Since returning from Spain and closing the boarding cattery, I have been trying out different ways to earn a living, including pet sitting.
On a totally different level, I always fancied being a film extra and last January I managed to find work
as a film extra (unpaid) which turned into a speaking part. The audition
was low key and I met the Director, Producer and Casting Director. It was
a short film at The London Film School in Covent Garden, a bit Downton Abbey
meets Fawlty Towers set in the 1930’s.
I so enjoyed the whole
experience and I just cannot get over what happened. It all seemed so
unreal and still does. I arrived at the London Film School early one Saturday morning in mid-winter. Some of the actors I worked with are quite
famous....I kind of recognised their faces but couldn't quite place
them. A nice girl did my make up and put my hair up and helped me
into my costume and hat, then the director came in all friendly, "Hello,
have you ever had a bad night's sleep?" "Well, I want you to
come on set shortly and start complaining about the bed and your back to the
bell boy in the lift (it is set in a hotel)....so I walked onto the set and was
shown to the back of the lift....the bellboy was at the front and I recognised
him as the actor Joseph Macnab (Anna Karenina and The Borgias as well as the
Suzuki advert)....after saying hello in a friendly way, he turned his back on
me and I was instructed to talk to him and I complained he wasn't looking at me
and the director, said that was the point.....I am a moaning guest and he is
looking forward to the camera rolling his eyes with boredom....so they let me
do 2 rehearsals waffling on about what a bad night I had, the uncomfortable
mattress, my poor back, my day's sightseeing ruined and now I needed to spend
the whole day seeing a doctor or even a chiropractor (causing the crew to laugh
at that point)....I complained about the drafty window and the sirens outside
keeping me awake all night etc....just ad-libbing my way through it thinking
back to a noisy night in Boston....then we had a practise at filming and by
then my throat was dry as a bone from nerves as all eyes were on me and the
director came and stood next to me and asked me to look at the light on the
wall, not at the bellboy or into the camera....they were very kind to me.
Then it was "Lighting rolling, cameras rolling, actors ready," and
"Action" ....I had to do it all again, remembering it best I could
without a script and then I heard the words "It's a wrap" and Joseph
turned to me and said "Well done, you did really well." I told
him my throat had constricted with fear!!! Then we went to see the rushes
are they called??? and I saw myself at the back of the lift moaning. So
that was that....I went downstairs to leave and met Angela Chirtofilou an
actress and the producer then asked me to return on Sunday at 8 a.m. for make
up, hair etc. and on set at 9.
Part Two coming shortly.
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