Game of Thrones a hit with Spanish job seekers as they apply to be season 5 extras
Hit TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones has been inundated by requests from Spaniards eager for a slice of the action, as parts of the show's next season will be filmed near Sevilla.
Just 24 hours after applications opened for the position of extras on the fifth season of the hugely popular show, production company Fresco Film Services was reporting that more than 10,000 people had put themselves forward for the role.
The numbers, reported in the Guardian, may not come as a surprise, with one in four people in Spain currently out of work.
What's more, levels of underemployment in the crisis-stricken country shot up by 400,000 extra people in the three years from 2010. The jobless rate for young people is above 50 per cent, with the government under pressure to take drastic action in the face of the crippling unemployment.
"Thank you for wanting to participate. In less than 24 hours we have received more than 10,000 requests," said Fresco following the influx of applications.
Casting for extras is expected to take place until September, with the shoot to begin in October. The filming locations have not all been confirmed but the Alcazar of Seville, a Moorish castle in the south of the country famous for its courtyard, pool and impressive gardens, was confirmed last week as the backdrop to at least one of the filming sites.
Latest set for Game of Thrones, Alcazar of Sevilla, (Source: Michal Osmenda, Wikimedia Commons)
The decision to film in the Andalucia region could provide tourists with another reason to flock to Spain in the coming years, with the Mediterranean country currently the third most popular global tourist destination worldwide. Last year, visitors pumped a record £47bn into the Spanish economy.
Dubrovnik in Croatia and areas of Northern Ireland, where filming for previous seasons took place, introduced Game of Thrones tours to lure devotees of the show. Even the Queen visited the Belfast set last month, but managed to resist taking a seat on the infamous iron throne.
The TV show, an adaptation on George R.R. Martin's international bestselling series A Song of Ice and Fire, has thrilled audiences worldwide with its penchant for unexpected plot twists, fantasy drama, bloodlust and racy scenes.
(Source: Home Box Office)