Teaching Bill Nighy pick up lines

The second thing we filmed (well rehearsed a lot and then filmed a lot) was the same as what I already described in my first post except they shot from a different angle. This meant everyone who was in the first shot had to be in this one and make it look like you were coming from and going to the same places as before. This time before my que to walk across the scene I was standing with Erika (did I explain that she is an American who lives in Garmisch and is a senior in high school on base but was asked to be a stand in/ extra/ double in the movie because she is the same height and build as Felicity Jones the main character? Well that is who she is. She did all the skiing and snowboarding for the movie because the real actors can't. What a lucky girl!) So we stood together with Mr. Bill Nighy. So before our que we were supposed to pretend to be talking to him. Except Bill was actually talking to us because he doesn't follow a lot of directions. He told me he read a book about Oregon written by a man who lived in Oregon and has always wanted to visit. I told him he could stay at my house, but then realized what I was saying and offered to recommend a nice hotel (primarily thinking about The Allison of course). Apparently he read about some big river in Oregon he wants to see and I learned he does not drink when I tried to enlighten him on our great wine region.

We shot the same scene again from another angle and this time were placed in a different place talking to Bill. We filmed this for so long I literally spent at least and hour or more talking and laughing with Bill Nighy. I would have never guessed out of any actor I'd have the chance to chill with this guy. I think out of any character I've seen him play he reminds me most of the crazy pop singer in Love Actually. He sang a lot. He loved Bob Dylan and says that Bob's music is the only songs he can sing all the way through other songs he can only start singing or sing choruses. Later on while filming he would be singing "raspberry beret" up until the moment he heard his que to start walking downstage. We got on the subject of pick up lines and we were teaching him some and then Erika and I would walk away on our que and come back to start over and find him using them on other extras. Then he wouldn't be paying attention to when he had to be back in what they called "first position" and so I would literally grab him by the arm and drag him back. He never stopped talking and everything he said was hilarious. If I am in the movie while talking to him it will definitely look like I was having a good time at this engagement party. Erika asked him what the most annoying question he gets asked is. He said it isn't an annoying question except that he gets asked this one more than anything else and he gets a little tired of it for that reason. The question is, "how long were you in makeup for the character of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean?" His character had a crazy octopus face and if you didn't read the credit I don't think you'd have a clue it was Bill under there. His answer... he didn't wear any makeup at all. It was all computer generated. Holy cow... there goes the 21st century at it's best.

After that is about when we broke for lunch I think. So again the extras got to eat in their special trailer, while everyone else had more of a selection from their food trailer. Really though I thought they fed us pretty well and everyone was really nice. Lunch was rice with a turkey gravy veggie stuff on top, salad, and pudding. They asked if there were any strict vegetarians and of course I volunteered myself. So the guy said I could wait until everyone went through the line and then the caterer would get me something else. When it was finally my turn he went into the trailer everyone else was getting food from so I got a bit excited. Unfortunately when he came out he handed me a plate, that I thanked him for, with a pile of rice and a very creamy sauce on it and a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. So I ate what rice I could without eating the sauce and enjoyed the veggies. Then I had a small bowl of ice berg lettuce salad mix and finished it off with a bottle of Apfel Schorle (carbonated apple juice).

During lunch I again avoided complementing Sophia on One Tree Hill when I saw her sitting by herself listening to her iPod in a room just off of where we changed in the morning. I did get my picture taken with a couple friends and the camera guy who filmed us in the morning. If I every find it on the internet I'll definitely put it on my blog for you all to see. Actually if I find it I'll probably have it announced on the 5:00 news I'll be so excited.

Back to work. This time we were filming Ed calling off the proposal with Sophia. Her character I forgot to mention had broken her leg skiing and was on crutches. So after he dumps her she take the ring off and gives it back and then takes a crutch and rams it into is crotch. Ouch! I was standing at a table with four other people and when Sophia raises her voice and says "bad timing?" We all got to look and watch the rest of what happened between them.

The next part we filmed was Nicolas, the brother rushing through all of us and bringing ice to Ed for his "injury." Then we filmed Bill, playing Ed's father, coming to him and helping him off the ground. Instead of saying he was disappointed in Ed he said he believed he had a good head on his shoulders and was following his heart or something like that, but that he still had to worry about his mother. On that que Brooke Shildes, the mother, comes out from behind a curtain tapping a champagne flute (we were all holding fake champagne all day it was sparkling white grape juice). She announced the happy couple and when they didn't appear covered with "they must have gone to steal a lovers moment." Then each time we did a take she would improve a new story about how they met as children while vacationing in the Hamptons together. The whole wile all the guests were looking at each other because we knew what happened and she didn't. Then Bill came up and excused he and his wife to behind the curtain where we here a woman scream as Brooke finds out the news of the break up.

That was pretty much it. Those last segments took a lot longer to film than I took to explain them but without a celebrity next to me cracking jokes and telling me he thought I needed a Channel handbag because everyone does (yes Bill said that) I have a lot less to tell. About an hour before we were done filming they brought a candy basket around that we all pounced on. And throughout the day they came through with water, all sparkling of course because we are in Europe. And also at random times hair and makeup people would come through to wipe off sweat re-powder noses or for me re-tuck bobby pins in my hair.

They let the extras go about 6 but the cast was not done yet. We had to be so quiet and take turns changing because the microphones pick up so much sound and our changing room connected to the room they were filming in. That was something I was very surprised by was that while filming they talk in about a whisper. I was also surprised that they do a lot of practicing right before the film and they break up the scene into little bitty fragments and film from many angles. It made me feel like I could step into the industry tomorrow and be okay because it isn't like stage acting where you must memorize an entire play's worth of lines and once upon a time I was fairly good at that, so I think I could handle this.

Many people were awfully tired by the end of the day and granted even my feet hurt and I wore really comfortable heels. I however would have stayed all night if they needed me or just let me. I loved every second I was there and would love to go back or do another movie. Once upon a time I chose to pursue sports instead of acting. I've always felt it was the right decision and haven't thought too much about acting except when I took drama in high school. So I thought the dream I once had of becoming an actress when I grew up was long gone. Apparently all these years I've just berried that dream and now it is finding it's way to the surface again. Gosh darn it! Now I'm acting all the time. I've fooled Ryan several times already that I'm getting very upset or sad or angry. So he sees that I've got talent. :) Who knows maybe once the movie debuts a casting director will discover my talent as an extra and call me for the big time. I won't hold me breath.

I think in a couple weeks I might email our contact who arranged all the extras to find out about the premier. Rumor has it, I heard through Erika, there is a crew premier in London but I don't know when. If I could weasel and invitation I would totally buy a ticket to London to go to the premier of my first movie. Oh what a dream come true that would be. Not to mention I love London and would love to go back.

That ladies and gentleman is wrap!