Auto shows have been easier than waiting tables has been easier than working in a video store has been easier than detassling corn.
Let me just start off by saying John Travolta is one of the nicest people I've worked with. He gets extra points because (1) he's a star and (2) his name above the title is probably the only reason the movie is being made. But he just genuinely reflects kindness. He's so congenial on set; he always makes time to talk to everyone and he's always in a good mood. He even takes time to take photos with the extras. This is his fifth decade making movies...I couldn't even begin to guess how many..but here he is treating everyone with respect and trying to bring as much joy to the process as possible. He took time to say hi to his "family", coming into the living room with a Yiddish accent straight out of Fiddler. His kids were in town and he was talking about how much better his mood is when they're on set with him. When he talked about them he radiated pride. His youngest, his four year old son, was asking him about what happens to people when they die. John said he wasn't sure, that maybe they go to another body, or they hang around or go somewhere else. His boy thought about this, then asked if a soul could taste. TASTE! How incredible is this kid to be asking those questions? We all marveled at his son's question and John kept smiling away, a proud father.
The amount they cater to me is difficult to take. I'm not used to being waited on. In fact, it's often my job to wait on other people. When I think about someone running to get me breakfast, I can't help but juxtapose that with being down on my hands and knees cleaning up broken glass and champagne at a Michael Kors store during a catering gig the previous month. Oh how life can change from moment to moment...
The whole time I've been nervous that this moment might be too big for me. That sharing a scene with a famous actor next to me, a massive camera pointed at my face, and a group of fifty crew members might make that ole "third eye" set up shop and zap my concentration. However I've largely been able to keep it at bay. It's still acting. It's still living truthfully in imaginary circumstances. In fact, it's often easier than what I'm used to in theater. On a movie set I have an actual couch to sit on, not a group of chairs that represent a couch. I have four walls around me in a house, not three walls and a gaping hole where an audience is watching me. And I have real food on the plate in front of me, not a large helping of air and emptiness.
After two days of shooting, I've learned an awful lot both in the logistics of filming as well as how to conduct yourself on set. Kindness works everywhere, so that was a pretty easy one to guess, though I always try to bring that to a work environment. Being professional was another easy one. But malleability is something that I've learned, to be able to invent business for yourself or change an interpretation on the spot.
And nowhere has this Truth been more apparent than in filming my first movie. It's called I Am Wrath and it stars John Travolta, Rebecca De Mornay and Amanda Schull and it's directed by Chuck Russell.
I haven't been very dedicated to keeping up with this blog, but with all the uncharted territory of making a movie, it is very necessary to devote a few posts to it.
Let me just start off by saying John Travolta is one of the nicest people I've worked with. He gets extra points because (1) he's a star and (2) his name above the title is probably the only reason the movie is being made. But he just genuinely reflects kindness. He's so congenial on set; he always makes time to talk to everyone and he's always in a good mood. He even takes time to take photos with the extras. This is his fifth decade making movies...I couldn't even begin to guess how many..but here he is treating everyone with respect and trying to bring as much joy to the process as possible. He took time to say hi to his "family", coming into the living room with a Yiddish accent straight out of Fiddler. His kids were in town and he was talking about how much better his mood is when they're on set with him. When he talked about them he radiated pride. His youngest, his four year old son, was asking him about what happens to people when they die. John said he wasn't sure, that maybe they go to another body, or they hang around or go somewhere else. His boy thought about this, then asked if a soul could taste. TASTE! How incredible is this kid to be asking those questions? We all marveled at his son's question and John kept smiling away, a proud father.
I think it's been a great lesson to meet a big celebrity, let alone get to work with one. I think about all the things that have been said about him, the face grabbing and "Adele Dazim" and it's all bullshit. It's tough to have cameras pointed at you and he's had them in his face for most of his life. But after observing how kind and genuine he is, I gotta say....fuck everyone that talks shit about him!
It's very bizarre being on a movie set, especially as an actor. A production assistant greets you when you arrive and tells you where to go. Usually it's hair and makeup. But before you go, they ask you if you want anything...coffee, tea, breakfast?
"Uh yeah, what do they have?"
"The usual breakfast stuff...they make a good chicken quesadilla too."
"Um...how about some bacon? And eggs? And potatoes of some kind?"
"Ok, i'll go ahead and bring that to you in hair and makeup."
"Are you sure? I can go get it..."
"No not at all!"
The amount they cater to me is difficult to take. I'm not used to being waited on. In fact, it's often my job to wait on other people. When I think about someone running to get me breakfast, I can't help but juxtapose that with being down on my hands and knees cleaning up broken glass and champagne at a Michael Kors store during a catering gig the previous month. Oh how life can change from moment to moment...
The tale of sitting around on a movie set and waiting all day is absolutely true. I was on set from noon-11:30pm yesterday and filmed for a combined hour and a half. The rest of the time I'm in this state of flux; preparing for the next scene and maintaining a state of readiness while also trying to relax and conserve energy.
Shooting a movie is obviously very different from performing in a play. The script has changed three times since I first got it two weeks ago. Yesterday, I was given a mic and a line in a scene where I originally wasn't supposed to have dialogue. And the stage directions have been wildly different from what actually ended up being filmed.
After two days of shooting, I've learned an awful lot both in the logistics of filming as well as how to conduct yourself on set. Kindness works everywhere, so that was a pretty easy one to guess, though I always try to bring that to a work environment. Being professional was another easy one. But malleability is something that I've learned, to be able to invent business for yourself or change an interpretation on the spot.
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