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NOTE: Fans chosen to participate would have received a confirmation email by July 9.
If there is one drawback to using a group of devoted fans as extras on a TV series, it’s that they tend to be a little too well-behaved.
On Monday, July 15, the CBC fan-favourite family drama, Heartland, will hold its traditional fans extra day, where roughly a thousand fans from around the globe are expected to serve as extras during a big rodeo scene shot in Millarville.
The episode, which will air as part of Season 18 of the series, is being directed by Michelle Morgan, who has also played Lou Fleming since the series began back in 2007. She has directed a number of episodes for the series and this is the second time she has directed on fan day. The biggest challenge is not the fans’ lack of experience on set. They take instruction very well. In fact, a little too well, she says.
“They are so well-behaved because they are so excited to be there that they’ll all follow the instructions,” Morgan says “When you watch the coverage of the audience, it’s almost too uniform. Everybody is doing the exact same thing. Whereas if you are looking at a real crowd, sometimes people are listening, sometimes people are drinking a beer, sometimes they are chatting with their girlfriend. So that’s one thing I find challenging as a director.”
The episode with be the fifth in Season 18, which begins airing in the fall. As in year’s past, a call went out over social media in late June and on the Heartland blog for fans to participate.
Within 72 hours, thousands had responded. Last year, fans came from Brazil, Australia and throughout the U.S. Fans chosen this year were informed by July 9. The set is not open to the public.
The scene requiring extras will revolve around a rodeo in Hudson, the fictional Alberta town where Heartland takes place. The broad strokes of the storyline will involve most the main characters, with major arcs nvolving Amy Fleming (played by Amber Marshall), her grandfather Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston) and father Tim Fleming (Chris Potter.)
Fans will be on set for roughly four hours and the day will include interactions with the cast, Morgan says.
“We always make it fun for fans, the people who come from far and wide,” Morgan says. “Shaun makes it really fun, he’ll always do a pushup competition with someone or a race or something. Amber is really great, she’ll come out on a horse and explain what we’re filming and how things work behind the scenes. I’ll come and answer questions and chat with people. We always wish people a happy birthday and we take some questions as well. It’s super fun for the fans.”
The fans who sign up come from all walks of life and are of various ages, just like the show’s audience in general. Heartland is the longest-running hour-long series in the history of Canadian television but has a world-wide following. According to the Nielsen ratings of 2023, Heartland is one of the Top 10 most viewed shows across all streaming services .In 2023, Americans watched 22.8-billion minutes of Heartland. It is the only Canadian produced and set series in the Top 10 and falls just below Friends, Gilmore Girls and Big Bang Theory.
The fan days are held in appreciation of the show’s strong following, but also offer eye-opening insight of how television sets operate.
“The biggest misconception is that it’s glamorous and it’s easy and we’re sitting around on set sipping champagne sitting on cushions,” Morgan says. “The set is a really hard-working place. There’s a lot of bright lights. It’s hot, it’s stuffy. We work very long hours. It’s definitely not as glamorous and people may think.”
Season 18 of Heartland will air in the fall.