2,700 Turn Out For Movie Casting Call Bruce Willis To Film In Twin Falls

Carl Butler might not have known it, but his sweet-talking Idaho authenticity worked its charm on the casting crew for “Breakfast of Champions.”

Butler, a 78-year-old Jerome Realtor, packed a persuasive folder. It included his 50-year-old wedding portrait, a World War II accolade and a three-page letter, inked by hand.

“I can get a horse if I need to,” it stated.

Casting official Maxanne Crotts plucked Butler’s autobiography from the masses, and tucked it inside her official script. “Believe me, he’ll be in there somehow,” Crotts said. “He said he’d been waiting all his life to be in a film.”

More than 2,700 Hollywood hopefuls showed up Saturday for the “Breakfast of Champions” casting call, each hoping to land one of 700 “extra” roles in the Alan Rudolph-directed film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s 1973 novel.

The film tracks a Pontiac dealer, played by Bruce Willis, who goes insane after reading and believing a novel about the American dream gone awry. It is being filmed entirely in and near Twin Falls starting Feb. 28.

Butler, who left his business card instead of a Polaroid print, came early and left quietly.

He was long gone when a Bruce Willis impersonator showed up. He fooled swarms of observers for nearly an hour before David Willis, Bruce Willis’ brother and one of the film producers, showed up. A mall security director gave the fake Bruce the boot. But by then, he had signed numerous autographs, fooled numerous photographers, and gave an exclusive 20-minute interview to a TV reporter from Boise who bought the act, at least for a while.

Meanwhile, the real Bruce was in Hailey practicing with his band for a gig at the Mint nightclub Saturday night.

The rest of the cast of hopefuls, which packed the halls of the Magic Valley Mall, impressed even this group of Hollywood veterans.

Casting assistant Faith Ray said she was amazed at the turnout.

“We had no idea we’d get this many people,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

So many extras showed for the casting call, the action started an hour early.