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Local couple is in new 'Captain America' film

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Blink and you might miss them. But for Gary and Janice Curtis, it's a few seconds of fame.

As Captain America: Civil War hits theaters across the country this week, the husband and wife say to look closely in one scene.

Because of their involvement in Captain America: Civil War, the couple said they were not allowed to share plot details. However, Janice explained that moviegoers should pay close attention early on for the two of them.

"Probably 20 minutes in, we're in a funeral scene," she explained cautiously. "Someone has died. And we're really sad and someone is giving a eulogy at the time." 

Gary and Janice are hardly new to movie sets. The two have appeared as extras in over half a dozen Marvel Studios films, from Thor to The Avengers.

However, the couple's involvement in the new Captain America film sticks out from the rest.

"It's probably the first one where people can definitely pick us out," Gary said.

The couple says they have a special leg-up when it comes to landing movie extra roles, considering their son is a member of the Marvel Studios security team.

Being a part of the movies has become a fun activity for both Janice and Gary. The two are both retired. Janice once worked as a school teacher, while Gary served as an administrator at Central Missouri University.

Their schedules now let them pick up and go whenever their son calls about the latest movie filming.

"Sometimes when they film overseas, we can take off," Gary explained. "It's easier for us to do that since we are retired."

Being an extra for a movie is tough, according to both of them. The two say filming can often take hours.

Gary recalled how during filming for Ant-Man, he sat at a dinner table during a restaurant scene and mouthed gibberish in a fake conversation (a command from the production team) for hours as crews filmed the scene over multiple takes.

Other Marvel movies have required strenuous exercise, like when Gary and Janice had to frantically run multiple times while filming an attack scene for a movie.

"You may work all day," said Gary. "Whenever the movie gets out, it may be a four second shot." 

Being a movie extra does have its perks, though. Gary explained how he and Janice were able to meet Paul Rudd, who hails from the Kansas City area, during filming for Ant-Man

"As soon as he found out we were from the KC area, all he talked about for 10 minutes was the Kansas City Royals," Gary recalled.

Gary and Janice said they made around $100 a day while filming the new Captain America movie.

They said moviegoers will likely be pleased with the new installment.

"After seeing it, it's probably one of my favorites," explained Gary.

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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.

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