Michael Thompson earns his living from being a face in a crowd. Earlier this year he was in a crowd of 500 people who brought Piccadilly Circus to a standstill filming spectacular scenes for the next Harry Potter movie.

Michael worked alongside stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, not to mention the evil Death Eaters.

Michael recently appeared on EastEnders driving a removal van into Albert Square, and later this year he’s in a movie with Matt Damon.

When we speak he’s just done another stint on the EastEnders set standing in as Phil Mitchell’s double, and he’s about to be kitted out in 1940s military uniform for ITV drama Foyle’s War.

“I had to shave my head to play Phil, but I need a wartime haircut for Foyle’s War. Maybe they’ll give me a wig,” he grins.

Michael, from Keighley, is a supporting actor – an extra to you and me – and has appeared in films from pop videos to blockbuster movies, working with stars like Nicole Kidman, Patsy Kensit and Elijah Wood.

Since his first job, a TV advert, five years ago, he’s appeared in soaps, dramas, films and commercials. His first speaking role was as a lorry driver in Coronation Street who had a row with Kevin Webster.

It’s a far cry from his days in the building trade. “I never had aspirations to be an actor, I got into this by chance,” says Michael. “I got made redundant and saw an ad for an actor on the Jobcentre website. They wanted someone with a northern accent who could get to London to film an advert. I got the part!”

Michael, 39, signed up with an agency and started landing jobs as an extra. He’s a regular in Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders and has appeared in such TV dramas as Holby City and Midsomer Murders. He hopes to become what he calls “a proper actor” and has learned a lot working on various sets.

“It’s been a massive learning curve,” he says. “I did a film called Green Zone starring Matt Damon. I sat right behind him one day – you can’t sit that close to a big movie star and not learn anything. I’ve done the whole spectrum – adverts, videos, film, TV, soap – and worked at Pinewood and Shepperton studios. I treat it all like a big masterclass.”

Is the life of a supporting actor anything like Ricky Gervais’s BBC sitcom Extras? “Oh yes, that was very familiar – right down to the extras who try their best to get in a shot!” laughs Michael. “Some extras think they know better than the director, and go up and have a word in their ear. I’ve seen people get kicked off a set for that. I just get on with the job.”

Being an extra requires hanging around for long days. “It’s often a 4am start and there’s a lot of waiting until you’re needed,” says Michael. “You always get a decent meal from the catering vans, though. I had a cracking chicken madras at 4am on the Harry Potter set!”

He adds: “I travel to and from London all the time. Luckily I have friends whose sofas I can stay on.

“We did two night shoots for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows and took over Piccadilly Circus. There were 500 extras, we had to get it all filmed before the morning. Everyone was fleeing the Death Eaters. It was a buzz.”

Michael never knows what the next call will be. “I have to be prepared for anything. Once my agent rang and asked if I’d run around the NEC in a large pair of underpants for a comedy show. I was in a pop video jumping on a trampoline with my body painted blue! And I was in Patsy Kensit’s helicopter entrance scene in Emmerdale,” he says. “I did a film called The Prodigal Sons with Roy Hudd, that was my favourite job. I was treated like an actor, staying in a hotel and being driven around. My dream is to become what I call a ‘proper actor’. I’d love a regular role in a TV series.”

Maybe the EastEnders producers will cast him as a long-lost Mitchell brother. “That would be perfect!” says Michael. “Stand-ins are sometimes used for faraway shots, I’ve done it on The Bill and Casualty. I’m excited about playing Phil because he’s a household name.

“It was a joy to have a speaking role in Corrie last year, not everyone can say they’ve driven along those cobbles! My mum is very proud. I have a lot of respect for soap actors; they work long hours with little rehearsal time. They’re so professional.”

So what’s next for the jobbing extra?

“There are rumours of a big film in the Czech Republic which needs loads of extras for battle scenes. I’d like to give that a go,” he says.

Remember Michael Thompson’s face. You never know where it’s going to appear next...