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| Introduction: Opening the Doors Cast and Crew Prelude Journal 2: ACT 1: Blacklisted! March 6 (Day 2) March 9 (Day 3) March 10-11 (Days 4-5) March 12-13 (Days 6-7) Journal 3: ACT 2: Welcome to Ferndale! March 20 (Day 9) March 21 (Day 10) March 22 (Day 11) March 23 (Day 12) Journal 4: March 26 (Day 13) March 27 (Day 14) March 28 (Day 15) March 29 (Day 16) March 30 (Day 17) Journal 5: April 2 (Day 18) April 3 (Day 19) April 4 (Day 20) April 5 (Day 21) April 6 (Day 22) Journal 6: April 8 (Day 23) April 9 (Day 24) April 10 (Day 25) April 11 (Day 26) April 12 (Day 27) Journal 7: April 16 (Day 28) April 17 (Day 29) April 18 (Day 30) April 19 (Day 31) April 20 (Day 32) April 23 (Day 33) April 24 (Day 34) April 25 (Day 35) April 26 (Day 36) Journal 8: April 30 (Day 37) May 1 (Day 38) May 2 (Day 39) May 3 (Day 40) May 4 (Day 41) May 7 (Day 42) May 8 (Day 43) Journal 9: May 10-11 (Days 44-45) May 14 (Day 46) May 15 (Day 47) May 16 (Day 48) May17 (Day 49) May 18 (Day 50) Journal 10: May 21 (Day 51) May 22 (Day 52) May 23 (Day 53) May 24 (Day 54) May 25 (Day 55) Journal 11: May 29 (Day 56) May 30 (Day 57) May 31 (Day 58) June 1 (Day 59) |
Journal 11 June 1 (Day 59) Another of our troops makes the papers this morning, “Big” Bill Hardy, the towering, colorful set production assistant who arrives this morning with a copy of the Los Angeles Times under his arm. Today’s edition displays a photo of Hardy in the “California” section of the paper taken last weekend on Melrose Avenue, one of the city’s trendiest shopping districts. Hardy was photographed and quoted for a feature on unique hairstyles (surprise, surprise!), and he certainly qualifies as an expert on the matter. Hardy is endeared by his colleagues for his daily announcement “Rattle the cages, sober the troops, switching channels, we’re back!,” the directive he broadcasts over the wireless walkie system each day as we return from our midday meal break. Hardy stands out on the crew, not only because of his towering 6’6” frame, but his vibrant, offbeat hairstyle, which he adopted while we were on location in Ferndale (where he really stood out)! How about a red Mohawk haircut!!! How about a blue Mohawk haircut!!! If we’re still filming on July 4, maybe he’ll add a touch of white for a true patriotic look! Hardy complained to me several times during our Ferndale flight that he wanted to see his picture in the local newspaper so he could mail a copy to his mom and show her his true colors (hair, that is). While that never happened, I did notice a picture of him on the streets of Ferndale in stillman Nelson’s coverage. The photo, a wide-angle shot on Main Street where Hardy is definitely visible in the center background (adjacent to actor Carrey), was too good not to print and give Hardy as a memento. At first, he felt he disappeared in the shot, but, in retrospect, when he realized that the film’s star was RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, he realized what a cool shot it was, and one that will be sent to his mom.  Today marks another electronic presskit (EPK) day on the set for video chats with co-stars Hal Holbrook (playing H.U.A.C. Chairman T. Johnston Doyle), Bob Balaban (as lead counsel Elvin Clyde) and Ron Rifkin (as studio lawyer Bannerman). The trio completes their work on the production when we finish the H.U.A.C. scenes, so it is imperative to obtain some comments from each (individually) about their roles in the film, their interpretations of the script, and their love of movies. Because documentarian Nasr has been called out-of-town on personal business today, I step in (off-camera) and pose the questions to each actor when breaks in filming allow me to take them away from the set (we have set up our video cameras in an adjoining ballroom, with no anticipated interruptions from crew or extras). In chatting with each performer throughout the course of filming, Nasr and I agreed to raise some specific questions about growing up watching movies in old movie palaces like that portrayed in Sloane’s script (our title character) and, for those senior members of our cast, what it was like to witness firsthand the H.U.A.C. hearings back in 1947-54. You could say that these actors will hopefully name names for our marketing campaign -- of their favorite movies, movie theaters and movie moments that may have affected their decision to become actors. Following his daily makeup ritual and before Frank is ready to roll cameras this morning, Balaban joins us first for questions ranging from his role and how it plays in the story to his days growing up in Chicago in a family who built and operated the biggest movie theater chain in the Windy City, Balaban & Katz. His glorious recollections of a childhood spent watching some of the finest films of the ‘50s and ‘60s in the Esquire Theater (now a sixplex) on Chicago’s northside provides a wonderfully nostalgic memory for the actor, and a delicious anecdote for Nasr’s documentary. Holbrook ambles into the interview chambers next for his “testimony” about T. Johnston Doyle and “The Majestic.” Holbrook, a true gentleman for sitting and chatting with us after working on the film only four days, recalls a haunting, evocative memory about his days as an actor in New York City (circa 1954) on a network soap opera, just as Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin continued his dogged pursuit of more Hollywood Communists while simultaneously raising alarming questions about the government’s role in this haunting Hollywood holocaust and its violation of our beloved Constitution. Holbrook also casts a wonderful spell as he relates a marvelous anecdote about some of his favorite films (“How Green Was My Valley,” “Kings Row”) and how those films are memorable for the heart they display in their stories. He compares those cinema classics to “The Majestic,” which he states will also be a good film because it, too, has heart at the core of its story. Another excellent quote for the video documentary. After a lengthy chat with costumer Wagner (welcome when working on a period film) and her wonderful contributions to the project, we convince actor Rifkin to undergo our intense inquisition in front of our video cameras. Rifkin (you know him from his outstanding work in “L.A. Confidential” and “The Negotiator”) has been playfully deflecting my requests for this interview, saying ”I’m not very good at these things.” He rejoins our company after spending the past two months in Montreal co-starring opposite Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman in “The Sum of All Fears,” the latest big screen adaptation of Tom Clancy’s CIA hero, Jack Ryan. He advises that he did a similar interview for that project, and came off badly. I work my psychological magic on the performer, and get him to sit with us, albeit for only thirteen minutes. But, that turns out to be sufficient. During his chat with us, he also relates an interesting account about a dear friend (actress Lee Grant) who was blacklisted and how their friendship allows him to bring some of that emotion to his role here. He also tells us that the film that inspired his interest in acting was the 1953 drama, “The Jolson Story,” starring Larry Parks. For those of you versed in the blacklist era, Parks did testify at H.U.A.C. hearings, and committed the cardinal sin of naming names to this horrific committee, although they were names the committee already had named. Another interesting, anecdotal irony for Nasr’s documentary. While I will have nothing to do with the compiling and editing of Nasr’s various documentaries, these three gentlemen provided some insightful and enlightening stories that will definitely appear in these featurettes Nasr will complete for HBO and the DVD release of “The Majestic.” After completing these various video chats, I return to the set to witness more scripted testimony delivered by actor Carrey who, today, spends most of the day repeating his lines off-camera to elicit appropriate reactions from actors Holbrook and Balaban, whose coverage in Sc. 139-153 dominates today’s schedule. In between set-ups, a crowd has gathered at Crabbe’s video monitors to view the latest video salutation from director Steven Spielberg on the set of his latest project, “Minority Report,” starring another Hollywood heavyweight, Tom Cruise. If you recall one of our later reports from Ferndale, we received a three-minute video from the Spielberg camp showing scant views of his set. He invited Frank to counter with his own video, and that tape was mailed off while we were filming on location in Ft. Bragg. Now, Spielberg responds with a clever piece that provides our crew with some laughs. As Spielberg ambles around his set, introducing us to some of his key crew members, he corners actress Samantha Morton (the Oscar nominee from Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown”), who stars in a brief montage showing off several different wigs while mesmerizing us with her sweet British accent. The final shot of the Spielberg missive (no, I can’t divulge what it is, only to say that actor Cruise is prominently featured) evokes an immediate reaction and several ideas from those gathered about how to top their crafty and funny images. As we wind down another week in front of (and behind) the cameras, Jim has today’s real scoop -- he has secured the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck as a treat to usher in another well-deserved weekend. We all enjoyed our sundaes this Friday. Next week -- combing through an assortment of things. |
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