It is a Sunday morning and I am awakened by Church bells from the Polish Catholic Church down the street in my Williamsburg neighborhood. Perhaps the bells are a reminder for me to be good, to keep my mind clean and to think pure thoughts. I am now getting the emailed schedule for the Londinium shoot from Thom. I’ve put in my hours hauling C-stands, sandbags, stingers and light kits. I’m free labor and because of that I’ve made the list. I get up to check my email and the day’s scenes and am relieved to find that the set is closed until lunch due to a sensitive/intimate scene. Only the director and DP are allowed. I swan dive back into bed much to the chagrin of my wife who is rudely awakened by my gymnastics. I am pummeled by the worn out and UNfluffy pillows by my wife with my son joining in the melee. Any hope of extra slumber is ruined so I get up and make some iced coffee and ‘organic cheerios’ garnished by a banana flavored fruit rollup. Mmmm the magic of processed food. I hold the rollup in my fist and wave it above my head a la Charlton Heston yelling, “It’s people---It’s made from people!” my wife shakes her head sadly and ambles out of the room unimpressed. My son stares at me questioningly: ‘is it time to commit daddy, yet?’
When I arrive on the set Judy and Sandra DeLuca (who is playing Sophie Newhardt) are in their corsets and bloomers. A scene shot the day before introduces the audience to Catherine and Richard’s voyeuristic natures. They love to be challenged. Sophie is Catherine’s sometime lover. She is a pawn in the web of manipulation between Richard and Catherine. She is a bon vivant with youth as her guide, everything is an adventure and to her credit she is not easily hurt or not aware that she should feel hurt by the machinations going on about her. In a previous scene Richard fulfills his challenge and when Catherine feigns illness he threatens that she find a woman so that he can watch or else he will come looking for her. I wonder if Richard is capable of harming Catherine and over the past two weeks my answer is yes and without the slightest bit if guilt. On the earlier closed set Catherine fulfills her challenge and engages in a lesbian tryst with Sophie much to Richard’s hidden pleasure. Peering from behind a screen we become voyeurs of the voyeurs. It leaves one with a creepy feeling. I shouldn’t be watching someone who is enjoying watching other people have sex. I feel kind of dirty. Once the women reach their peaks Sophie passes out and Catherine eyes the peephole. Richard can now collect his reward. Wait a minute, not so fast, bub. Catherine plays ever harder to get by claiming she’s all worn out from pleasuring Sophie. It gets even darker, folks. Richard, nonplussed, will collect his reward from the unconscious Sophie. Now I feel really dirty. Catherine throws down the gauntlet. “Do as you please.” Okay. That’s not what that phrase means. To a man’s ears it means, “If you do it, I’ll cut your balls off. I’ll make your life so miserable you will wish you had been boiled in oil and your fingernails slowly pulled out by needle nosed pliers.” The Menage a troi has been averted by the steely glare of a jealous and possessive nemesis. The scene ends and we are left with the idea that Richard did collect his reward from Catherine and that she was only too happy to participate. We break and the cast and crew get ready for the next scene.
The colors are deep and saturated and it reminds me of the rich aesthetics of such French films as: Delicatessen and Amelie. The camera is positioned and the actors emerge from Make-up. Whit looks a bit more disheveled. Stephanie added more growth to his five o’clock shadow. Catherine has that tossled look. In the next scene I watch in rapt attention. Catherine has referred Richard to Charles as a portraitist to Paint Victoria’s likeness. After watching Richard beam in Victoria’s presence and her in his at the infamous dinner party Catherine’s little green monster grows. She notices a framed daguerreotype of Victoria in Richard’s studio. Another competition begins. “Good Luck getting into her knickers.” Catherine says to which Richard replies, “Are you challenging me?” This gives me pause. It changes everything I know about this project and it calls to mind Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It makes me wonder if what I am seeing really is happening. Is Richard really falling for Victoria or is the entire story about winning. Now I am challenged. My mission from here on out is to comb through all I have seen and heard and wonder what is genuine about Richard and what is not. One of my favorite programs before it got too ridiculous and eventually had guests on that I would not consider consummate actors was The Actor’s Studio on Bravo (before it was eaten by NBC). In the early days when the show was new the guests were people I would pay an arm and a leg to hear speak. People like Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Eli Wallach, Meryl Streep, Glen Close, Rip Torn, Dennis Hopper, Al Pacino, Mike Nichols, etc. One night I tuned in specifically to hear what Meryl Streep had to say. Her self-effacing demeanor is endearing and is most likely one of the main reasons she works so much and is held in such high esteem by her colleagues (besides the obvious reason). Actors sometimes know what they are doing and sometimes don’t know what they’re doing. When they don’t know what they’re doing is when the magic happens. Something Ms. Streep said stuck with me. She said that when she reads a script there is usually one word or phrase that is the key to the entire story and character. A lot of times she does not know what the word or phrase is until she is on her feet and it strikes her. Other times she can see it on the page and know that it is a story she wants to live and tell. When one sees an actor have an epiphany we, the audience, become bon vivants. It is like fine aged wine, expensive smooth champagne, truffle oil that tickles the taste buds and true dark chocolate from the Peruvian rain forest. The epiphany engages our senses with the ‘real’ and that which brings pleasure, discovery, compassion and understanding. There is a method to the madness. The voyeurism of these characters is just one stripe to this tiger. The question is who will be eaten? Or will they cannibalize themselves. The obvious victim is Victoria but she is smarter than the average bear. Keen and observant and aware of her cousin’s antics Victoria could quite possibly out maneuver them all and come out winning. The greatest prize of all? True love. I know that sounds trite and archaic but it is the engine that drives this genre. I grab Whit before he makes his get away into make-up. “Is he playing to win?” I ask.
Whit just smiles. “Secret’s in the sauce.” He says enigmatically and walks away. I help the crew break down.
“You think the director would let me do a walk-on, Thom?” Ed asks.
“I don’t know, can you walk?” Thom says.
“No one likes a smart aleck.” Ed says. Silence.
“I’m craving jerk chicken. Ya think we can stop at that little joint on fourth avenue?” Ed asks.
“This is why you should drive yourself or take the train.” Thom says.
“You don’t want jerk chicken?” Ed replies.
“I don’t NEED jerk chicken. I’ve got stuff to do.” Thom adds.
“I just thought we could spend some quality time together, ya know?” Ed says.
“Okay. (exasperated sigh) we’ll get some jerk chicken.” Thom softens.
“Maybe you could give me some acting pointers. In case the director uses me.” Ed says starting to giggle.
“Get away from me.” Thom says as he throws down the cords and stomps off to smoke.
“You walked right into that one.” Ed says laughing. Thom flips him the bird as he disappears out onto the stoop. And that wraps another day on the set.
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