New Haven Independent

Monday was day one of the two-day open casting call. “We’ve been waiting here for three hours,” said Brandon Fraser, pictured with his mom Colleen. “We haven’t moved far.”

Early reports called for 400 extras, but casting director Billy Dowd (pictured) said he wasn’t sure how many people he would end up needing.

“We’re going to shoot a lot of scenes,” he said. “We don’t know how many or how many extras we’ll need.”

The open call was slated to start at 1 p.m., but Dowd said he started early — 7 a.m. — because some people had slept overnight outside the Omni Hotel, where the call was held.

People from all over Connecticut showed up. It was a family affair for the Frasers. Mom and her two sons, Brandon and Joseph, were auditioning.

Kristina Zallinger, pictured, has lived in New Haven for 15 years.

“I want to do this for a hoot,” she said. “And it’s fun hangin’ out here. It’s like waiting in line for the Beatles.”

Zallinger said she normally dresses like this but she “wore as many colors as possible so I’d stand out and be remembered.”

Inside the Omni Hotel were hundreds more hopefuls. There were two waiting rooms. In the first room you fill out your registration forms; in the next you wait in line to speak with Dowd. He asks you about your availability and then you’re on your way. There is no “audition.”

One man outside on his cell phone told the person on the end of the line what everyone else was thinking. “I can’t tell,” he said. “But I may become a big star.”