I've certainly been on studio sets, and indoor sets and even location sets. While on Delocated, we shot in an abandoned garage out at Red Hook, and on a particularly chilly day, even on a pier overlooking the Statue of Liberty. But I have to say I have never shot in a high security location like, oh, JFK for instance, and at a Terminal that, for all intents and purposes was still being used actively as, well, a place where international travelers DID board planes. So it was I found myself driven to a dirt road parking lot right behind said Terminal, temporarily housed in my honeywagon and costume fitted before being ushered, passport in hand, to security where I was issued an actual Boarding Pass. Then it was getting in line at security checkpoints like the rest of the passengers, wands, metal detectors and all, and a good hour later before we finally made it past the duty free stores to our "set" - the Gate to our fictional flight to
Eric Stoltz - Director Beijing. Here, we were to enact a scene in which a mainland Chinese student refuses to board the plane back home while the teacher (yours truly) chides her for causing a commotion. Well, since a commotion happens, we find ourselves, over the next four hours, literally creating a scene at the airport. Besides the twenty something extras (some of whom, I have to admit, were characters themselves. One seemed to spend the larger part of the shoot being confused about why he wasn't being asked to speak while another seemed concerned about the American doctor struck with Ebola flying through JFK that morning.), we found crowds of visitors and passengers begin to gather. The costume department did such a wonderful job that it was hard to tell who were in fact background, and who were real security personnel. If it weren't for the "DC Security" badge they were sporting, I might've been worried about being hauled off by real airport security. The props guys were meticulous- I was even issued a Chinese Passport!
Oh, and did I mention that the episode was being directed by Eric Stoltz?
Oh, and did I mention that the episode was being directed by Eric Stoltz?
Eric Stoltz, whom I grew up with in films like Some Kind of Wonderful and Mask stood opposite me at my audition and read the scene with me - which, admittedly was a little odd since I did the bulk of the audition in Mandarin, and then in Cantonese, and then in English - for a part in the same episode for which I was admittedly too young. (At that moment, I had an instant flashback to an equally bizarre audition I had with Mary Stuart Masterson who was directing a feature film at the time quite a few years back. Nothing came of that audition but at this rate, I'm expecting Lea Thompson to be crossing paths with me soon). Mark Saks, who was casting, had the inspired idea for me to try for the part of the teacher instead and it seemed right, even though chiding Eric Stoltz at the audition in Mandarin still seemed a little odd to me. I guess that's why Mark Saks gets paid the big bucks to do the stuff he does. The guy has imagination.
Meanwhile, Mr Stoltz seemed more interested in chatting me up about my experience at the Donmar. His energy seemed boundless and he still betrayed no sign of having aged since his days as a teen icon, except perhaps for the beard he was sporting. While at the airport, it was clear he was an actors' director - patient, collaborative and always taking the time to explain a shot and what he was trying to achieve. He even took me aside to explain how the shot was going to be framed so I could tailor the 'size' of my performance accordingly. What an invaluable moment, to be coached by an experienced film actor as Eric Stoltz! Sure the shoot took about four hours non-stop, but it was like four hours of pure hands-on mentorship to me. Because of his generosity of spirit, I learned about angles, framing and size of performance, improvisation, providing variations to choose from, simplicity simplicity simplicity. I learned about different styles in directing, what mattered to him, and what should rightly matter less (like continuity - editors are magicians these days).
with Danni Wang, my "student" at JFK..er... Dulles. At one point, to elicit a reaction from an actress, he had her scene partner include some unscripted profanity for a take. The actress was shocked, but her reaction was priceless. The beauty of film. You only have to capture what he was looking for once. Mr Stoltz also, whether he knew it or not, gave me insight on how I'd hope to collaborate with film/tv directors in the future- those who because they take the time, with patience, kindness and imagination, do ultimately elicit the best work from their performers. Because he respected me as a fellow actor and colleague, I found myself inspired with each subsequent take, to improvise more, risk more, and be less precious with the text and my own performance. I learned, because he let me. To let the performance build. Often, in the theatre, the text is sacrosanct and improvisation around the language is frowned upon; yet on episodic TV, it seems counterintuitive to be precious about anything. Easy does it. Easy does it. At the end of the four hours, when coverage of the entire scene was finally complete, he came to both of us, thanked us with a smile and then vanished into the crowd at JFK.
And yes, it was indeed, some kind of wonderful.
And yes, it was indeed, some kind of wonderful.
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