When Superman returns to the big screen this July, one local midwestern fan will have a special connection to the film that most only dream of: she was there.
Joy Winstead, a longtime Superman enthusiast from Ohio, recently shared her behind-the-scenes experience as a background extra in the upcoming Superman movie, which was filmed in Cleveland—the real-life birthplace of the Man of Steel.
“It all started (don’t you love stories like that),” Winstead began in a conversation with the Daily Planet. Her story started with a casting call shared by a local agency, which asked potential extras to submit photos, measurements, availability, and whether they had unique hobbies, pets, or vehicles that could appear on camera.
Joy checked multiple boxes, including owning a car with a Superman logo license plate.
“My car already has a Superman logo on the license plate—mine is Kara38, if you get that,” she said, referencing Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. “The DMV person didn’t,” she added with a laugh.
Though her dog, an Irish Setter, didn’t make the final cut, her car did—and so did Joy. She received an official email asking her and her vehicle to be part of a major scene.
“I had to fill out an NDA… basically saying I wouldn’t discuss anything on social media ’til after it was all over,” she said.
Lights, camera, Metropolis
While she couldn’t take pictures on set, Joy kept a memento from the experience, a sign with the film’s working title. Her scene was set in a bustling city block near a bus station, where extras in cars and on foot were told to act like they were fleeing from something, something that would be added digitally later.
“Some extras were told to bring their own clothing if it fit in with the time period—1970s business casual,” she explained. “So I’m wearing my own clothes in the scene, but they did my hair.”
Although Joy didn’t get to appear in any scenes with the main cast and wasn’t part of the dramatic bridge and building sequence that’s seen in the trailer, she described her on-set experience as incredibly positive.
“The energy was good. Not rushed or anything,” she said. “The extras crew would check on us, give us bottles of water if we needed it. We were fed, had a huge waiting area under a tent… just a real good set.”
Joy, who has worked on a few local film and commercial sets before, said this was her first time working on a major Hollywood production. “I was ready to do more, actually. I had fun.”
A superfan’s journey
Joy’s connection to Superman goes well beyond her movie cameo. She’s been a fan since the days of “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” which starred Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. One of her favorite collectibles is a novelization of the show, which she once had Cain sign at a convention.
“He stopped and took time to look through and comment on each actor’s picture,” she recalled. “Like Jimmy Olsen (Justin Whalen), and the folks that played Perry and his parents.”
Her collection also includes a “Smallville” soundtrack CD she won during a WB college campus tour before the network became The CW. Although Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) couldn’t attend the event due to illness, Joy had the chance to meet Wesley Jonathan. “Super nice guy, by the way,” she added.
Joy’s fandom started “a little late,” as she puts it, but it runs deep. “Of all the superhero comic books, I like Clark/Superman [the best].”
Ready for takeoff
With the new film hitting theaters on July 11, Joy’s excitement is contagious. While the NDA kept her from sharing details or photos in real time, the memories and her passion are more than enough to fuel fans looking forward to the next chapter in the Superman legacy.
From her personalized license plate to the city streets of Metropolis (or at least, Cleveland standing in for it), Joy Winstead’s story reminds us of the many ways fans bring superheroes to life, even in the background.
