Being in the spotlight is nothing new to Colin MacGuire, known in these parts as the &uot;Big C,&uot; but he took it up another notch recently when he was selected to appear as an extra in the locally filmed Tim Burton movie, &uot;Big Fish.&uot;

And to make a good thing even better, he was also selected to appear in a photo with director Tim Burton for a &uot;Vanity Fair Magazine&uot; article about the movie that appeared in the July 2003 issue of the magazine.

For Colin, the experience was the chance of a lifetime.

&uot;The auditions were held on November 9 – the date of the Alabama-Mississippi State ballgame,&uot; MacGuire said. &uot;Normally, I would have been at the football game; I usually don’t miss Alabama games for any reason. But I thought this would be a good opportunity for me.&uot;

MacGuire spent many years in the spotlight as a manager for the University of Alabama football team, most of them with famed head football coach Paul &uot;Bear&uot; Bryant. But it didn’t take much contemplation for the talented native son to decide to give a chance at movie stardom a try.

He not only tried; he made it, and was chosen as an extra for the film, playing the part of a clown in two scenes in the movie that was filmed in Wetumpka and Tallassee during the early part of this year.

&uot;If I make it into the [final cut of the] movie, it will be in the last scene – but you will only be able to see my backside,&uot; MacGuire said. &uot;I was called to be in another scene later, but was having trouble with my legs, so I couldn’t do it. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten some &uot;face time&uot; in that scene.&uot;

MacGuire developed numbness in his legs during the time the movie was being filmed, and was diagnosed with stenosis of the spine and was required to have surgery.

Recuperating now, he recalls his movie experience with fondness.

&uot;Overall, it was a good thing,&uot; he said. &uot;I spent about an hour in line for the auditions, so it wasn’t too bad. I got to meet Albert Finney and Danny Devito, and Jessica Lange and Helena Bonham Carter took my picture because they liked my outfit.&uot;

The only downside, he said, was the continual repetition of the scenes.

&uot;They would do scenes over and over again,&uot; he said. &uot;They had a band from Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery, whose members were dressed in old-timey band uniforms. I think I learned the instrumental part of ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ by heart, they played over and over again. But it was an interesting experience.&uot;

MacGuire said the movie is scheduled to be released this Christmas.