The casting agency in charge of finding extras to appear in Bruce Robinson’s upcoming film The Rum Diary was astonished at the response to their first casting calls. For example, Sunday’s session at the Marriott Hotel in Condado, Puerto Rico drew more than 800 people; in this photo, CLICK HERE, you can see the hopefuls crowding into the ballroom and snaking up the stairs, waiting for their chance to register and have a photo taken. Why such a huge turnout? Ten-year-old Hillary Santana told a reporter from El Nuevo Dia that she is hoping for a chance to meet the film’s star, Johnny Depp, while others like 18-year-old Yeslian Martinez just want to gain some film experience, and hope that work on The Rum Diary will be the start of an acting career. “We expected many people to come,” said Jessica Rodriguez, assistant to the extra casting director Patricia Alonso, “but not like this.”

The Zone thanks Emma for posting the news; you can read more about The Rum Diary, which begins shooting on March 30th, on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet