race were those little gold dust twins in JTB? Anyone know?
My understanding is that someone is considered a little person if they stand at a height at 4 feet, 11 inches or shorter.
Duh, they were Ithenites! I answered my own question. Lesson here? Read before you post. LOL. OK then, any hardcore trekkies have further info on Ithenites?
#76 – Actually, the term ‘little person’ is more of a societal term made up by folks that didn’t care for ‘dwarf’ or ‘midget.’ Personally, I always kind of liked ‘Kick-A__ Short Guy.”
With this casting call for people shorter then 4’4″ , maybe Tom Cruise will make an appearance in the film after all. :)
OK, I just checked the website of a group called Little People of America, and they put the height at 4’10″ or shorter, but with some variations.
What the aliens look like is much less important than what they say and do. You don’t need weirdo aliens to tell a compelling story. Star Wars had them because they were after an audience that didn’t care much about story and character.
# 69
In the new movie, would’nt you like to see in addition toTellarites, Gorn, and Hortas: Ithenites, TOS era Andorians, NOT Enterprise Andorians, maybe even Edosians, Skorr and Phylosians to tie in TAS? OMG that would be so cool. I would just freak if I saw alot of TOS aliens in this new flick.
lol what the deuce is that picture? The two people with the red hats? Where is that from?
#82: Not especially. I want to see a movie, not a comic book.
Speaking of aliens (though I am talking about taller ones, here)…what happened to our weekly report on Star Trek remastered? Would have been appropriate for MLK Day, yesterday. Oooooo—those saavy Paramount execs…they put it on the weekend before MLK Day. Are they wising up? A.P.-Please help me out with my “remastered Trek fix”, too. You’ve really helped me get all I’ve wanted on “Trek 11″.
Cawley could do it if he walked around on his knees.
Maybe they’re looking for background people for some forced perspective shots. I’m reminded of how the motion picture used small people who got shorter and shorter as the engine room went further back in order to give the illusion of a very long room. And it worked beautifully. Of course, you wouldn’t really need actors for that. Hmm.
Darn, I’d say cast members of the Roloff family! Dont know what I’m talking about? Watch Little People, Big World on TLC. It’s one of the best shows out there now, on a trash filled television.
It wouldn’t be Binars would it? I don’t think that they were really around until TNG though.
You know who they need? Ian Michael Smith, the guy who played Simon Birch. He’d be about Starfleet Academy age too…
“Journey to Babel” TOS episode.
#83
Please read the second paragraph. Knowledge therein lies.
#55
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7q_n1sygGSY
#73, #74 & #79 – LOL
92…thanks
sometimes I think people read just what is on the front page and jump into making comments…..’(more….)’ is your friend
Why is there a Harry Potter on my Star Trek Info Site?
Little people? uh oh. I hope the producers tread carefully.
Maybe it’s just forced perspective purposes… although with the ability to downscale/cgi a whole bunch of Hobbits/actors in LOTR- I assume there are easier ways to fool the audience eye than to hire a bunch of little people.
Little People…
So help me if they go Phantom Menace Little Annie/Jar Jar cutsey with my universe…
#94
Just following your lead, boss. Truthfully, before you had written it in the article, I forgot what the gold-skinned guys were.
Dang. I’m an inch too tall.
Harry Ballz-
I would love an arrrrr rating… and I suggest a man calling himself “Harry Ballz” might want one as well…
arrrrrr….
What if they just cut off some actors at the knees and have them play the wee folk parts?… When I was a younger man, barely able to do the right thing on the poop deck, I may have then given up one of me harry ballz just to be on Star Trek for a second…
(insert Tribble joke here)
arrrrr….
Actually those little guys were from the Shriner’s Planet. They all drive little cars.
#10 Midgets????? Funny looking?
My God, haven’t we gotten past the use of such old fashioned terminology? yeesh!
#16: the shot is, in fact, from the TOS episode “Journey to Babel.”
99
my other vehicle is a shuttlepod ?
The reason for So many human looking Alien’s in the Alpha Quadrant, was that the plan\ets had been seeded by an Alien Race, that was a theme through out most of TNG.
#98: If we’re going for Arrrr, might as well go all the way and have it rated “in sea!”
If this casting notice is for the film’s sequence where the bridge crew performs their version of 1981′s “Under the Rainbow,” then count me out…
My god, Orci and Kurtzman have scribed a scene where the crew are each given “Mini-Me” versions of one another. I know McFarlane wants to sell as many figures as possible, but this is just silly!
Oh no! Orci and Kurtzman have added “mini-me” elements to their screenplay for comedic effect. We all know how well comedy works in sci-fi, right? We all know how much B.O. Ice Pirates, My Stepmother is an Alien, and Pluto Nash did, right?
Double dumb ass on them!
Where does the term “Ithenites” for the little gold ambassadors (with a taste for brightly colored marshmallows) in Journey to Babel come from? This article is the first time I’ve heard it.
Scott B. out.
107
i paid for pluto and pirates.
well actualy we snuck back and forth between pirates and tank
81. justcorbly – January 22, 2008
What the aliens look like is much less important than what they say and do. You don’t need weirdo aliens to tell a compelling story. Star Wars had them because they were after an audience that didn’t care much about story and character.
I have to agree with you justcorbly. If I remember right (and that’s doubtful since I don’t know Star Wars as well as Trek), but wasn’t Jar Jar Binks the alien with the most dialogue in any SW movie? (I would not count Chewbacka’s moans as dialogue, and I don’t count C3PO and R2D2 as aliens since they are robots). The significant aliens in Trek were more developed than in SW. I still shudder when I recall that picture posted on Trekmovie.com a couple months back showing JJ and George Lucas conversing at a dinner. Please don’t turn Trek into Star Wars. They really should be kept separate.
The little men are to be attention very funny, because they their seem different the most of the adults differing during their life. Sadly, the drugs of pregnancy change how they see and their height, but this can be played a gift for in film, because the Aliens of Star Trek will be required smaller, like the other actors with the characteristics of funny faces and disformity.
–Manrum
You know they might have had the choreographer do one of those things where he puts on a suit with little sensors that track his body movement.s That would then be transferrable to computer generated characters.
“They are specifically looking for men and women who are 4′4″ or shorter (age range 18-60, any ethnicity)”
Too bad Ronnie James Dio is 65!
#55: Yes, we saw that episode of “Extras” with Warwick and it was hilarious.
#105: don’t forget the Carrie Fisher cameo where she loses her clothes again, and . . . um, never mind.
Still shocked and saddened over Heath’s death today.
Oompa Loompa’s?
Maybe the good ship Enterprise is travelling to OZ (Hey after Star Trek V anything is possible)
Or, they may just use them to force perspective (they did say background)
#108 – interestingly, they weren’t
they were unnamed in Journey to Babel
in Enterprise, Daniels once mentioned Ithenites
finally, an unshot scene for ‘Terra Prime’ called for short, copper-skinned aliens called Ithenites. Us trekkies put it together – hardly canon
#4 yes the klingons will be bumpy headed, they have to be because in the “Enterprise” pilot..well look for yourself.. I hate it when they try to shoehorn things into canon that really screw things up.
According to Enterprise, those gold skinned fellows are called Ithinites.
In later Trek one of the annoyances was the overuse and unimaginative use of some sort of wrinkly nose/forehead appliance to try and make an alien, a sense of not really trying at all. May as well just keep them human as they did on TOS. It seems to me in TOS they did at least try to create imaginative aliens, even with limited budgets and the for that time very expensive foam rubber appliances.
They really are making a great effort in this one, looking forward to some freaky aliens!
Uh Oh, I smell a Cantina Scene coming on, only with pointed ears.
Who wants to vote for best TOS alien?????(excluding Nimoy’s Spock)
I do I do!
From Journey To Babel……..
“Shras” Played by Reggie Nalder.
(Dos are reasons fer muuurder)
- C’MON…it’s just trek…i want to see romulans..tng kilngons…ferengi…or a Q..i miss jem’hadar..i’m a trek fan..not a tos fan….
Either the Enterprise is caught in the wake of a supercharged chocolat wave and gets transported to a chocolate factory where the crew meets some strange orange creatures who sing and dance. Some redshirts get killed in weird ways by an omnipotent Q-like being in a purple overcoat.
Or the Enterprise construction site is hit by a tornado and lands the ship and crew in a strange land where small beings start cheering them for killing a witch (they return home by clicking their heels three times and advise all further Starship contruction to take place in orbit so this never happens again)
Or then again maybe Kirk washes up on a strange shore and finds himself tied down with ropes while little people throw spears at him.
i lke anndorians…i want to hear again..’- pinkie…!’
-HEY..people..i don’t want to see that mogwai from Star Wars in the next STAR TREK movie..ugly little bears..
Ah yes, before the “Ithenite” term… in some branches of 70s fandom we generally called them LCD’s: “Little Copper Dudes” (or less p.c. Little Copper Dwarfs). I know some mathematicians prefer LCM over LCD though… so there’s “Little Copper Men”.
During TNG’s early days, I think some figured these were TOS Ferengi sneaking around.
Of course, another possibility is that we could see dwarf varieties of another known race. The comic books did give us a dwarf Klingon in the character later known as “Kobry”.
I’d be interested to see dwarf Vulcans… dressed in green and red… and making toys… somewhere near the counterclockwise-rotational pole of Vulcan? ;)
hootini!
4’44” it means to an european..4 minutes and 44 seconds…
20. …Klingon dwarves…
For some reason I have a mental image of something like that scene in elf where the “Elf” guy says “He’s an angry elf” and the dwarf charges across the table at him and knocks him down…
I can see Simon Pegg or John Cho insulting a dwarf Klingon and then getting charged…!
An normal man has 1.70 meters..
“normal” man?
A short person is still a normal man, just shorter
besides, here in Holland I would say 1m70 would be considered rather short
I say again, what about FORCED PERSPECTIVE
They used it before even on The Motion Picture, where they dressed up Children as engineers just to make the engineroom look larger.
Not to mention the way they used short people on LOTR.
#16
Denny Crane says midgets. :D :D
You can speculate till you get blue in the face, we won’t know what those people are being hired for until we see the movie. :)
Since we’re on the subject of aliens (or rather “undocumented extra-terrestials” as Khan Khan called them! LOL!), I’d like to see a Horta in this movie. It’s nice to see an alien that doesn’t have a humanoid form (god knows we rarely got any of those after TOS) and “The Devil in the Dark” is one of my all-time favourite TOS episodes.
#15 Are you talking Mini Kirk?
there have been a number of posts about little people used for ‘forced perspective’ scenes, but with the scale of the Star Trek project and the number of little people they are looking for…I really don’t think they would have to use them for such. What extras and sets they need to extend will be done with CGI most likely. That is why it wasn’t mentioned in the article
To Yendis : I’m short :1.55m…so i don’t think i want to offense somebody …because is a short person..
i will kick your but yendis..i din’t care how tall are you..ofcourse if you are a boy..
Check out
http://trekmovie.com/2008/01/23/james-cawley-to-appear-in-new-star-trek-movie/#more-1479
And you people did not believe me when I said that Cawley was going to be in the movie….
didnt they also use kids for the first alien film
#64 “i have little faith in these casting people.”
Then please have faith in them casting these little people.
(runs and hides)
#67 Kenny B
You obviously did not read my post very well. i did not make any claim as to the quality of my friends acting. but what i did say and you obviously did not read well was the fact that he DID get cast, went in and got fitted for wardrobe, was given his days to come to set, and then they called him back, brought him in for another fitting, told him his schedule changed and then never called with the new dates.
i work as an assistant director on films, and would consider that to be a little unprofessional, supporting my opinion.
Oh come on with the Anttena/ You have to agree that the ones in ENTERPRISE were cool. they moved according to an emotional state. I thought that was neat as hell
How Do I apply for this job?
Because I would be very interested in this as I am a small person looking for acting work.
That looks excellent although i’m still less than sure that I favor it. Anyhow will look far more into it and decide for myself! :)
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