It was an 8:30 am call downtown at a historic hotel. I checked in and sat down amongst my peers. I'd been super early that day, so had pulled over and done some meditation before I got there. It must have been successful, because I was feeling super relaxed. I wasn't feeling very social though, so I sat in a corner and glanced around at the other extras. A glance that would serve little purpose, since I was soon not to recognize any of them.
A few minutes later we all lined up to get our costumes. There were some people there that had already begun the transformation and they looked incredible. The costumes they had rented were beautiful and the ones that people had brought, having made themselves even more so. I met one of the performers, Bree, who had made her own costume and was also a burlesque performer. If you want more information on her creations or performances, you can reach her at pinkfouffy@hotmail.com. I highly recommend her work and look forward to see her perform.
As you can imagine, getting 50 extras into 18th century garb takes some time. By the time I got to the front of the line, the sun was already warming us. It felt nice in that moment, but it was soon to be working against us.
They took my Drivers License in trade for the expensive costume and then, after informing them that I was to be a waiter, started me down my path of transformation. The pants were actually quite comfy, reminding me of something between sweatpants and a fancy pair of curtains. The shirt was pretty straight forward, your basic dress shirt and the jacket akin to a long tux. Apparently there was an immediate need for waiters, so I was rushed to the front of the hair and make up line, where I donned a fancy white wig (Which many complimented as their favorite later) and some bright red lipstick. All plumped up, I was rushed to the set where my first job was to walk up to a group of giggling ladies, offer them champagne and then walk behind a curtain. What I didn't know is that after I was done with my action, the ladies would be giggling for about ten full minutes as various shots were taken.
The rest of my morning was spent much the same way, me walking through crowds offering drinks, trying not to spill. Have I mentioned yet that I'm probably the only actor in LA who has NO experience waiting? Indeed.
The set was very hot with all the lights and the lunch break did not offer much of a reprieve as it was outside and the sun was showing off that day. However, I did enjoy playing the game of trying to remember what everyone looked like without their costumes on and even got some correct. Although I did completely mess up on one of my table mates that I had actually talked to in line quite a bit. Whoops!
In the afternoon they switched me from waiter to party goer and gave me a full mask to wear. Considering how much sweat I poured into that thing and how much makeup I left on the inside of it, it will be a wonder if they ever get it clean. I'm not complaining though, because the mask was very popular and got me into a lot of scenes, including one sexy raspberry feeding scene and another make out scene with a woman that I had become infatuated with prior to our scene together. Even the prostitutes in the scene complimented my "talent" on that one. Now if I could only get a copy of the raw footage.
Soon after my make out scene they were done shooting and the cast and crew all got together for a group photo, something very unusual and at the same time heart warming. We all went back to the changing tents and got back into our civies and I got to play my who's who game in reverse. Waving goodbye to my scene partner, I knew I would fall in love another day on another set with another woman, but in that moment it was like saying goodbye to my first love.
The next day was the polar opposite. I was playing a paramedic on Hung and barely got used. The most interesting thing about that day was how much of a screw up one of the other background guys was and how, amazingly, he got away with it. This is definitely a people business and sometimes you just get a really laid back PA. The best thing about the day was that I got out early.
That night I went to Josh and Matt's for a drink and pizza before going out dancing. I was originally going to go to Afrofunke with Maydee, but I convinced her to come to the Supperclub with the rest of my friends for a Distrikt party. It was a nice change of pace for me, but I think she was probably a little disappointed since it was Cinco de Mayo and they didn't play any Latin music. At the same time, I think Afrofunke would have been way too crowded and after two days of work, I wanted to get my dance on.
Friday was spent lounging by Amanda's pool, exactly what I needed. We took a break from our usual excited conversation to just lounge about. Amanda's girlfriend, Lauri, came home around six and joined our relaxation and was kind enough to paint my toenails for me. They are currently black (done by me) with red mixed in, done by Lauri. Kind of goth looking if you ask me.
The rest of my weekend has been pretty relaxed. I'm off to SF for a week of work in a few days and while I don't have any work scheduled here yet, I wanted to make sure that I went into this week fully rested.
Until...
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