Wayne Berriman from Lincoln became an actor for three days

Wayne Berriman - a civil servant from Lincoln, tells us how he got involved in the filming of the movie and what he got out of the experience.

I heard on the local radio, that they were struggling to get cast for the filming. I was surprised, because there was so much publicity around the book. So me and a friend of mine decided to offer our services.

The part was so small, I don't even know if I will appear in the movie. The main scene we took part in was when the two main characters - Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou - enter the Lincoln Cathedral (Westminster Abbey in the film).

Inside there is a ghostly image of Isaac Newton's funeral. I am one of the 200 people there.

Meeting the actors

Although we spent three days with the main actors, we didn't get the chance to meet Tom Hanks. It was all a bit serious.

I am sure he is a very nice guy and not that he didn't want to talk to us, but there were so many of us, it was impossible.

As for Audrey Tautou - she seemed to be a bit off-colour, bit poorly, with a big coat hanging on her shoulders. The director spoke to us, of course, and he was very nice and friendly.

The real treat though was Sir Ian McKellan, who was more casual and prepared to mingle with us. Apparently he loves coming to Lincoln to visit his favourite restaurant.

Difficult decision

I am a Christian myself and although I am not actively practising my moral values and beliefs are deeply Christian.

That's why I did some serious thinking before I made the decision to take part in the filming.

The book is a great read. There is some factual content in it, but the idea is fictional.

So I don't consider it to be blasphemous. Certainly no more blasphemous than any comedy based on the bible, like the Monty Pythons.

Behind the scenes

The best part of the experience was for me seeing how a movie is made. Because when you watch a movie, you are so unaware of what's been going on behind the scenes, that you take it for granted.

For example, the 200 of us had to represent a crowd of 2000. And the way they did it, was by painstakingly filming shot by shot, whereby all of us would change seats and move further into the cathedral, thus creating the impression that it was packed.

The other thing is that the main stars didn't really take part in the rehearsals. We were rehearsing for most of the day in order to get the timings right, with the main characters played by doubles. Once the timings were confirmed, the big stars stepped in.

I heard on the radio today some bad reviews. And to be honest, I had a suspicion this would be the case. There was so much hype and controversies, I didn't expect it would be a huge success.