Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Jason Clark stands with his niece Caitlin Berger, 14, and Kyle Berger, 15, in front of their Carson City home. Clark, a crew member on the movie, "Hidalgo," coordinated roles as extras for the two Carson High School students.
Although the story is set in the deserts of Arabia, Carson City residents can feel a certain connection to the new movie "Hidalgo."
Two Carson High School teenagers were extras in the film.
Kyle and Caitlin Berger had planned a trip with their Vermont cousins to visit their uncle Jason Clark in Los Angeles.
Then Clark, a location scout, found out he would be working on the project.
"My department head said, rather than you take off for a week, put them in the movie," Clark recalled.
So he did.
Caitlin, 14, donned a pillbox hat and a corset, while Kyle, 15, made more permanent adjustments.
"I had a goatee, but I had to shave it off, " he said. "I played like a 13-year-old boy."
They filmed for a nine-hour day in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and New York harbor scenes.
However, they appear for only about 10 seconds in the movie.
"It was really hard to see us in the movie theater," said Kyle. "We're going to have to freeze frame and look really close."
For Caitlin, a freshman drama student, it was worth it.
"I really want to be an actress, and this gave me experience," she said. "I want to be in movies - even being an extra was a lot of fun."
She would have done it, even if she didn't get paid.
"Just having fun all day was the payoff," she said.
The Walt Disney film is based on the story of Frank T. Hopkins, who claimed to have raced his paint mustang in the 3,000-mile Ocean of Fire Race against the finest Arabian horses.
Against all odds, he won.
Although historians have cast doubt on the authenticity of the story, the teens still support its premise.
"It's a fun story," said Kyle. "It's entertaining if it did happen or if it didn't."
The movie was filmed in Morocco, South Dakota, Montana and California.
Clark, whose film work includes "The Bodyguard" and "Player," scouted locations for the filming in Southern California.
"We had to recreate Morocco here," Clark said. "They brought me back a bottle with some sand from Morocco and said find me a desert this color."
Clark is staying with the teens this week while his sister, Kelly Clark, is out of town.
Contact Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or at 881-1272.
