first day on the set

I had my first day on the set with Val Kilmer and Armand Assante last Friday and I shot my first scenes for 'Steam Experiment'.
Everything I had heard prior to Labor Day was that we would begin shooting the third week in September.
On Labor Day I got the word that I would have my first call on Friday.

Being that I'd thought I had a couple of weeks, I have to confess that I hadn't fully given myself over to line study....

Give me a break! I don't know how other people do it. I had read the script through a couple of times to get a feel for the characters and especially to gain a sense for how my character, Police Lt. Tanner Clark, related to them.
I received the new, revised script on Tuesday, and by Friday morning I hadn't quite committed all the lines to memory, so I have to admit I was a shade nervous getting to the set. How nervous?

Well, I used the time to make the 70 mile trip from home to location to call everyone I know who prays and ask them for a favor...

But my scenes required me to be pissed at Armand's character, (I like to call him Armand. He refers to me as 'Doug, my man'), so I was able to put that nervous energy to good use yelling at a movie star.

(One of my lines as his boss is, "Damn it Jack! The guy's a fruit loop! Get your ass over to Fletcher Street!" Niiice...). We filmed until 12:55 Saturday morning. I got home from Grand Rapids about 2:30. (Being that most of the cast and a good portion of the crew is from the west coast, they run on California time).

I got there at 1:20 Friday afternoon, got to wardrobe at 2:00 (they put me in a black Hugo Boss suit with a white shirt and red and blackspot design tie. Stylin' fine with a much thinner profile all in black).

Next came hair and make-up, where I got all prettyed -up and got my hair parted in police-Lt fashion.

Then it was sit around and sweat until 6::00 when they called lunch, (a gorgeous buffet with baked salmon in a dill and basil sauce, baked chicken wrapped in proscuito with capers and lemon sauce, stuffed grapeleaves Lebanese style, chilled crab and lobster and various fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables and an entire table dedicated to deserts of the mostly continental style.

(I went ahead and had a slice of the apple pie with a big-ass wedge of cheddar cheese in honor of the recentley concluded Democratic and Republican National Conventions.)

I shot my first scene at 8:00 (walk into interigation, give Val Kilmer a dirty look, turn to Armand and say, "Jack! Get out here. I need to talk to you!"). Then I sat around memorizing lines and getting pissed at Armand (because it was in the script) until my last scene at 12:35. Which, as it turned out, didn't get shot until the next day due to time issues.

My friend Bobby asked me how it felt to be hanging with movie stars. "Was it other-worldly?" Mmmm, no. Not really. The toughest part was the trip over. It was a lot like the first day at a new school.... Will the other kids like me? Am I dressed okay? Am I gonna fit in??

There's an old saying in sports, "Act like you been there before."
Hell man. I can act like that.

And it turned out I can.

I will say this in all humility, boys and girls: I felt like I belonged there. I'm not Tom Hanks, but I can hang with these guys. These things can just be a nice adventure, but they always have the potential to lead to more. That, now, is my hope. This is all I want to do and I believe now more than ever that it's possible. The director Phillipe Martinez congratulated me on a good job and I got pat on the back in passing from Val (I'm your Huckelberry) Kilmer.

Not bad for a guy with limited talents and a 38 inch waist...

And day two went even better. I'll get back to you on that.
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....by the by, thanks to my friends who pray. That's the difference maker, right there...