In The Movies

For those of you living in far flunged locations or those who don't pay attention to the local news, there are 3 major motion picures being filmed in Boston right now. 2 of them had open calls while I was in Scotland but I was able to get myself submitted and the other one my best friend is assisting the extras casting director who also happens to be a friend of mine. Long story short, I expected to get a call from one of these projects. Tuesday, I did. While I was on my way in between the 2 jobs I work on Tuesdays, I got a call that I was booked for Friday if I could make it to a fitting in Chelsea before 6 PM. Fortunately , both bosses are pretty understanding, so, I ran a delivery and then went for my fitting.
I was to be one of the three chefs in a scene featuring Dane Cook, the great Tony V and a beautiful young Hollywood actress whose name I did not get , but who was really skinny. When I went for the fitting, I was to be outfitted with a chef's uniform. I was fitted and then I headed off to another Red Sox game with my beloved cousin. Sox won and it was a great game. Also, they cut off the song "Sweet Caroline" for some reason, probably the game was in play, but the crowd finished the second verse accapella and then great cheering was had. It just increased the fun. Beckett pitched 7 innings and Papelbon brought it home. But I digress. . . .
Today was the day of the filming. My original call time was 12:30 and then it was changed to 1:30. I drove downtown and paid for parking. Though the Dorothy Quincy Suites validated my parking so it ended up costing about $12.00. I parked, in case I ended up staying aftr the trains stopped running. I had also been corresponding with two friends who were already working on this movie, so we were all keeping each other up to date on what was going on . I arrived at the Holding at a little after 1. The guy showed up after me with the forms I would have to fill out. I had my drivers license and passport with me, in case they checked it for the I-9 form. I then went to costume , put my costume on and then went to hair and them make-up and then back to holding. My friend , local actor Rick Park was one of the Chefs with me. They were missing his chef's jacket, so he was standing around a little longer than I was. However, while I was getting my hair done, he was brought to set and got to be there while they were setting up the shots with "First Team" which in this case would mean Dane Cook, Tony V and the skinny actress. Then they were sent outside to wait. I got there just after they came out to wait.
At some point , the assistant director came out and thought we should get moved from the area in front of the pay phones and ATM into a holding room so they sent us to the props area where they were holding the cake parts and the flowers for the wedding scene they were shooting at the Copley Fairmont Hotel. It was fucking cold in there . They kept the temperature up to preserve the flowers and the cakes. It was very boring. All I wanted to do was go to craft services and gorge on anything they had. I wasn't hungry , but the spectre of party food somewhere, available to me, was more than I could handle. Then they came in and took 3 of us. I was not one of the three. Right. I'm off to craft services . They had guacamole and chips and fluffy croissants and bagels cut in half with cream cheese and salmon smeared on them and jars of gum, pretzels and hard candy. There were display boxes of granola bars and Hostess products- cupcakes, ding dongs and coffee cakes. I stood and had some chips and gaucamole and I snatched a granola bar and a single wrapped Hostess cup cake and brought it back to the chilly holding area. My friend Rick put his t-shirt on his head to keep himself warm .
The room we were in was carpeted and had a shiny golden pattern design on the wall paper. The chairs were upolstered in the same gold on white pattern . In the rooms down the hall , they were having a convention for prosthetic devices salesmen, or something to do with prothetics, that 's all I heard. I also broke into the craft services stash. I liberated a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies for my fellow extras . I read both the Globe and the Herald. Rick was bored not doing anything.
Finally , some guy with a Greman accent came into the room and said "You ! and You !" pointing at Rick and me. He walked fast and I had to run/walk to keep up with him. He led us to the kitchen of the hotel, where the scene was finishing up . Rick and I were to walk back and forth in the background while the action was going on. Tony V was there in costume - a wife beater t-shirt and what appeared to be pajama bottoms and he had been instructed not to shave. He really didn't look like a guy I 'd want cooking my food, but he was perfect for the part. Rick was set up right behind the action I was was to walk into the kitchen , check the calendar walk back off camera . Wait a couple of seconds and walk back into the scene and tell Rick to check the fry-o-later then I walk back out. Then I walk back into the scene and check the spice rack. I had decided that I was checking for a particular spice that we were running low on. Then I decided I couldn't decide which would be the correct spice I wanted to use in the dish I was preparing. Eventually, I picked up a cannister of parika and walked out of the scene with it. I did these sequence of things 4 times and then they finished the scene and wrapped us for the day. I was home by 7:15. I was glad I took my car. I had hoped to get more time on set, but it was fine. I'll get paid a days wages and I may end up in a movie. That's about it . That's showbiz. . .. ain't it grand ?