For those wondering whether Bridgeport resident and former WBOY meteorologist extraordinaire Jason Parrish actually made it to the big screen after serving as an extra in Creed II, he did.

 

For those wondering if he got his Screen Actors Guild card as a result, well, not so much.

 

As a refresher for those new to this blog or who may have missed it, Parrish actually managed to get on the set of Creed II to serve as an extra in the second “Creed” movie, which is an offshoot of the Rocky series of films Parrish and so many others grew up watching.

 

And Parrish, he’s quick to point out, is a Rocky diehard. So when Parrish found out in April he was selected to be an extra in the movie and get to Philadelphia to play the part of a Russian VIP at the movie ending fight scene, he was on the road.

 

Once in Philadelphia, he was one of about 100 extras chosen for the scene. As it turned out, his day last 12 hours and saw him leave the City of Brotherly Love around midnight and get home at the brisk time of 5:30 a.m.

 

Some may think the reward was the $101 check he received. That would be incorrect. Some may think it was a chance to be in the film (and we’ll get there shortly). That, too, would be wrong. Just to be part of something he’s always been immersed in was more than enough.

 

The possibility of making the movie was simply gravy. And he made it – sort of.  Again, we’ll get there.

 

“I didn’t know if I was in it. I went and saw it Thanksgiving weekend, on Tuesday at (Meadowbrook) Mall and on Wednesday, when they had a full release, I went with a couple of buddies and saw it at the Tygart Valley Cinemas,” said Parrish. “The thing is, had I never been an extra I would have been at both of those showings.”

 

On Tuesday, however, part of his attention was diverted from the movie. He was curious to know if he was going to be in the scene where he served as an extra.

 

“It’s funny that I was relaxed and enjoying the movie until the final fight scene,” said Parrish. “Then I got a little bit anxious.”

 

Considering the amount of time the former WBOY personality was on television that might seem odd. If you know just how much he loves the Rocky series of movies, it doesn’t.

 

“Since I didn’t know where the scene was going to fall within the final fight I didn’t focus on the fight. I was focusing on the crowd shot and it took me out of the movie a bit,” said Parrish.

 

And there he was. Jason Parrish was in a movie starring Sylvester Stallone and part of the Rocky franchise.

 

“It’s really amazingly brief and if you don’t know where to look there’s no way you’re going to see me. It’s after the end of the fight and there’s a couple of crowd shots and you see me for about a half of a second,” said Parrish. “I’m still waiting on the DVD release so I can go frame by frame and at least get a semi-decent photo. It’s really so brief if you blink you may miss it.”

 

Parrish did take a photo during his second trip to see it with his cell phone. However, he said it’s blurry and you can’t make anything out.

 

“Since you can’t see it, I had to ask myself if it actually counts,” said Parrish, who now works in the pharmaceutical industry. “I guess it should.”

 

It counts. It definitely counts. And Parrish now joins former co-worker and current WBOY camera legend Mike Corley – who had an extra appearance in Silence of the Lambs – as official extras in big box office movies.

 

“It’s okay if no one ever sees me. I got to be part of the production and part of the experience in a movie where the story was well put together,” said Parrish. “It’s a sequel to Creed, but they also merge part of Rocky IV with it with the Drago story line so it’s a rarity in the merging of two movies. To just be there was incredible, even if for just a split second.”