"Paul" Paid to Be a Loser

German director and producer Ralf List recently cast his first movie project with a slew of amateurs. He called it "Wer ist eigentlich Paul?" (Who is Paul, really?), but the question ought to be, "How much did Paul pay?"

Paul, or more accurately Dominik Simm, paid €451 ($535). The 20-year-old cook from southeastern Germany won an Ebay auction to get to play "Paul," the lead role, in List's movie. He will play a loser who moves into an apartment with other gay men and comes out a winner.

In addition to Simm, 11 other aspiring actors won roles via Ebay. Jasmin Bozic, 24, bid the most -- €9,050 -- to garner the one leading female role, and another future thespian spent €4,500 for a supporting part.

List said he had the idea to auction off the roles "because of the tight funds for backing films." And he predicted that the film would get wide release, saying that negotiations with distributors would be completed in four or five weeks.

Simm, Bozic and their colleagues will receive professional coaching on the set when filming begins at the end of the month, director List said. Two percent of the movie's profits will be shared among the 24 actors, 12 more of which will be cast via Ebay later in the month.

List's idea seems to have caught on, too. An Ebay auction is set to start in mid-July to cast an American version of List's movie.