Extras perform during the filming of a scene for "The Life of David Gale" Thursday afternoon in front of the Huntsville "Walls" Unit. Movie star Kate Winslet has been in the area for filming, and the crew has been filling up local motels. Photo by RICHARD NIRA/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEM.

By Carole Snow/Staff Writer

Just another unordinary day for Huntsville. Heading east on 11th Street, near the Huntsville (Walls) Unit, traffic gets a little tighter and parking a little, well, frustrating.

If it's not the girl in the orange scarf checking IDs and waving off TDCJ employees, it's those pesky capital punishment protesters swarming the west side of the Walls Unit.

All in a days work for the cast and crew of the Universal picture, "The Life of David Gale." The group will be filming exteriors in Huntsville through Saturday.

According to a press release from Universal, the film follows David Gale (Kevin Spacey -- "American Beauty," "K-PAX") a principled man and well-liked professor, but most importantly, a "respected death penalty opponent (who) finds himself on Death Row for the rape and murder of fellow activist Constance Hallaway" (Laura Linney -- "The Truman Show," "Primal Fear").

Kate Winslet ("Titanic," "Sense and Sensibility") plays "Pulitzer-hungry" reporter Bitsey Bloom who scores an exclusive interview with Gale just three days before his execution. As Bloom gets deeper into her assignment, she realizes that the matter is literally one of life and death.

When one walks onto the set Thursday morning, actress Winslet is filming a scene in which she drives a cranberry-red Ford Taurus. Winslet is trying to exit the Walls Unit, only to be greeted by a group of protesters rushing the car.

"She had to learn to drive an American car because she's British," said location manager Drew Dillard.

If the crowd of protesters look familiar, they are. Locals were cast as extras earning a salary of anywhere from $75 to $636 per day.

In the scene they are carrying hand-made signs that say "Murder Does Not Stop Murder," "Death Watch" and "Thou Shalt Not Murder."

So who made the signs? Dillard said the film crew hired a bunch of University of Texas students to do the art work so they would be "realistic."

The cast may come with a lot of star power, but one might be surprised to find that Winslet is not so surprising.

On set Winslet is easily mistaken for a college student at Sam Houston State University with long, straight hair, a small frame, a pair of jeans and a winter coat. Definitely not the "Titanic" glamour-girl most are looking for.

But Hollywood isn't always so golden. According to Dillard the cast and crew were up at 5 a.m. working outdoors with temperatures in the low 30s Thursday morning. Not the ideal working condition. Dillard said by the afternoon most of them were used to the cold.

TDCJ officers were also braving the cold to help with the filming.

"TDCJ has been incredibly helpful working with us," Dillard said.

"The Life of David Gale" will complete filming just before Christmas. The film is scheduled to be released Fall 2002.