The Changeling (3)

Yesterday, the hair lady told us not to wash our hair so that it’d look gross for the next day, too. I couldn’t find my shower cap so I had to put a plastic bag over my head when I showered. That was weird, but whatever. The experience of it was kind of fun. When else would I ever have to do it? And for what better reason than a big movie?

When I went out to my Prowler, something odd happened. As I was dropping my backpack in the passenger seat, I happened to see something small and brown–and feathered–behind the driver’s seat. No. Couldn’t be, could it?

Yeah, there was a dead bird behind my seat.

And I didn’t have enough time to deal with it. I had to leave or I was going to be late.

So, I drove to the studio lot knowing the funky smell the car had had for the past few months was a dead bird. Ew. All I could think about the whole time was that there was a dead bird going for yet another ride in the car. It’d probably been in there for a few hundred miles around town at least. Click here for the whole story on the poor birdy…and pictures!

I walked onto the lot and got to base camp just fine. Had my waffle and made the rounds of wardrobe, hair and make-up before getting on a shuttle to the sound stage. Most of us were in the first scene of the day.

When the crew was ready, all of us were led into the breakfast room and lined up so they could pick and choose who sat where. I was selected first–which was bizarre because I’d never been picked first for kickball, so why now? What horror was I in for?–and seated in a seemingly normal spot.

The prop guys were busy putting trays of food and various cups at each setting and another lady was selected to sit in a wheelchair. The day before, she’d been selected to be a lobotomy patient, so today, they’d put a scar on her. She was so sweet, sharing a few more stories about the various featured extra parts she’d gotten that were somewhat similar to this one. I hope I work with her again.

All the rest of us were seated, plus a few were left standing in the food line. Then Angelina came in. She’s so awesome.

Anyhow, the scene was that she gets her food, goes and sits down, then the other principle has a conversation with her, sort of telling her the ropes of being locked up in the place. Some of us really were crazy, the rest of us were locked up because we’d hassled the police one way or another. We weren’t crazy, just sort of jailed.

Angelina smiled at me, admiring my broken nose. Yay! She made my day (even more than it had already been made by just being on the show!)

Then, the assistant director explained to me that ‘my brother had gotten beaten up by cops and I tried to sell the story to the newspapers. The cops hunted me down and locked me up there in the asylum instead of jail.’

I nodded like I understood, but I was thinking, “Holy shit! Does this mean I might be featured?” (“I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Eastwood…”)
The scene happened, and sure enough, Amy Ryan (I can’t remember her character name for some reason) was telling Angelina (Funny, I don’t remember her character name either!) about how to fit in and that she knew she wasn’t crazy. She then said, “See that woman over there…” then told a little story about how that lady was a cop’s wife who got beat up. “And that woman over there.” She motioned to me!!!!!!! ” The cops beat up her brother–broke both his arms…”

So, during the scene, I was the woman they referred to for that bit. Yay! Whether I will be for the finished product, I don’t know, but on the day, I was the one and that was really freakin’ awesome to me. As if my day could get any better than it already was!

Well, it did…

They had to shoot inserts of us isolated as though from Angelina’s point of view. They shot myself and two other women plus the wheelchair lady. I really hope I make it into the finished product. I really, really do.

The insert close-up shot was pretty simple. I wasn’t supposed to acknowledge the camera per se… just do whatever I’d do while eating breakfast. At one point, the director, (yes, Clint Eastwood!) had me sort of look toward–but not at–the camera.

And that was it. I spent the rest of the day in holding (which was somewhere on Cloud 9 for me…) before unbelievably given a call time for tomorrow while being signed out. Yeah, I was going to come back again for more fun and games! I couldn’t believe it, either!

Of course, as I got in my car to go home, I remembered the dead bird under my seat and thought about the darn thing all the way home. My hubby was gracious enough to do the honor of removing it. Yeah, he reached in and grabbed it. The poor thing was stiff as a board–mummified! It’s now the patron saint of our garage. We put the poor thing near the door to watch over our cars.

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