The Thacker Case

After getting a week’s work on The Changeling, I was quite shocked to get another day in December…during a writer’s strike, no less. This time it was a car call…with my ’68 Mustang fastback.

I was called at sort of the last minute the day before and then told I’d get my call time later that night. I waited until 10PM before giving up and going to bed. The next morning, I called around 8AM and there still was no official call time for me!

There were only two people on the call: myself with my car and another guy. We were stand-ins.

I finally had to make another phone call around 9, because I knew the location was about an hour away and I wanted to make sure I had enough lead time so I wouldn’t be late. Finally, I got an answer–and had about a half hour to get ready before I had to tune the car and get on the road.

My car had been running sort of rough, so I made the usual rounds, checking fluids and adjusting the carburetor. I wanted to do a little more, but there was no time. I got to crew parking, where I knew I’d be following one of the shuttle vans to base camp/the set.

This was a very small production. After working on The Changeling last week, it was pretty strange to go back to a tiny budget show. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a different thing.

Crew parking was several miles away from the set. One of the longest distances I’ve had. We even had to get on the freeway for awhile. Then, on some back roads through farmland until finally I saw base camp trailers stuffed in a small clearing at the mouth of a side road that seemed to go onto someone’s farm rather than be an actual road. I couldn’t tell for sure. There certainly wasn’t a whole lot of traffic on it–only occasional farm trucks carrying produce crates.

I met up with the other stand-in. He’d worked on the show before and sort of knew the ropes. I accidentally spoke with the director. I didn’t know who he was and just happened to be standing near him. He asked me if I was an actress. I replied, “I’m not serious about it… Well, I’m not seriously pursuing it… I’m only serious when I’m on set.” In other words, insert foot in mouth. Oh well. At least I was honest. I’m not an actress and I’m not actively pursuing it. I am, however, very serious and as professional as I can be when I’m on a set.

I enjoy what I do, but no, I’m not an actress. I don’t want the spotlight on me. It’s too stressful.

The scenes we were working on took place in a car. A few hours were spent prepping the car. My stand-in stint was spent sitting in the car–which was preferable to standing around in the freezing wind outside. I had a warm jacket, but still, the wind was arctic and the car was pretty comfortable. I definitely had the better end of the deal than the crew.

Finally, everything was set up and the actress I was standing in for (Eliza Dushku!!!!!!) traded places with me to do the scene. She’s so cool. She even thanked me and it was hard not to be fangirl and gush about her portrayal of Faith in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.

Day turned into night. If I wasn’t ‘standing-in’ in the car, I was in the honey wagon. They had an extra room (with a heater) that me an the other stand-in were thankfully allowed to use.

Lunch was served and we ate in what’s called a Lunch Box. I hadn’t been on one in several years. They always amaze me. Essentially, they’re a really big trailer that pulls out on both sides and becomes a rather large room. Set up tables and chairs and voila! an indoor catering tent on wheels. I know from watching Extras that in the UK, they have converted buses that serve the same purpose except they’re more purpose built than Lunch Boxes.

After lunch (which was around average dinner time), we went to the other location which was further out in the farmland. I followed one of the other cars there because finally, my Mustang was going to be in the shot.

I did a little bit of double duty, too. I stood in until it was time to get my car in place for the scene.

This is when things got a little odd for me. They gave me a walkie-talkie so that I’d be able to hear my cue, but due to the wind whipping into the microphone of the Assistant Director giving various cues, the roar of my engine, my inability to see where I was going because of the way the scene was lit and the fact that I was listening for a cue that sounded like “Go Mustang” or “Go Background”, but he instead just said my name in a whisper that didn’t sound much different than the wind anyway, I missed my first cue.

I got the car turned around and Back to One, but the AD was not thrilled that I’d missed the cue. I explained my dilemma of not being able to hear very well despite clipping the walkie to the top of my collar, so he had a PA stand right next to the car (which is another thing I’m more used to) and give me a visual. Of course, by the third or fourth take, I knew what I was listening for and had been repositioned closer to the set so I could see more of what was going on and needed the visual cue less, but I felt better having the PA there because if the AD called me late again, I’d have someone to vouch for whether I took the cue or not. If I can discern the cue, I don’t screw up. It’s really that simple.

There were a few more takes where I was considered to be late, but the PA was right there. I shrugged it off. It was late. Everyone was freezing. Go ahead, yell at me. I was sitting in a nice warm car. I didn’t care anymore.

Really, though, I never got truly yelled at. It was more that I didn’t hit the mark at the right time, but a lot of that had to do with what the other actors were doing versus it taking a second or so for me to get into the frame because I had to be so far back. It seemed simple, but it really wasn’t. I had to sit there with my lights off, get them on and go for a ways before shutting them off and getting the car turned around in mud. I was a good sport about it, but I know several people who’d’ve pitched a fit about going off road in their classic Mustang.

They’d considered using my car as the hero car for that last bit. While I was okay with the idea, I realized that whoever was driving it had to be used to a manual steering, manual brake, car with a mid-stall torque converter behind a 400+horsepower engine. It’s temperamental and very far from a turn-the-key-and-go kind of car. You gotta know what you’re doing in my beast. I explained that, and they decided not to use it as the hero car. I was fine either way. I wasn’t even going to ask for more money. I do this because I love it.

Even when not getting out of there until 2:30AM, I still loved it. But that’s just the kind of girl I am.

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