Has anyone been at a movie or TV set?

Janeane Garofalo stories/gossip please?

I, myself, have not.

Movie set: The village of trailers reminds me of the trailers carnies live in on the edge of a carnival. There is a lot of standing around and boredom. Studios are basically just rows of warehouses. Didnt find it very exciting. So many of the actors look a lot smaller and more ordinary in person. Also, plastic surgery is a lot more noticeable in person.

TV show: The studio audience is sorted by appearance and attractive people sit up front, uglies in the back. The director directs the audience on how to react. They want big reactions, almost over-the-top. The cranes with cameras attached to them zooming overhead is distracting.

Jimmy Smits filmed his show "Outlaw" in Philadelphia. It was a rainy, windy day. They were filming a shot of him walking down the steps of the Franklin Institute, when the right side of his hairpiece flew up. He quickly put his hand over it and they stopped filming and went back inside to dry him off and secure his toup.

R3 - Any names?

R3 Any wig/hairpiece stories?

I was on the set of a TV show about a decade ago, but no really juicy revelations, other than the fact that studios are never as big as they look on TV.

A lot of walls have a rounded area or a blurry color scheme right where the wall meets the floor to give the impression of depth/size.

R6, yeah I have one wig story. I walked by Billy Bob Thornton on a movie set and didnt recognize him bc his hairpiece was so bad. Both the color and texture were way off. Looked very silly. That was a long time ago, though. Like 12 years or so. I only knew it was him bc he was staring at me with a look of horror on his face and the person I was walking with mentioned it. “Billy Bob Thornton looks like he’s scared of you.”

Damn, dude, were you carrying a blood-dripping axe? After being married to Angelina Jolie I wouldn't have thought ANYTHING could scare him!

Seems like every "Boston" movie has a scene in my neighborhood. A guy up the street is in the business so he wrangles everything to my hood. It's an annoying inconvenience and I'm completely uninterested in fawning over celebrities. I did, however, get a check for a couple grand for letting the production company run cables and lighting on my property for Johnny Depp's "Black Mass" film about Irish mobster Whitey Bulger.

I'm all in if I can make coin. 🤑

Yeah I also got money for allowing the production of Sandra Bullock’s last big flop movie (can’t remember the name) dress my building up like it was part of a small town square in Bolivia or some Latin American made-up country (my building is in front of a square in Old San Juan).

They never really used the shot but I still got paid.

Nothing juicy to report, but I've been on set for both popular TV shows and film sets.

It's boring. There's a lot of waiting around, with technical things that are dull af to watch being set up or reset, actors looking bored (rightly so) and turning on like a light to perform, then back to "off" setting again.

I've been invited more than enough times and often say no. I find it energy draining.

Names, people, names.

R8 Oh, that Billy Bob. Facelift and a full wig. Some tough guy, right.

R14- Another TOUGH guy Sylvester Stallone- His face is so TIGHT now it's starting to look like his ANUS!

Good thread, OP! Nice comments so far too; thanks guys!

I've been in the studio audience of a few TV shows, but not actually on set as such. Lots of waiting around and lots of things repeated so they can get different angles etc.

I actually live quite near to some major film studios and have been to multiple locations that they have used in movies for outdoor scenes (Avengers films, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), though not while they were actually filming but sometimes when some of the set was up. It's pretty amazing to see what the set looks like in real life compared to what you see on screen.

A LOT of waiting. I was at my sister's office (she worked at a cosmetics company in Manhattan Beach, CA) where they shot a scene for CSI: Miami.

The scene took 5 hours to shoot. When she saw the episode, it was a flashback with a voice over were some woman walks to her car and is shot/strangled/beat to daath. Of course she's drop dead gorgeous and it shot with a zillion filters in post. It couldn't have been more than 10 seconds.

No wonder people want to work in show biz. All this money for just hanging around!

"And do you have any juicy observations?"

They purposely don't give you juice so you won't have to get up to go to the bathroom.

My mother said that to my cousin while we were watching a taping of The Hollywood Squares.

Just kidding. My cousin was more of a diet soda person.

When I lived in NYC there was a long stretch of over 15 years that I lived on Park and 34th (two blocks away from the Empire State Bldg, and exactly equidistant from both Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal). So I had my share of street closings, set dressings, and celebrity sightings. Anything from Law & Order to Godzilla.

The weirdest by far was when I returned from a work trip and my entire block was made up to look post-apocalyptic for that Will Smith movie in which most everyone dies from a highly contagious virus and he’s alone in Manhattan with his dog (and hundreds of hidden flesh-eating sunlight-shunning creatures).

The Duane Reade in my building had grass growing out of it and the street had random shrubs everywhere. There were also several ripped or worn out signs/posters for effect. It all looked a bit too real.

I lived right in front of the the park avenue underground passage exit which has very baroque railings that filmmakers love. Godzilla spit out a cab right in front of my home (all CGI) and Bette Midler went to visit her daughter’s law firm (or her fiancées? I don’t remember) at the building across from me. Add that for a long time I walked to work to 99 Park (used in dozens of movies and L&Os because they had empty spaces and big square windows that overlooked the Grand Central area) and later to a building next to the Lipstick Bldg and even later to the Empire State itself and at times to the Fulton Street area (has a front row seat to 9/11) , and you can see how my life was surrounded by filming taking place every other week.

Plus I had an early-life Theater/Club career, but that’s a story for another time.

R20 That's damn good.

[Quote] The weirdest by far was when I returned from a work trip and my entire block was made up to look post-apocalyptic for that Will Smith movie in which most everyone dies from a highly contagious virus and he’s alone in Manhattan with his dog (and hundreds of hidden flesh-eating sunlight-shunning creatures).

I Am Legend

Movies: Just up from Dupont Circle in that Will Smith movie, [italic]Enemy of the State[/italic], and [italic]Broadcast News[/italic] with Holly Hunter.

TV: The lead character in Hack, played by David Morse, lived in a house around the corner from two friends' house, on Larchwood Avenue in W. Philadelphia. I used to walk their dog on that block and would occasionally see them shooting. They liked it when local people walked the block. Gave it a sense of "real" that might otherwise have been missing, but for which they weren't willing to pay extras.

I was an extra in some dumb movie with John Lithgow in it. This was in New Orleans and it was supposed to be Mardi Gras. It was really cold and unpleasant. There were lots of deluded co-extras pretending to be in “the biz” and ruefully repeating “gotta hurry up and wait” all day long. It was so boring. Then the casting company called me for a scene in a Cohn Brothers movie but they wanted me to die my hair and I said no. I am impatient in normal life, so the tedium of extra work is torture to me. I can’t stand sitting still. And it was humiliating being in the proximity of deluded basement dwellers, who clearly did this shit all the time.

Dye not die . No oh dears.

I've been on a lot TV and movie sets and it's just so boring after the first day. It's much like what you see when you pass a crew working on pipes on a city street. A bunch of people standing around while one person does all the work.

Most recently I've spent a lot of time on the Chicago Fire, Med, PD sets and it's very striking how happy those sets are. The cast and crew really seem to like one another. Dick Wolf said it was like capturing lightning in a bottle and I think he's right. The cast and crew socialize a lot outside of work which is unusual after so many years.

r26, I'd like to socialize with the Brothers Halstead in Chicago. And Patrick John Flueger.

In Chicago I can't tell you how many times they've closed off streets near where I lived for scenes for the Chicago Dick Wolf shows or for Empire.

It's honestly not very exciting, though, more annoying than anything.

Initially one of the faked crashes one show did was covered as real by local news....oopsie

I've been on a news set. You'd be amazed at if you just pull out the camera a little, how "industrial" a set can look like. The anchor desk looks like a nice cozy environment, and two feet out of camera view is a huge mess of wires/lights, etc.

Long hours for one scene.

R30 yeah it's crazy to read about how long it takes to shoot certain scenes, like hours. The final product is a 3 to 5 minute clip or sometimes shorter. I guess it depends though on what the scene entails.

R31 I watched the filming of a show, took that long to film one scene.

Winona Ryder rips her wig off as soon as the director yells cut on "Stranger Things". She also walks around with an umbrella so nobody takes pictures of her.

Thanks r22. Good dish r33.

Bump

Juicy? No. It's hot as hell under those lights and it's really distracting because there's so much going on around you. Sitting through an interview was hard because you had to focus on what the questions were, where to look when you answered and to speak up more than usual.

Bump.

I was watching an episode of “Damages” and Glenn Close squatted on an old tree that looked familiar to me, it was the same one my little dog peed on every morning in a Xbox Park off of Union Sq.

Part of being a true New Yorker, I used to instantly recognize Law & Order shots outside even if they obscured the business names. Sadly this has changed because so many are shuttered now.

I'll echo what others have said: it's very boring and tedious, with a lot of waiting around while fiddly technical stuff gets worked out. When filming on location, gawkers will get all excited and stand there watching for maybe 15 minutes, until they realize nothing interesting is happening and drift away.

crowd scenes in DC: The Exorcist (Georgetown campus), a Tom Cruise movie c. 1999 (the Mall), St. Elmo's Fire (18th Street in Adams-Morgan), some movie with Steve Guttenberg in the 1980s with vintage cars (Dupont Circle). Yes, very boring.

Bump.

Nicolas Winding Refn posted on Facebook the entire behind the scenes of his Amazon series Too Old to die Young.

You can get the feeling of being on set, both the exciting shooting of scenes and also the endless bore of waiting for something to happen.

I linked to an art gallery scene where you can experience masters and blocking being shot, the scene being repeated a couple of times and the crew waiting for things to happen. It's very cool. Enjoy.

What I've heard from a friend who worked on sets in the UK and US is that productions in the US have fantastic crafts service that keeps everyone entertained and happy. "Actors" usually get everything they want and can order special meals. Productions in the UK were often frugal and only offered coffee and donuts/sandwiches. Crew and extras often had to pay for food and drinks. So it's a lot better to be bored on a US set.

Work conditions for production crews are horrible. They often work 12-16 hours a day for very little pay. PA sleep in their cars bc they're too tired to drive home after a long day. Actors in the US whine a lot but are unionized with better guaranteed conditions and amenities (and pay of course).

Bump.

Many years ago, I spent the day on the set of Doogie Howser. A friend of mine worked on the show.

It wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. Lots of waiting around. Lots of hearing the same lines over and over.

I did meet the young Neal Patrick Harris. He was very friendly.

I've acted for a few years. Pleasant : Frances mcDormand, Gena Rowlands, Alan Bates, Ben Cross, Janet Suzman, Emmanuelle Riva, David Suchet, Simon Callow, Roman Polanski (yes), James Ivory.. . Reserved but polite: Juliette Binoche, Marisa Berenson, Colin Firth, Unpleasant :Goop, Charles Dance, Nick Nolte, Greta Scacchi, Kristin Scott-Thomas

R46, can you provide more details? TIA. (Especially about Goop, Nolte, David Suchet, and Polanski.) David Suchet plays such a prissy Poirot, it would be interesting to hear what he's really like.

Goop didn't speak to anyone, or make eye contact with anyone, including her co-stars. She stood there for days, looking scrubbed to death, towering over every body, looking like she would rather have been anywhere else. And the atmosphere was horrid. But it was a long time ago. Maybe she wanted to stay in character. Nick Nolte is just a rude cunt. It was summer, and an extra touched the back of his empty chair while reaching for the water bottles. He wasn't even close. He made a huge fuss over it. The poor extra was mortified. Polanski is actually a very nice friendly man. He must be 5'1 or something, he's very large and must be Hung like a donkey. David Suchet was suave. Charming.

Thanks, R48!

R48, if it's not too much trouble, what was Frances McDormand like? I loved her in Fargo and would like to think she's similar to the humble, smart, benevolent police chief.

"What I've heard from a friend who worked on sets in the UK and US is that productions in the US have fantastic crafts service that keeps everyone entertained and happy. "

From watching behind-the-scenes documentaries, I understand that it's become more common for production companies in the US and Britain to hire food trucks to come to the set or location and feed everyone.

Or feed everyone worth feeding. There was a film set at a San Francisco landmark I walked past, and there was a food truck there, with signs saying "NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, (____ MOVIE) PERSONEL ONLY" and "NO BACKGROUND". That is, the extras didn't rate food from the food truck.

The sad part, R51, is that the main actors are probably all on strict diets or are anorexic. The people that could actually appreciate a good meal (crew, extras) don't get to partake.

Frances is nothing like her public image R50. I have no idea why she put on that show at the oscars last time she won, with the horse laugh, The weird elocution. That's not her at all. She's very warm, friendly, simple. She is the kind of person who says hello to every single person on the set every morning, be they movie stars or crew, she shares moments with the crew and the extras and rather has her coffee with them in a plastic cup than go to a reserved area or back to her trailer, she seems very normal and bright, and is much prettier IRL. I liked her a lot. I met her again years after we worked on the same project for a week, and she remembered and was very nice . No movie star BS.

That's awesome, R53. I was hoping the Oscars acceptance was a one-off. I do think she's good-looking. You can tell she has a nice face even when she's in some horrible costume.

I visited Sordid Lives on location for an entire day. Leslie Jordan can be THAT ON! for 12 hours. Delightful non-stop hilarity.

R55 I’m jealous. That boy on Sordid Lives was delicious.

R46 r48 Thanks for sharing. I'm so jealous you have met and worked with all those people! It's interesting to hear tidbits about genuine stars.

Now I wanna go to a Penn & Teller: Fool Us tv show taping (free tix Feb/March 2020 which is when they tape) And see where I'm sorted based on my "attractiveness". Youth is always currency, even if one is a plain youth.

I don't get how men in the audience can go makeup free (in shows where they have a chance of being pulled on stage). Females always slap.on tons of makeup.

And what happens if the person you're with is on a much different attractiveness level than you? Would the ushers split a couple up?

Showtime's "SMILF" filmed a party scene in my Boston neighborhood of Dorchester where the asshole Whalbergs once lived. (Fucking hate that trash whom I know personally and can assure you they are ghetto white trash the likes of which are rarely seen).

Anyway, there was a heat wave. Hot as fuck. Steamy. And not in a good way.

I never saw the finished product but to my SMILF fans friends: it was the scene where the white girl goes to an outdoor backyard party of all black people fabulously dressed in all white and dancing to classic r&b dance.

When I was on vacation in New Zealand with my sister once, she got us tickets to a comedy show that was taping there. It was basically a variety show with different performers and an MC, some comic that was only famous in NZ. At the time, in person, he seemed really obnoxious and over the top while performing his hosting duties. A week or so later I caught part of the show when it aired on TV, and his energy seemed perfect--interesting, funny, and not OTT at all. I thought that was very odd, but perhaps you have to dial it up to 11 in person for it to work onscreen.

R57 you're welcome. I guess I was lucky, to get hired for award winning projects before finishing drama school. But even then and there I knew it was not for me and I was only passing by. I wasn't impressed by the drug and harrassment atmosphere. Old creepy agents and producers/stars litterally presenting dick in their office and all. It's all true. I could tell you stories. Forgot to mention :Mark Rylance is Lovely. I adore him. Kind and generous guy. Carolyn Carlson (not an actress but) same. Alan Bates was the best. Stunning, Funny, adorable, and adored man. Adjani = crazy. Deneuve otherwordly beautiful IRL. Sean penn= entitled cunt. Another one who is surprisingly nice , and very handsome = Jason Statham. Oh, and we all knew about Spacey and Wenstein since the early 90's. Everyone knew. One more reason to be disgusted by the hypocrisy of this business.

R61, I am all ears! Love these anecdotes.

R62, like, when you've spent 3 years of your life studying the Bard, and your (female) agent takes you to your first big deal event, and, pointing to an old creepy freak, whispers in your ear ' that's the most powerful casting director in the business, you should see him... A lot'?

More R61/R63, you sexy little minx!

about 4 years ago my then bf was a "background" person on the series "Public Morals" which was created and starred Ed Burns. The show was set in the late 60's and the scene was in a gay bar (of that time) While two of the main actors were doing a scene my BF and several other guys were supposed to be dancing. My BF said Ed Burns was SUPER nice to the main actors and crew but barely noticed the background dancer guys. anyway, my BF recognized one of the main actors from a play he had seen on Broadway and went over to compliment him. The actor was super nice and friendly but the AD saw this and literally took my BF to the side and yelled at him for "talking to one of the actors" he said "DO NOT TALK TO THE ACTORS" really loudly to all the other background dancers, many who ARE actors. Anyway, they had to "mime" dancing because they don't actually play the music when shooting the scene and they had to be absolutely quiet while appearing to talk to each other and dance to music nobody could hear. Harder than it sounds. Anyway, some of the background extras were making too much noise and this same AD who yelled at my bf, fired half of the extras right there on the spot in front of everyone.

So its not so easy to be one of those non speaking, non credited "background " people. Btw, the scene in question is somewhere online and you can see my bf for asecond in it (in the background of course) The remaining scenes they shot in this bar were never aired because the final episode of the series never aired for some reason.

Naughty: Leighton Meester, Julia Roberts, Tina Fey, Lauren Graham

Nice: Angelina Jolie, Jason Bateman, The Rock, Taraj P. Henson, the fat chick from the Pitch Perfect movies

this is r65, I found the scene on YouTube. My BF can be glimpsed leaning into the bar at 1:01 ..

oops hit send too soon link below

this is [R65], I found the scene on YouTube. My BF can be glimpsed leaning into the bar at 1:01 ..

oops hit send too soon link below

this is [[R65]], I found the scene on YouTube. My BF can be glimpsed leaning into the bar at 1:01 ..

R62. I had forgotten but Mira Sorvino is the single most miserable cunt who ever lived. In a roomfull of much bigger stars, she will have a FUCKING BODYGUARD tell you to put down your phone when you're around her. I actually second Harvey here. That bitch is a fucking nightmare. Seriously.

[quote] [R62], like, when you've spent 3 years of your life studying the Bard, and your (female) agent takes you to your first big deal event, and, pointing to an old creepy freak, whispers in your ear ' that's the most powerful casting director in the business, you should see him... A lot'? [quote]

RADA? Name the agent, she needs her nickers aired.. The most powerful casting people in the business are women, just a few men. Who was it? Brit or American?

I was an extra in a couple of episodes of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues which was filmed in Toronto.

David Carradine was very laid back and looked to be nice to everyone. He got along really well with Kim Chan who played The Ancient Lo Si, laughing and joking with him. When the meal break was called he clapped his hands and called out, "Ok everybody, let's eat!"

Chris Potter would walk away from the set and not interact with anyone. The second shoot I was an extra in he was complaining to the director about a scene not being gritty enough. The director told him, "Chris this is a TV show not Scarface" and Potter stormed off the set.

R71, and if you decline, they summon you to a meeting where you're scolded, bullied and humiliated for a solid hour by 4 people, including a director who is in the process of casting you as his lead, for your 'attitude' and lack of cooperation. Quote ' you are not at all who you should be'. For real. (not naming names. The casting director is the successor of a female casting legend, who' s now deceased, and good riddance)

[quote] [R71], and if you decline, they summon you to a meeting where you're scolded, bullied and humiliated for a solid hour by 4 people, including a director who is in the process of casting you as his lead, for your 'attitude' and lack of cooperation. Quote ' you are not at all who you should be'. For real [quote]

So by inference, you are asserting that all male actors who work have submitted to these advances? I know for a fact that isn't the case.

[quote] not naming names. The casting director is the successor of a female casting legend, who' s now deceased, and good riddance) [quote]

Why not name names of below the line or on the production side? You've made comments about actors by name? Why don't casting and production get the same treatment from you?

I don't know what other people do. But this meeting is real. They said I was their first choice but Michael Vartan was a close second and they might as well give him the part if I didn't show more interest. To which I replied without missing a beat ' give it to Michael then, because I won't do it' and left the room. Their jaws dropped. Hahaha. Where is Michael now ?

My highschool girlfriend (LOL) had an uncle who was the casting director for a local medical drama. I worked as an extra about 6 times. Very boring. The lead actress was a very cold, the crew hated her. The main actor was very grand, a pretentious stage actor.

[quote] I don't know what other people do. But this meeting is real. They said I was their first choice but Michael Vartan was a close second and they might as well give him the part if I didn't show more interest. To which I replied without missing a beat ' give it to Michael then, because I won't do it' and left the room. Their jaws dropped. Hahaha. Where is Michael now ?[quote]

Michael Vartan works often, that's where he is. Are you sure they were talking about sex in this meeting? Maybe you misinterpreted.

Worked on an upcoming project with Pete Davidson and a lot of elementary school children who were told not to speak to Mr. Davidson. Almost immediately, I hear the little girl next to me ask her mom "Who's Pete Davidson?"

[quote] Worked on an upcoming project with Pete Davidson and a lot of elementary school children who were told not to speak to Mr. Davidson. Almost immediately, I hear the little girl next to me ask her mom "Who's Pete Davidson?" [quote]

Brilliant. Although, I guess I understand it might be hard to concentrate if people are trying to talk to you all the time

[Quote] The main actor was very grand, a pretentious stage actor.

Mandy Patinkin, R76?

In San Francisco - Lived close to the Castro and got off the subway coming home from work and the whole neighborhood had been turned back into it's 70s version of itself. They were filming Milk. Really was fun to see, all the extras running around in the tight jeans and hippie garb from the time. Didn't see any of the stars of the film.

In NYC - I lived on Minetta Street, which is kind of an iconic old school downtown street. I walked out of my apt to go to work and was blocked by Woody Allen shooting something. (I'm pretty sure it's his most recent that wasn't released) Interesting for about 5 minutes and then I had to get to work. They were there for about 4 days and the Nazi's that regulate the street traffic were some of the worst I'd ever seen. "MR ALLEN IS FILMING!!!"

I have 2 cousins that are professional extras. One, was a very old cousin with a really deeply lined face full of character. He became Woody Allen's favorite extra way back in the 60's and 70s because his face looked so Jewish.

Another cousin is retired in NYC and she loves to just sit around and watch them film. She's a little older so they let her sit. Pretty much any TV show filmed in NYC you can find her sitting in the background. She loves it.

R66 how [italic]naughty[/italic] was Leighton?

I’ll echo what everyone else said. Lots of boring. I watched some scenes being shot at old Holmsburg prison in Philadelphia. It was that movie with Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. I was shocked at how short and skinny Redford was. His legs were like matchsticks.

Pete Davidson looks like something you'd find under a rock. In 10 years, nobody will be asking "Who's Pete Davidson?" because literally nobody will care.

at least three times a week. I have seen the occasional freak out or ego trip, Mostly it is boring.

There have already been several threads on this OP. Would it have killed you to have done a search first before you posted this? I mean really? What’s wrong with having a little consideration for others and doing a search first? Would it really have been that hard? Would it? Are you going to be able to give us an honest answer to this? Are you?

Would it have killed you to have at least posted a picture or link OP? Would it? I mean would that have really been so hard? Would it? Why don’t you try to think more of others next time before you post? What's your problem? I mean really, what's your damn problem?

R82, rude to hair/makeup people.

Leighton must have serious emotional issues: Her mother was a drug dealer who gave birth to Leighton in a Florida prison. Pretty girls from rough backgrounds who became successful actresses almost always turn into screaming bitches.

"I was shocked at how short and skinny Redford was. "

An older friend was an extra in a Redford film, back in his heyday during the 1970s. She described him as "... short, skinny, bad skin.".

[quote]I was shocked at how short and skinny Redford was. His legs were like matchsticks.

I saw Robert Redford in an airport once and had the same reaction. Very tiny man, birdlike. I was shocked at how different he looked in person. If he wasn't famous, you wouldn't even notice him.

Robert Redford is the epitome of an actor whom the camera loves. He’s just breathtaking in his younger films.

Vintage Redford...

Hah I just read my post @ r92. I meant “older films when he was younger”.

The thing that struck me were the impossible number of "marks" (as in hit your marks) taped the floor so they wind up in the correct position for the lights and camera. . I have no idea how they manage to act while moving from mark to mark. I remember being on the set of West Wing when they were getting ready to shoot a complicated scene n the Oval Office, and the number of "marks" made the floor look like a modern art piece.

Film sets are very very very boring. I put it in context for people by comparing it to having a garage sale. There is a lot of prep work, leading up to the day... then on the day, there is a lot of activity the first 2-3 hours... then just sitting around the rest of the day. It can get really tedious. Then everything gets packed up, except it's 12 hours later.

The worst is when an actor shows up and gets in wardrobe and make-up and then waits around 8-9 hours to be called to set and they get the shot in 5 minutes and the actor is sent home, having worked for a full 5 minutes.

Or driving all the way out to the California desert to get a single shot at sunrise and then drive all the way back to the city and for the life of riley, you can't figure out why it was necessary to drive that far!!!! You could've gotten the shot 60 miles closer to home!!!! Total stupidity!!!! That business made me crazy.

[quote] I have no idea how they manage to act while moving from mark to mark.

Newer actors usually walk back and forth until they subconsciously memorize it. Pros just know where to go. It's one of those things you pick up. Also all shots aren't generally done all at once. It really depends on the set and the director. Sometimes you get a lot of time to walk through it. Sometimes you don't. It's all remember your lines, hit your marks, take direction and the one thing people don't seem to get is we sort of have to remember exactly what we did in one take and in one shot/angle so you can do it again. You cock your head to the left, you better do it every single time because it makes it easier to cut together later.

Usually movie and TV sets are boring unless you're crew then it's various degrees of boring with a few people who are constantly busy. Some of my fondest memories when I was doing crew work as a youth on a long running tv show were having conversations with my friends/co-workers over headsets. We had one guy named Billie who would give us random facts every day. Once I even ended up in an awkward place with a talent. I was hiding from him while he did something and my friends were whispering to me over the headset.

As an actor, you find things to do. You get used to waiting to spend very little time actually being shot. Once when I was very young I was accused of falling asleep while we were shooting a scene where the camera wasn't on me. The truth was, I wasn't asleep, the lights (as they were positioned) had some weird effect on my eyes. Plus they had been constantly touching up my makeup all day and it was bothering them. Every damn day of that production I went home with a headache. Of course now, I'd just say something.

The reason extras get treated the way the they do is because MOST, not ALL, but most background actors are a little cray-cray. I was in charge of extras and they are exhausting and when you have to manage 20 or more of them it's like wrangling 20 10-year olds! Every 5 minutes, "When are we going to wrap?", "Can I go home now?" , "I just got a call from my agent and I have an audition, can I go?" The steal all the food off the craft services table, so they are usually wrangled away from the table and they get their own table with garbage snacks on it, like dry granola bars, and cheezeballs!!! haha.

And yes. If the AD screams at you to not make audible noise during a scene and you can't follow simple directions, you deserve to be fired. It's not complicated.

[quote] Sean penn= entitled cunt.

R61, thank you for all the interesting stories. Can you please elaborate on Sean Penn? TIA!

Will second R70. A friend was working on an awards show or film festival in Europe that was set to honor Mira or something around 2016. She wanted to bring her entire family (she has a lot of kids) first class, 5 star hotel and have the event pay for the family to go to whatever city was closest for a week after. Might've been Paris. They refused and she had her daddy complain. Still no.

The idea that Harvey ruined her career was a convenient cover up. I'm sure something happened and I'm sure he blocked her a bit, but being a massive bitch didn't help.

Expecting an awards honeree to have their airfare and hotel covered is standard, but a week's vacation with all her kids is ridiculous. One night's accommodations for her, an assistant, and a make-up artist is standard. You fly in, you fly out.

When I was in my early 20s and living in LA I was dating a guy who was an actor (he's a realtor these days) and was able to visit him on set a couple of times.

It was, as others noted, pretty boring after the first half hour, as they would often shoot the same scene over a few times and it took forever to set the scene up, so lots of standing around and waiting.

The main thing that surprised me (sort of) was that movies are frequently shot out of order so that they can optimize the sets, e.g., all scenes in the main character's house are shot in week 1, then scenes at the beach on week 2, etc.

I think all the tedium of sitting around and waiting is why actors and crew are big-time smokers.

I always thought the women actors smoked to suppress appetite.

R99 technically not a film set but I happened to be invited as a plus one at a function where he received a major award. The party that included me was seated at the table next to his. He's just a basic trailer trash person. And a major fuggo. Everything about him is hicky. He complained about the elaborate french menu, was rude to people congratulating him, finally stood up and declared ' I prefer planet Hollywood, let's go there' and left. Let' s just say that he was seated with Adjani and Travolta, and Travolta was the most normal of all 3.

Nothing exciting here, but I visited the set of "Newhart" on a non-taping day and it was uneventful; people were professional and pleasant. I had craft services lunch with Peter Scolari, who is very serious and a good conversationalist. Julia Duffy came over for a few minutes with her new baby in a carriage and introduced herself; she and Scolari seemed to be pals. Never did see Bob Newhart.

I was an extra on "I Love Trouble" starring Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte--a dreadful film that's legendary for the hatred between the two stars. Julia wouldn't talk to Nick, even when they were standing face to face; she'd talk to someone else, who then conveyed what she'd said to him. Still, the time she brushed past me, on her way to the set, she was breathtaking. Her skin!

A year ago I was an extra in the stands for "Ford vs. Ferrari." I wore a wool jacket in the summer heat for hours, pretending to yell with excitement as cars zoomed by, over and over and over. An extra dressed as a nun fainted. It was awful. And no stars were in evidence.

Thanks, R105, I always suspected Sean Penn was an asshole.

[quote] oops hit send too soon link below

this is [[[R65]]], I found the scene on YouTube. My BF can be glimpsed leaning into the bar at 1:01 .. [quote]

Interesting scene r69, congrats to your boyfriend for being a small part of something like that. Curious howlong that scene took to film and what happened with these two characters.. do they hook up or what happened after? That is, if your BF can remember.

Oh and what did Ed Burns look like in person. I think he is the hotness

The thing that always makes me sad is how quickly they strike the sets after a show is canceled. You have a show like Friends, and a week after it's filmed its last episode there's an empty soundstage.

They also sell everything they can. I remember after Buffy ended, a bunch of the props and wardrobe were sold on ebay. When Queer as Folk US ended, they had a big auction locally. I remember some people who went discussion online how tiny the costumes were. Even those for Gale Harold and Peter Paige, who always seemed tall and rather strapping, were incredibly narrow. Those actors much not have eaten anything for the 5 years the show was filming.

r108 Sean Penn being an asshole is old news. There's been stories of his "assholedness" for years.

...

more set gossip plz

Would those be Pinewood Studios, r15?

Most boring experience of my life. I was on the movie set of a HArrison Ford movie many years ago. It was not a hit.I was an extra. We reported in at 7 AM. And we waited. We waited. And we waited.They gave us snacks. They had us sitting in a drab hotel room. In fact they had taken over this entire motel and two adjoining rooms we for us extras. About 30 people. YOu had a number and they'd come in from time to time and call out a series of numbers and take people out and more people would straggle in. No one knew one another, no one was friendly, and finally my group got called around 3 PM and we sat in this restaurant scene for about three fucking hours, with dirty dishes and fake food on the table, and shot this one scene about 5-6 times. Then we went back to the rooms and they verified the information we filled out earlier in the day, and we got paid and went home. I made $100. I'd never do it again.

R61, do you gave any Spacey stories?

Crews absolutely get to partake in meals, r52. Their unions and contracts stipulate 1-2 meals per day, depending on how long they work.

I feel like I've shared this before but a close friend is an extra. He has worked on a ton of movies. Said the worst night of his life was working on The Goldfinch. He was in the scene of the museum explosion. Middle of winter in the middle of night. They had them on the steps of the Met being hosed down with cold water. The main actors had space heaters but the extras weren't allowed to be near them.

R89 I remember when she talked about it on Ellen and it was so fucking awkward. She seems happy with Adam Brody though.

Here's an oldie. We went to a taping of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. I went with my parents. I was 13, I think. This was probably 1973 or 1974.

It was taped at CBS Television City, at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax, in Los Angeles. There were 4 studios there, 31, 33, 41 and 43. I don't remember which one we went into for the Sonny and Cher show. The Price is Right, Match Game, All in the Family, Maude, the Carol Burnett Show and so many other famous shows were also taped in that building (Television City). I think only videotaped shows were produced there. Filmed shows, such as the Mary Tyler Moore Show, were filmed at CBS's studios in Studio City.

As with all TV studios, the whole studio was air conditioned ferociously, to make up for the heat from the studio lights. So the actors on stage were comfortable, while the crews and the audiences were cold. The tickets were always free, but they gave out more tickets than they had seats for, to ensure a full audience. If you waited in line and didn't get in, they would give you priority tickets for some other taping day or for some other show.

Tapings of comedy shows could go on for hours, with a scene being redone over and over if something didn't go right. I remember Cher blowing her lines a lot, and cursing each time she did (usually the F-word). Sonny seemed more professional. I remember that Teri Garr was a member of the supporting cast and I remember her being there. Apparently Steve Martin was also in the cast but I don't remember him being there. During a break, Ted Ziegler, another cast member, was standing around and then walked right up to me while I sat there in my seat, and introduced himself to me and shook my hand. I don't know why. But it did give me a big thrill.

I don't recall seeing Chastity there; maybe she was still still too young then. The guest star for that episode was Jack Palance. But at that time I did not know who he was. Just some actor.

We did not see the entire hour being taped. They did the opening number, with the lighted orange ball set behind them, then they immediately taped the closing number, in front of the orange balls. Then I think we saw only 2 comedy scenes being filmed, take after take, then we left at the next break. TV stages and sets are smaller in person than they look on TV. The orange ball thing looked small there on the stage from our viewpoint in the audience. I hope Cher saved one of those orange balls. Each one had a silhouette of Sonny and Cher on it.

For me it was exciting to see that episode on TV when it finally aired, because I had seen it live. I sort of felt like a "Hollywood insider" or something, which of course I wasn't.

R121 A lot of wigs there.

R121 Looks like this was the one you saw (w/ Jack Palance). The date was October 10, 1973.

Yes, an action movie starring that famous asian action star whose name escapes me. They had blocked off the street IN PEAK MORNING HOUR ensuring I would be late for work. He was standing on top of a car and I shouted to him that a selfish cunt, and much else, being very pleased to ruin their wretched take.

A friend who worked in a bit part in another movie starring a married mustachioed star said it was the talk of the set how his boyfriend had been put up in a separate hotel at the other end of town.

R119 And all for a movie nobody ever saw.

I've been in the studio audiences for [italic]Wheel of Fortune[/italic] and [italic]The Price is Right[/italic]. I enjoyed it a lot and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the amount of work it takes to do a show that airs five times a week.

I hope this question is on topic. If it's not, I have hoped in vain, haven't I? I don't claim to know really anything about movie sets, but it just occurred to me: what happens when a day is scheduled for a big scene with extras &c. and the star around whom it revolves, calls out sick? Do you shoot other takes, do everything you can to salvage the day, or does the director send everybody home?

[Quote] Yes, an action movie starring that famous asian action star whose name escapes me.

Jackie Chan??

I haven't been to a fuckin movie or tv set in fuckin years!!!

Yes. Chopped in NY.

The producers select the winner before the contest begins. The time they pretend it is is bullshit, they often have hours. They ask everyone to hold back on a garnish or something so that they can pretend to finish at the last minute. The plate you see is produced by a food stylist, not a chef. All fake.

Worked on Happy! with Chris Meloni. He is a hot af daddy and seemed very good natured

I was for 2 days on the set of a short movie, fifteen years ago. It was both exciting and boring. No gossip whatsoever, as the only 2 "famous" actors were C-list and we didn't meet them - they shot their scenes without us (the extras).

There was a lot of waiting around. Really a lot. If you don't mind spending hours in a small room full of strangers, half of which somehow have sex on their minds (especially on the second day). Free food, which I appreciated at the time because I was broke. Not great food, but perfectly edible.

Some oddballs. The guy who was a regular extra on some cop show and who also worked as "entertainment" (he said he basically worked as a prostitute) on group holidays, and lived in a trailer. He showed me pictures of his trailer! I fail to see how this should have been appealing.

The housewife who was a failed bimbo starlet wannabe but was booking her kid into every single audition. She knew the circuit.

The 50-year-old swingers. Good for them. I'm guessing they're the only who actually had a good time.

The director was an asshole.

Lots of waiting around. I think we finished shooting early, the second day. I never saw the finished movie.

The guy next to me was about 25 and a refugee from India or Pakistan. He'd acted in some Bollywood movies when he was a small kid and that was all he talked about. It sounded as if he believed what you saw on screen was real. Other than that, he was very happy working 60 hours a week at a supermarket. He was best man at his boss's wedding. That struck me as a very unhappy life, but what do I know? He wanted to know who my favourite American actor was. I think his was Mel Gibson (not American, but who cares). He seemed disappointed when I said Jeff Bridges.

The assistant director was working non-stop. Insanely focused. I saw him again a few years later on the set of a much bigger movie, with a guy who directed at least one Hollywood sequel.

R116 Sounds like my experience, except we didn't get paid. The food was fine (wait, I remember now! It was very good on the second day. We had excellent food on the second day and I was very happy about that), the people were friendlier. A few oddballs. Lots and lots of waiting. And, even though we were only extras, somehow we were expected to act a little. I can't act and we had to fake-laugh, so that was a challenge.

Let me rephrase: we had to burst out laughing like it was natural, and that's very hard to do if you're a terrible actor like I am.

This is quite dull compared to some of the other posts here but I read some tidbit from someone who worked on The Office set that John Krasinski and the actress who played Pam (can't remember her name ) were cold and standoffish .

R134-not surprised. I get the feeling they're both major douches taken with their success. She may have come down a few pegs, though.

I wrote about her once before, but I shared a bus ride with an ancient old black lady once, and she spent the whole trip telling me stories about her extra work. She even had a scrapbook showing all her appearances. She was old lady using walker a lot, but she was also old lady crossing the street, old lady waiting for bus, and old lady in hospital bed quite a bit. She had a bunch of photos posing with Denzel and thought he was the best. She claimed Spike Lee wanted her in all his pictures.

Anyway, she said it supplemented her Social Security, she liked the meals they served (she sneaked some home in her purse), it gave her a chance to see all her friends, and she sat and read her Bible during the endless down time. It beat sitting in an apartment all day. I left the bus thinking it might be something to keep in mind for my declining years.

Politically Incorrect and a Stevie Nicks rehearsal for her Trouble in Shangri-La tour

r136, I think I love her. What a great pastime for an old lady on a fixed income.

Too many to count as an extra. As several people have pointed out - the days are long with ungodly call times. A lot of hurry up and wait, which seasoned extras LOVE to tell new extras. It's almost like they get off of the newbies complaining, it's so weird. Sometimes you can sit around in holding all day and they never even use you. Sometimes the food good, is especially if there aren't a lot of extras, you'll get to eat crew food. Though sometimes the smoothie or omelette station is still off limits to extras. I guess they still need to maintain a class system.

I did the extra thing a few times and it was deathly dull. A lot of the other extras and stand ins seem to make a living off of just being extras or stand ins and they're all a bit sad like something out of The Day of the Locust. Most are horrible actors who believe that simply being in the presence of a big name actor or director will get them in a few closed doors and make them a "star." There's a desperation I find both sad and exhausting. They'd regale me with stories about who they stood in for and how Jon Voight once said "hi" to them or something and expected me to turn into a puddle.

You have to get there at an ungodly hour in the morning and go through hair and makeup (those hair and makeup people are saints!) and they don't usually get to your scenes until noon or after. I once didn't do anything until 4 or 5 pm and I'd been there since 6 in the morning.

I've acted in a few indie movies with legitimate speaking roles and I much prefer that. Since they don't have much money and the crews are smaller, they get a few takes of each shot and move on. They might shoot 10-20 pages a day as opposed to the big budget films that are lucky to shoot 5 pages a day. There's something about a big budget movie that feels really wasteful and excessive to me. I can't understand what half the people on the set are even doing there. Every assistant seems to have an assistant who might end up doing one thing per day. On indie movies, they delegated jobs better so no one is ever bored.

[quote]what happens when a day is scheduled for a big scene with extras &c. and the star around whom it revolves, calls out sick? Do you shoot other takes, do everything you can to salvage the day, or does the director send everybody home?

R127, you generally don't get sick and if you do get sick you work through it. It's not really a normal job where you can just call off if you have a headache.

Rather it takes an immense amount of time to plan out shoots (which occurs far before anyone ever sets foot on a set or where ever they're shooting) so actors know they just can't call out sick. You mess things up for everyone. People might rag on some actors for taking care of their bodies in a way that might seem insane to other people but the reason isn't just to stay "thin" it's also to make sure they stay healthy. There are a lot of people depending on you and there's a lot of money that will be wasted if you don't show up. So go to your health spa, drink your green drinks and get your vitamin shots because you are working come hell or come high water.

Now If you have a cold and there's a kissing scene they'll usually readjust a scene for that because no one wants both actors to be sick.

Other thing is you're not going to be on camera the entire time. You just need to pull it together so you can do a few takes after everyone else spends hours setting up. Most people can manage to do that. If something happens to you ON set you'll be patched up and sent right back out there.

However, if there's an incident where you *absolutely* can't make it to set, depending on the content of the scene they'll either shoot around you (then shoot you later if it's financially feasible) or if it's just you they'll cancel the whole thing in which case you'd really better be sick. It just makes you look bad because you're costing people money.

Also you're not supposed to be engaging in any risky behavior while shooting a movie anyway. So you having a broken arm or leg or messed up face isn't going to be a thing that should be happening.

[quote]Most are horrible actors who believe that simply being in the presence of a big name actor or director will get them in a few closed doors and make them a "star."

This is one of those things I wish actors would realize. I agree it's pathetic R140. Extra work isn't even something actors want/should list on their resume. So while it might be helpful to do extra work if you're just starting out and have never been on a set before (just to observe the process), it's definitely not going to help the majority of actors in the long term. They'd be better off doing commercials instead of extra work.

What R139 said about the class system. It's very weird. The only film I was in was a short, and the only 2 actors that were known weren't even proper "famous", they were C-list and barely recognisable if you don't watch TV all day. Yet we didn't see them at all, even though they were shooting in the room right next to us - we weren't allowed in.

Same with the director. We didn't interact with him at all, the assistant director was in charge of us and there was another assistant who was in charge of making us "act". The director came to see us only once to give us directions for his stupid scene, he spoke to us like we were retarded children - scored very high on the douchoemeter.

Another time I watched the shooting of a scene with a proper movie star, and it was fine. Everything went smoothly, passersby were allowed to stay and even offered to be extras if we wanted, etc. The directing duo went on to make a very big hit a few years later. Sometimes those who know what they're doing are the most relaxed.

r65, r69 The story you relate is not uncommon. All extras are told not to speak to the principal actors NOT just to reinforce a hierarchy. The reasons are very simple:

When actors are shooting a scene, there are enough distractions. An extra approaching a principal actor to chat or attempt to network can distract the actor, ruin their concentration and slow the day down. A big cardinal sin in film/television production is not "making the day" meaning not getting everything shot .

Also everything thing r98 said, is unfortunately true.

I've heard stories that would shock you about what extras have done in an effort to be noticed, for example GIVING NOTES TO THE PRINCIPAL ACTOR ABOUT THEIR PERFORMANCE I shit you not. OR telling principal actors they "look better/worse in person" or "I hated you in this and that but you seem better in this one" Just jaw dropping behavior.

As much of a disruption as they are trying to be noticed the more experienced ones try to hide so they won't be in a shot that will require several takes. Sometimes they dissapear in the middle fo shooting something and you have to go find them.. for continuity. Most of the time directors try to keep them out of medium shots or use a blur so you can't tell which one is which but jesus, THEY HIDE because they just don't want to work.

I have also seen extras try pull focus with weird facial reactions and stuff and you have to move them to the back our out of the shot.. Extras don't have lines by definition so they try to have impact by reacting. and it is horrifying.

Having said that some of them are professional and nice and know their place. They cash the check and read most of the day and when they are needed they do what they are supposed to do. That would account for generously 25% of them.

[R65], [R69] just one last point. Your BF going up the principal actor and telling him he loved him in a play is fine after shooting or if he sees him at crafty and senses this would be a good time .. but it is really bad behavior to do that during a shoot. Just because of the concentration factor.

I used to know this crazy girl who thought being an extra meant that she was in the acting profession. She was extremely delusional to say the least. Her favorite movie was “Pretty Woman” and I think a lot of dumb people do go through a stage of thinking that they will be plucked from obscurity and then greatness/riches will be thrust upon them by some Oz like benefactor. I don’t live in LA, but I’m sure it’s crawling with such people. She moved there and then disappeared as far as I know.

I was on the set of a TV show with a winter street scene. A Mmale and female actors took their place. Cameras rolled. Snow that fell were corn flakes shaken from a box made of chicken wire ten feet above their heads.

"An extra approaching a principal actor to chat or attempt to network can distract the actor, ruin their concentration and slow the day down."

They must be easily distracted, if something like that could "ruin their concentration"

R29 when TV became High Def where every imperfection jumps out, lots of sets had to be repainted. Same for make-up, now it's sprayed on assuring it's even.

"Oh, and we all knew about Spacey and Wenstein since the early 90's. Everyone knew. One more reason to be disgusted by the hypocrisy of this business."

I remember the poster who had really juicy dirt from the House of Cards set about Spacey hitting on extras, crew members, etc. All of which turned out to be true.

R146 I remember when that Bale guy from Batman had a meltdown over something like that and flipped out on an extra. I usually dislike Family Guy but they did a pretty funny parody of the incident. He sounded nuts, I felt bad for the crew guy, whatever his initial mistake had been.

R38 New York's "God Friended Me," "Blacklist" and "Law and Order"often use CGI so they don't have to take cast and crews into the streets and it saves on overtime, known as "Golden Time" among union members 'cause it means big bucks.

After reading R141's post, it's amazing that stars like Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe were able to get away with calling out or refusing to come out of the trailers day after day. No wonder they both ended up washed up before the age of 40.

Bale later apologized...

[quote]New York's "God Friended Me," "Blacklist" and "Law and Order"often use CGI so they don't have to take cast and crews into the streets

Scandal was the worst, but at least I get that they weren't shooting the show in DC. Those NY shows? Lazy, cheap bastards.

I attended a taping of the Ashton Kutcher show the Ranch. I now understand why cast and crew do hard drugs

I was at the Jax Inn Diner on Northern Boulevard where they shot a scene for "Blue Bloods." Got there around 3:00 for lunch. Waiter said they'd been there since 8:00. Watched episode. Scene lasted 45 seconds.

[quote]I was at the Jax Inn Diner on Northern Boulevard where they shot a scene for "Blue Bloods."

Izzat in Jax Inn Hites?

If there's a grand ballroom scene that requires background actors (nee Extras) to dress formal, they have to arrive dressed for the role. Productions don't provide costumes for BG talent.

R157, Exactly ... Used to be the Mark Twain.

[quote]"An extra approaching a principal actor to chat or attempt to network can distract the actor, ruin their concentration and slow the day down." They must be easily distracted, if something like that could "ruin their concentration"

R147, It can.

You really don't know what's going through an actor's head prior to them shooting a scene, especially if it's a very emotional one. Everyone has a different way of preparing and sometimes the work is very "internal." Also if one extra does it and gets away with it, then more will see that one do it and they'll try to do the same thing. It quickly gets out of hand.

Here's the catch: actors aren't necessarily one ones telling extras not to talk to them. The crew acts as a firewall to protect them though so they never have to be annoyed when someone does. If one is in a good mood and they're bored they'll talk to you because they know you're not supposed to talk to them.

The crew, however, knows not to bother an actor unless they have to. Some actors will interact with the crew quite a lot since they understand this. You sort of just feel your way around that relationship.

Extras are props. Audience members on shows are props. Everyone on a set understands that. Sadly extras and audience people don't.

I can say once, as crew, there was a talent guesting on our show who spread the word around before he arrived that he didn't want anyone to look him in the eye. He's a late show host now. That guy we hated and he acted like a dick.

When Ginger Rogers did "Hello Dolly" on Broadway, rule was the Ensemble could not talk to her. Everything had to go through the Stage Manager. Rumor has it that one evening a dancer slipped a note under her dressing room door "Miss Rogers, the theater is on fire."

R160 If you're "Set Crew Guy," thanks for the insights and dish. I've appreciated your posts here and on past threads.

[quote] I can say once, as crew, there was a talent guesting on our show who spread the word around before he arrived that he didn't want anyone to look him in the eye. He's a late show host now. That guy we hated and he acted like a dick.

R160, all your insights are interesting. Can you say who this person was?

My guess is David Spade, followed by James Corden.

[quote] Chopped in NY. The producers select the winner before the contest begins.... They ask everyone to hold back on a garnish or something so that they can pretend to finish at the last minute. The plate you see is produced by a food stylist, not a chef. All fake.

Chopped has very low production values, IMO. Looks cheaply-made. Scott Conant and Aaron Sanchez (judges) sit slumped on the table, propped up on one arm (each). 2 lazy shits who can't be bothered to sit up straight and taste food.

Chopped is even worse than I thought, based on what R130 said.

It's funny how people not in the industry perceive the tv/film business. I say that we are carnies- we go from town to town, putting up a show, entertaining the rubes, taking the show down, and moving to the next town.

Yes, there is a lot of down time, but I wouldn't want to trade my job for anything. I do feel sorry for the creature performers though- hours in full prosthetics makeup (sometimes whole body) and sometimes never used or rushed into the last shot of the day.

R162, Sorry. Nope. I do remember that thread, I posted in it a few times. I'd never, as my grandma would say, "Tell tales outside of school." That person did a lot of it and I'm not entirely sure if all of it was valid but who am I to argue about something that happened when I wasn't there.

R163, I'm so sorry. I didn't intend for that to be a gossip item. It's just an example. I only ever got that "notice" from two people ever. If I ever become famous enough as an actor (hahaha probably not) to go on his show, I'd totally ask him about it though. I can tell you the nicest person I've ever dealt with personally was Viola Davis (very down to Earth and genuine. I really felt like I could just hang out with her all day) & the worst Star Jones but I wasn't even that mad about it. I can turn my "feelings" switch on and off.

R166, I remember turning to my friend and mentor when I was young and working on a set to ask her if it ever got boring and he said, "Sometimes but it's different every time!" That's not something you can say with every job.

Also wouldnt most actors try to fill up down time by doing hobbies or other work in their trailer? If being a little bored caused you dont try to find something to do is a big complaint one has on their job, I dont feel too sorry for you.

Great thread, thanks to R46 and others for all the insights

I was a line and supervising producer for many years with Paramount. And extras were the bane of my existence. I loved the ones who were truly "professional extras" like the old lady upthread and hated the ones who were trying to "break into the biz."

I have a Spacey story. We were shooting something in LA and he was shooting nearby. Our producer on this project was kind of a creep and had hired this pretty blond high school boy as one of his "assistants" (read: get him coffee and swim in a speedo in the pool at the apartment we rented for him). Anyway, he stopped by my office and asked me if I wanted to meet Spacey, they were filming in front of the building our production offices were in. I was game, so he, the assistant, one of the executive producers, and I went down. The director on Spacey's project introduced us, starting with our producer, then the assistant.......then we lost Spacey. He was eye fucking this boy so hard, we wouldn't have gotten an acknowledgment if our hair had been on fire. It was VERY uncomfortable to the point I said I needed to get back and left.

Janeane Garofalo stories please?

Bump.

[quote]New York's "God Friended Me," "Blacklist" and "Law and Order"often use CGI so they don't have to take cast and crews into the streets.

[quote]Scandal was the worst, but at least I get that they weren't shooting the show in DC. Those NY shows? Lazy, cheap bastards.

I've been on episodes of both "The Blacklist" and "Law & Order: SVU" and I can assure you NOTHING they do on either is because they are cheap or lazy! Two exemplary productions and my experiences (and the episodes) were excellent.

r69, I enjoyed that scene and if your bf is who I think he is at 1:09 he's a cutie!

R46 I'll probably be the only one who asks about her, but Janet Suzman has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. I hope she was kind. Difficult to be a fan in the US because she's not in many films. I did get to see her onstage in Titus Andronicus in Washington, though. She sent me an autographed picture a long time ago (little gayling that I was, I wrote a love letter!) which some drug addict contractor stole because he assumed an autograph must be worth something. I was very happy when she got the Damehood.

Ed Burns has a very nice face and a truly horrible voice. He should sue.

[quote] Ed Burns has a very nice face and a truly horrible voice. He should sue. [quote]

Ed Burn's isn't in r69's film clip. I think he directed it though.

It's amusing to watch crew members (especially PAs) act important. They are go-fers but derive some sense of identity from proximity to equally unimportant people. You see the same nonsense in Washington.

R168 "You see the same nonsense in Washington ". Hahaha, yes it's always amusing to see some unpaid intern with their nose in the air just because they get to fetch some smarmy politicians latte.

Uhm, HELLO!!?? Yes!

Oh, here’s some Hollywood scoop Jeremy Renner is gay.

r143, this is r69

understand what you are saying about distracting the actors but I showed my BF this thread and he said in his defense that he approached the actor (brown haired actor in the scene) during lunch and told him he'd seen him in a play and thought he was excellent. The actor was very nice and thanked him but the PA who handles the extras started screaming at my BF "why are you talking to the actors" Even to the extent the actor he was talking to said.. "it's fine, he's not disturbing me" or something. So he wasn't bugging him during the actual shooting.

So there.

Vanna White, when the cameras aren't rolling, moves like your typical elderly woman. It must be a bitch to stand and gallop in those 5 inch heels for hours and hours and hours on end when you're 60-something.

Honey Moley, Vanna has been awful substituting for Pat Sajak this week! You think she would be a little better after turning letters for 30 plus years, but she acts like she doesn’t know any gameplay rules.

Our favorite was when she told the contestant during the final puzzle, “take your time” when it is a timed puzzle, of course.

**Holy, stupid freaking auto correct

r105 Sean Penn preferred Planet HOLLYWOOD??

My little sister is biracial (think Nathalie Emanuel with brown hair) and got work as an in a few movies and an ad for a large cinema chain. She played "biracial girl on a date" and usually with a guy who looks very different to her - a ginger/blond/Asian guy/very dark black guy. Once she got to be a lesbian in an ad for laser tag and was paired with a butch, chunky, Lena Dunham type.

r173 Did you see James Spader on The Blacklist?

r173, then why, [italic]when the audience can clearly see the difference[/italic] , do they use CGI instead of shooting on location? There have been times when I thought to myself that Olivia just wasn't outside (in whatever location they inserted after the fact). If they're not doing it to be cheap or lazy, what is the proper adjective here?

I don't watch The Blacklist, btw. And I found the CGI on Scandal to be far more scandalous than that used on SVU (or maybe SVU hadn't started yet when I was still watching Scandal).

[quote](or maybe SVU hadn't started yet when I was still watching Scandal).

SVU is the longest running scripted drama in TV history. It debuted in 1999. Long before Scandal or The Blacklist. Currently on season 21.

Of course, the show has been shit since Meloni and then his replacement Danny Pino left, around seasons 15 or 16. Thanks current executive producer Mariska for destroying an excellent show.

[quote](or maybe SVU hadn't started yet when I was still watching Scandal).

SVU is the longest running scripted drama in TV history. It debuted in 1999. Long before Scandal or The Blacklist. Currently on season 21.

Of course, the show has been shit since Meloni and then his replacement Danny Pino left, around seasons 15 or 16. Thanks current executive producer Mariska for destroying an excellent show.

r189 r190 So nice, you told me twice. I was talking about how long SVU has been using CGI instead of location shooting, which I think I made quite clear in r188, not about how long the show has been running.

R191, you know perfectly well that I did not post twice. DL did. It's a well known problem on the forum now.

As for the CGI on SVU, I rarely see any. Only in FX scenes. I live in lower Chelsea and often recognize the exterior shooting sites which are often (of course not always) close to where I live. The SVU studios are currently located at the Chelsea Piers in the West 20s.

^ r191, I was specifically responding to your comment "(or maybe SVU hadn't started yet when I was still watching Scandal)" when SVU had for years preceded Scandal.

Juliette Binoche might be nice if you were an actor but she was a fucking cunt to the make up/hair. I spoke to someone who worked makeup/hair for many celebs and clearly stated that she was a fucking cunt, also naming many others...typical cunts we've all heard about like Mariah, Paula Abdul (pills and coke head), the blonde chick from Orange is the new black. It's been a few years but I was told that she like to throw things around when angry too.

Really, r193? I mentioned CGI twice, once in each paragraph. I imagine everyone but you realized I was talking about CGI.

I'm sure we are all aware of how long SVU has been on the air.

Try again to excuse your earlier mistakes, r195.

[quote] the actor (brown haired actor in the scene) during lunch and told him he'd seen him in a play and thought he was excellent. The actor was very nice and thanked him but the PA who handles the extras started screaming at my BF "why are you talking to the actors" Even to the extent the actor he was talking to said.. "it's fine, he's not disturbing me" or something. So he wasn't bugging him during the actual shooting. [quote]

What actor? What scar? They BOTH have brown hair.in the scene from the show you posted. Did your BF mention what Ed Burns looks like in person? I've heard he's pretty short and somewhat.. ahem.. full figured in person.

I could tell a story about former SNL actor Nora Dunn, but I won't.

I wish the CGI troll would shut up. I too know most of the areas they shoot in and I can tell you there’s not a lot of CGI. If there is, it would be more for the interiors than exteriors. So shut up.

Former SNL personality Nora Dunn is actually a decent actress but the stories of having to work with her are legion.

The best CGI was "Ugly Betty." Viewers never knew she wasn't walking home from the #7 train then arriving in front of her house, standing on the Brooklyn Bridge at night, or slammed into a bus stop outside her office building. The giveaway on "God Friended Me" is the lighting when they're supposedly on the street.

An old buddy of mine was a PA on bronx tale decades ago. Not sure if they had the "don't look anyone in the eye" thing yet but he made eye contact with everyone. He looked Robert De Niro in the eye many times. Chazz was cool and would great everyone "good morning, how's it going, kid?"

He quit after a few weeks coz the pay was low even though the food was great.

That's good to hear about Chazz Palminteri. Love "Bronx Tale."

What's the story about Bronx Tale? I've read a couple pieces that implied that Palminteri couldn't write a grocery list, and he's just fronting for the actual writers. That doesn't take sense, but on the other hand the movie doesn't get the credit I think it deserves, so maybe there's something to it.

R198 R200 Tell us the Nora Dunn stories.

Why do some of you come on to this thread and veil names? Like someone’s going to know some stupid extra from one episode of Law and fucking Order. If you can’t come out with names for the complete story then please don’t post your shit eating blind items here you goddamn dirty filthy cunt. Go jump off a building and kill yourself. I can read blind items in Page Six every fucking day. I hope you die in a grease fire and I want you to know that I HATE YOUR GODDAMN FILTHY FUCKING GUTS!!

[quote]Chazz was cool and would great everyone "good morning, how's it going, kid?"

I'd still hit it.

[quote]there was a talent guesting on our show who spread the word around before he arrived that he didn't want anyone to look him in the eye. He's a late show host now

I know a guy who got fired from a hotel because Jimmy Fallon caught him sneaking a pic.

[quote] What actor? What scar? They BOTH have brown hair.in the scene from the show you posted. Did your BF mention what Ed Burns looks like in person? I've heard he's pretty short and somewhat.. ahem.. full figured in person.[quote]

This is r69, r197

The actor is the one with the southern accent in the clip. He was very cool and nice to my BF and didn't like the AD yelling.

As for Ed Burns... BF said his is very short....somewhat cute but def gained weight in middle age. BF said if he weren't famous, he wouldn't notice Ed Burns on the street... in terms of attractiveness

I second R206. Name names, you anonymous shitcunts!

[quote]Did you see James Spader on The Blacklist?

No, he wasn't in my scene. It was the cold opener with the BIG PROBLEM developing and reaching a crescendo before the credits smash on. It was on a location, packed with speaking roles, lots of extras and a big crew all stuffed into the space. It was nerve wracking, but fun, and the creative team was actually creative and real pros.

I hear he's a terror when drinking and lovely when not. He basically directs the other actors in all the scenes he's in.

Jesus, people who think creatives aren't really working because acting/writing/directing/etc aren't "real work" need to be taken outside and have the shit slapped out of them.

No, you don't pester actors with inane small talk while they're on set...it might look like they're just "standing around" doing nothing but they could be running lines in their head or going over the blocking or getting into character or....thinking about what to have for lunch or what they're doing after work. You don't know and frankly, it isn't any of your business. A set isn't the place to be a fucking fanboy.

R212 it's not that. It's when the so-called creatives think they actually are doing something great for the world. At best, they're providing a little diversion. Very very rarely do they do anything of note.

[quote] Why do some of you come on to this thread and veil names? Like someone’s going to know some stupid extra from one episode of Law and fucking Order. If you can’t come out with names for the complete story then please don’t post your shit eating blind items here you goddamn dirty filthy cunt. Go jump off a building and kill yourself. I can read blind items in Page Six every fucking day. I hope you die in a grease fire and I want you to know that I HATE YOUR GODDAMN FILTHY FUCKING GUTS!! [quote]

R206, I love your style and share your outrage over people who drop stories on an anonymous message board and refust to name names.. Who wants to wade through the endless bloviata about CGI on SVU just to get some decent gossip??

Also in my fantasy r206 you are the AD who yelled at r69's BF for talking to the actors on the Ed Burns show. You should have kicked him in the cunt. Why do people think the rules only apply to them only when an if they understand every last reason for that rule and agree that they are valid??? It is a fucking workplace. If the boss tells you not to talk to someone on a worksite.. DONT DO IT.

My friend Glenn does lots of extra work and I talk to her..

[quote] Why do people think the rules only apply to them only when an if they understand every last reason for that rule and agree that they are valid??? It is a fucking workplace. If the boss tells you not to talk to someone on a worksite.. DONT DO IT. [quote]

As if playing "yourself" which is what most actors do anyway is such a chore that they can't be friendly to "extras" PUHLEEZ.. ain't buyin it.

[quote] Here's the catch: actors aren't necessarily one ones telling extras not to talk to them. The crew acts as a firewall to protect them though so they never have to be annoyed when someone does. If one is in a good mood and they're bored they'll talk to you because they know you're not supposed to talk to them. [quote]

a firewall?? PUHLEEZ Like this is some top notch secret place! I was raised to put my self out there. Maybe older data gays are from the seen but not heard generation.

R216, if this is how you are at work (millennial or not), I see A LOT of different jobs in your future... and not by choice.

[quote] I was raised to put my self out there [quote]

Then by all means r216," PUHLEEZ" put yourself out of here.

Kind Regards,

Everyone who has ever known you or will know you in the future

I've never done extra work. No interest whatsoever. Not saying it's good or bad, just not my thing. However, if I were to extra work I would never try to talk or communicate with the actors or staff. I would only be there do as I'm asked to do. I cannot imagine trying to talk to one of the actors or other crew. I just can't. I have friends who are actors and I know that some of them need to be in a different head space before they go on. I would not want to disturb them. I get the whole "don't look me in the eye" thing. Anyone who has lived in New York does. I don't care if the actor lived in my building and I rode down the elevator with him that morning, I still wouldn't approach him on the set that morning. If he wants to approach me, fine. But that's on him.

Is there a site that lists TV/movie filming location schedules for the week or month? I've seen trailers parked along Washington Square Park in Chicago, across my house on Clark street. I've never figured out what they are shooting.

They're filming The Jussie Smollet E! True Hollywood Story r220

R220, Your local film office will be able to tell you "WHAT" is filming in your city if you live in a big city.

Beware, not every production will be clear about what series/movie/etc. they're working on.

There's a website called onlocationvacations . com which has a daily filming locations guide but it's not often updated and again doesn't include everything.

As for the when and where that's not something everyone wants to share.

If there is filming outside a permit (in most cases, there are rules for when you need a permit and when you don't depending on the city) will be required to be filed. In those cases (city and size dependent again) the residents of that area will be told in advance what is filming. (And once again they may not be open entirely about the actual name of the production.) If there's going to be a major disruption to traffic, for instance, your local newspaper will usually tell you in advance that something is filming and where.

The easiest thing to do is to ask if you see someone not busy and if they can tell you they will especially since you live near that location.

Of course someone may have already asked so you'd just have to check out Reddit or Twitter to find out if someone knows.

Here's a link to your local film office page in Chicago. However, it's not the same as NYC where they are a lot more specific about what's filming.

As of the last time their page was updated: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Empire, Say My Name, The Chi & Utopia were filming. However that doesn't include any other random project that might be happening right now.

[quote]I've never done extra work. No interest whatsoever. Not saying it's good or bad, just not my thing. However, if I were to extra work I would never try to talk or communicate with the actors or staff. I would only be there do as I'm asked to do. I cannot imagine trying to talk to one of the actors or other crew. I just can't. I have friends who are actors and I know that some of them need to be in a different head space before they go on. I would not want to disturb them. I get the whole "don't look me in the eye" thing. Anyone who has lived in New York does. I don't care if the actor lived in my building and I rode down the elevator with him that morning, I still wouldn't approach him on the set that morning. If he wants to approach me, fine. But that's on him.[quote]

Well said and all the entitled nitwits who are defending bad professional conduct should memorize and internalize these thoughts.

r223 is the perfect example of why we should be able to block threads as well as posters.

While I agree with you and the guy you're quoting, r223, he happens to be the "Would it have killed you...?" cunt, and there is no way I'm going to read that bullshit. So sadly, because he's purposely being an asshole, I didn't get to read his very sensible post on stalking actors on set. Of course, he [italic]could[/italic] stop being an asshole, but I'm not counting on it.

just FYI my sister in law is a teacher and the janitors union has as a guideline for non-janitorial staff to NOT speak to the janitors beyond a "salutation" The reason for it is obvious: If you strike up a conversation with the guy cleaning the floors, it keeps him from doing his (or her) job So I can see why television and film sets have the same policy. Don't interrupt people when they are working because overtime is expensive.

Hey r69, I actually really liked "Public Morals" and was disappointed when it was cancelled. If that is your bf leaning over the bar at 1:01 in that scene you posted, he is pretty hot!

[quote]The remaining scenes they shot in this bar were never aired because the final episode of the series never aired for some reason.[quote]

I would love to know what the last episode (never aired because it was going to be the first episode of the never happened 2nd season) Did your bf tell you what happened in the unaired gay bar scenes? thanks

[quote] While I agree with you and the guy you're quoting, [R223], he happens to be the "Would it have killed you...?" cunt, and there is no way I'm going to read that bullshit. So sadly, because he's purposely being an asshole, I didn't get to read his very sensible post on stalking actors on set. Of course, he could stop being an asshole, but I'm not counting on it. [quote]

How can you tell r223 was the same poster who posted "would it have killed you"? and it would have helped if you linked ot the offending post you referenced

Ignoredar for both, r227. You can do it yourself. Of course, your research skills need to be on a par with your cunting abilities.

[quote] Ignoredar for both, [R227]. You can do it yourself. Of course, your research skills need to be on a par with your cunting abilities.[quote]

Oh. You're correct. Honestly I did not know that option existed. And YES I AM CUNT.

But I am working on it. I deserved your bitchy response and I learned something.

Mama would be so proud

I worked for a day on THE COTTON CLUB way back when. It was shot on a soundstage in Astoria (Kaufman?). Coppola and Nic Cage would film a scene in a bare space, then Coppola would watch it on a monitor superimposed with a cel that replicated the scene's location (a rooftop, for example). The only other thing I remember is Francis cooing in Nic's ear, "You're gonna be a big star, you're gonna be a big star..." Seriously.

Surely somebody can give us some good old fashioned Datalounge gossip on this thread?

As there's a lot of waiting around on filmsets I heard that the bigger stars have doubles/lookalikes to take their place so they can go off and do other things during the waits.Am not making this up.That would be a rubbish gig wouldn't it?Standing around on set so Ryan Reynolds can get a donut

In reply to the Leighton Meister comments...I find her interesting.I remember her saying in an old interview that she didn't have to dig very deep to play her Gossip Girl character!Julia Roberts naughty though?really?

"As there's a lot of waiting around on filmsets I heard that the bigger stars have doubles/lookalikes to take their place so they can go off and do other things during the waits."

Oh yeah, this has been going on since the Studio Era, at least. Someone who is the same height, weight, and coloring as the big-name actors gets a "stand-in", who gets a duplicate of the costume and wig and stands there while the lights are set and the camera crew argues about how to shoot. Sometimes these people become friendly with an actor and follow them from film to film, and become part of their entourage. In action films, an actor's stunt double can also act as a stand-in.

Here's Ginger Rogers with her stand-in.

[Quote] In reply to the Leighton Meister comments...I find her interesting.I remember her saying in an old interview that she didn't have to dig very deep to play her Gossip Girl character!

Lol i would never admit that in an interview.

I'd love to be a movie star stand-in! However, I'm not rocking a Weho body, so unless Jack Black or James Corden need somebody I'm pretty much useless.

Thanks for sharing, r211, I love that show.

Someone mentioned selling off the props, and here's a link to one of the auction websites. They're doing Silicon Valley at the moment:

Screenbid is a fun site. I have a rotary phone from Mad Men. Wasn't crazy expensive.

in the youtube description of the scene r69 posted (his bf was a background dancer in it) there is a mention of film called "Portrait of Jefferey" Has anyone seen the full film? There are some clips on Youtube but not the full film. Thinking of buying it .. worth it?

He would have been a first rate DL'r

Great thread but we need less cunty bickering and more juicy gossip and naming of names, please and thank you.

Reply 231,loved the Ginger Rogers photo.The era of the classy standin:)

In reply to what you said about stunt doubles..I remember reading that when Tom Holland was working on one of the superhero films he thought Robert Downey Jr's stunt double was him and was talking to him for ages.Lol.

I think it would make me vaguely nervous if I got close to my double..Am not sure i'd want them to be maid of honour at my wedding.Especially if they turned up with a better figure and hairdo:)

Just one: The Getaway with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. Kim had an assistant holding an umbrella for her to shield the sunlight. I was about 5 feet from her. She's allegedly 5'7, but she didn't look like it to me. Alec was in good shape back then, he looked fine.

It all seemed terribly boring, standing around waiting for a scene. Very low-energy.

R232 Great photo!

That is a photo double (PD) though; being a stand in (SI) is different. PD's are costumed and 'wigged' to match the principle the best they can and are usually the same exact height/body top Similar to being a stunt double, it must match. By just being a SI, it means you get color covered (a top in the same color or close to it; some sets are strict, others are more lax) and just 'stand' for lighting purposes.

PD's actually have to mimic the actors movements very closely. The pay should be higher for a PD since more work is involved, but currently, it's the same rate as a SI.

Is interesting reading about photo doubles,had never heard of them.Reply 242,have you been on filmsets?

Any old school gossip mongers lurking on this thread like Mr Hollywood,Celebrity caterer or the some of the others?We wll be gentle with you..or at least I will be.People shouldn't snap at people who claim to have gossip.Anyone readng this thread thinking"should I,shouldn't I share"?If in doubt,just let it out all out.Some of us will thank you for it.

I work in the industry made a thread

R244 Any Janeane Garofalo stories?

R244 Got any wig stories?

Can you reveal the name of the film now,Reply 244?

Some gossip of some of these people would be quite nice..

Harrison Ford Ryan Reynolds Robert Downey Jr

Kate Winslet Uma Thurman

..a girl can dream.

I can’t reveal the name of the movie but I’ll give you a hunt it’s a popular franchise and has had movies made in the past most of them weren’t well received but there were a few good ones. The new movie will serve as a reboot and tie into another series of film franchises

R248 Police Academy?

[R249] It’s X-men read the original thread it’s very obvious I’ve heard rumblings of a gay brunette actor needed for Iceman

Reply 248..Just what we're short of,franchise films:)Seriously though..Can you name any other films you've worked on from a while ago?What are the actors like that you're working with on your current film?

R251 I’m pretty new in the industry and i’m an assistant so I mostly make copies I’ve only been to a set once or twice but I’ve met tons of screenwriters and directors.

R237 do you have a pencil to go with it?

Anything to say about screenwriters in general R252?

R254 most are nice but a little bit weird and quirky, and most directors I’ve met have huge egos and are rude.

R254,Have you ever met David Lynch?Or Ridley Scott?

Sorry..I meant reply 255

R257 No

I used to work in entertainment, so dozens and dozens and dozens of films, tv. The premieres are much more fun than being on set, which is a snooze.

My most memorable experience on set (and one viewing dailies):

- taping of Martha Stewart. Crew messed up something on her apple cider maker and she was like "you're going to break it!' and shooed him away during a commercial break, got down on her hands and knees and took it apart and cleaned it herself, all while being super aware of how many seconds until the break ended to the point she told the producer something like 'i know, i can count and i have been counting while i've been saving my press.' it was iconic because she was a little, not mean but like stern and direct, but also impressive that she just took control and did it herself. She is a perfectionist and probably a little crazy but not afraid to get her hands dirty.

I went to the pilot taping of the Jim J. (Bullock) and Tammy Faye talk show because she's kind of an icon (you can take she to mean either Tammy or Jim J). Tammy was super sweet and looks a bit like an Ewok in person (nub-nub!). Jim J was creepy and semi-molesting me and trying to get me into his 'private dressing room' and go home with him. I had just turned 20 at the time. Hard pass.

(I worked on much better stuff, it just wasn't interesting on -set!)

As an intern at Sony pictures I was allowed to watch dailies. One of the movies filming was Streisand's "The Mirror Has Two Faces." She's too vain to direct herself. She would put the lighting super low and soft focus on her scenes to the point they didn't match the other scenes. There were these two old school Jewish guys that were always in dailies, one straight, one flaming. The straight one day said something to the effect of 'she needs to quit with the lighting. it's not like she's some great beauty' and the queen was like 'she's a goddess!" and the straight was like 'ha, i'll tell ya what she is - she's box office poison!' and the queen had F-ING NIGHTMARE MELTDOWN screaming and waving his hands. I thought she was going to spontaneously combust.

Anyone spend time on the old Law and Order set when people like Jerry Orbach. Sam Waterston, and Dianne Wiest were there? In my mind it would have been a joy to show up every day just to hang around with a cast like that.

e4e4344

Bump.

My husband saw Jerry Orbach in NYC back in the nineties and shook his hand. He says he was very gracious. I don't think I'd ever approach a celebrity but even I would have said hello to Jerry. Loved him.

I always smirk when I see people holding umbrellas over celebrities, it just looks so bad.

Cut to today: I am currently filming a movie out of the country where it is summer and I had. lovely PA handing me an umbrella all day, and often holding it for me while we waited endlessly (that's how it goes) outdoors while I was busy with my script and props. I felt so silly as the many crew members and extras had no such assistance. I did my best to just stand in the shade, or hold the umbrella myself, which wasn't always possible.

After we wrapped for the day I noticed I have a huge sunburn on my thinning crown and forehead which is currently keeping me awake. Oh, well!

This horrible, trite, derivative movie was shot in my home. It's one of those Lifetime movies that's bad but not quite bad enough to be campy. Yes, it takes forever to set up to shoot a scene. One scene shot at high noon looked like night on camera as they put this black awning thing over the walk to the front door. The very best thing (I mean LOL best) about this is this review on IMDB. Very funny.

[quote] After we wrapped for the day I noticed I have a huge sunburn on my thinning crown and forehead which is currently keeping me awake. Oh, well!

G, why haven't you gotten that dealt with? It's been years. I WILL PAY FOR IT if that's the issue

M

[quote] I always smirk when I see people holding umbrellas over celebrities, it just looks so bad.

It looks worse when talent shows up on set damp from rain or something that could easily have been prevented with an umbrella

[quote] I felt so silly as the many crew members and extras had no such assistance.

The alleged PA was probably told to make sure you didn't get red from the sun. Did you feel silly trying to subvert that?

[quote] Oh, well!

Yes, Oh Well. At least you tried.

Are drugs as prevelant on filmsets as I hear they are?Apparently quite a lot of the crew take pills too to help keep them gong for the long shifts

Am not sure why the worst people in Hollywood thread has got so much more attention than this.

I don't remember if I've told DL before. This is 2nd hand info, told to me by a friend. My friend's friend's store was used as Meg Ryan's bookstore in You've got mail. It was an antique shop. They paid her 250k for 1 month. She said Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were very, very nice and approachable. Tom was playing stick ball with the kids in the street. Very, very nice guy.

It can be damp and cold.

Several years ago they filmed some tv show on the roof of my brownstone, it had a fantastic view. It was a night shoot, they paid well and even gave all my tenants a small check for the inconvenience. There wasn't any.

Last year they filmed an HBO show in my store. The crew was relaxed and fantastic, they even fed me. They were in and out in a few hours and were really a pleasure to deal with.

Henry Cavill is as expressive in between takes as he is during takes.

Since 2013, I've worked primarily as a background actor in movies and television. So, yes, I've been on many sets, and stood next to many celebrities and stars. The very nicest one? Emma Thompson. The very meanest? James Franco

One of my duties on "Star Search" was to buy two bottles of Stoli for Ed McMahon's dressing room every tape day. What he didn't drink he took home.

You can't blame old Ed for having to drink his way through Star Search tapings. That must've been torture.

NOBODY ELSE GOT TO DRINK!!!! lol

R272 please elaborate on your experience meeting Henry cavill?

Our house was a primary location for AWAKENINGS w/ Robin Williams. The entire process from the initial walk through to the strike of the set was from early July to the week before Christmas. Robin Williams & Penny Marshall were a delight to be around. Williams invited my partner and myself to lunch every day of the actual shoot. We ran into him a year later at a show in Manhattan and he asked for our dog by name. I worked with several location shoots as a club manager/owner. They ran the gamut from totally professional to borderline shit show.

R272 meaning??

That's so cool R278, thanks for sharing. Did you meet any more actors during the other shoots?

R280 we did so many shoots including fashion that our special events/location booker usually was the primary staff contact. If I had to get involved it was usually with the production staff. Although Madonna took a shine to my extremely hot, terminally straight predecessor during a shoot and kept him on a very short lease when she did a shoot for MTV. He had to be within eye contact distance the entire time. She wanted to be able to wave him over if anything came up with the venue. There are very few artists who could have that demand met.

I was in a couple of the brief background scenes in the Heat of the Night. A considerable amount of the filming was shot in my small city. Being in such was unplanned and pedestrian. Yeah, I saw Carroll O'Connor and others a few times. Casually chatted with a few of the crew members here and there. No credits for me. One of the two times I didn't realize I was filmed for just seconds.

Bump.

Bump.

I was on a movie set with Jason Priestly, Robin Tunney, and Liz Phair. I had a tiny part with Robin Tunney. My first two takes were great, but Robin's were bad, so the third take was used and I look goofy.

Jason Priestly had the role of the nicest guy on the set. He had a cute little bulldog, and his girlfriend/wife was there and she was nice and friendly too. His scene was someone's fantasy of flipping back a wet head and shaking like a dog (I think the dog was in the movie, too). Jason was chatty, fun and easy going. I was impressed. It was a very small set and small crew. Very informal and low-budget.

Oprah’s HARPO set was very intimate. Much smaller than it seemed on TV. The way to get the impossible tickets was to be a man. And you got right up front seats, since her audience was middle-aged women.

I've had my work get made luckily enough. I HATE being on set. My writing partner loves it. He goes. I stay home. It's so boring. I start working on the next script.

Has anyone been on the sound stages for CBS shows like CSI? I miss William Petersen (no he's not dead yet)

I was an extra on Johnny Depp's early film "Benny & Joon" being shot in Spokane, My call was for 2 p.m. A few of us sat around until about 5:30 when dinner was announced. The producers invited everyone, extras included, to join in. I was last in line for the meal and the only available seat was next to Aidan Quinn and Johnny Depp. Quinn had made a movie called "The Americans," which had been released about a week earlier. I had seen it and a crew member told me to tell him, since Quinn was quite proud of it. Even though we had been told that extras don't speak to the cast members, I told him I had seen the movie. He got very animated. "You saw it? Where?" I told him it was still playing at a local theater. "What did you think?" I said that I liked it.

After dinner we sat around until about 11 p.m. The set was an old hospital corridor that had been recreated inside an abandoned warehouse. It looked very authentic until you looked up and saw there was no ceiling (of course). I played a doctor who was to walk down the corridor behind what would be Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson. We did a couple of run-throughs and each time the director would remove a couple of extras until it was just me and a woman who played a nurse.

I had been working professionally as a local TV news anchor and someone had mentioned it to the director who identified me by name. The AD gave me a complex list of busy work ("Chat with the nurse, walk to that cart, check out contents, look at your watch, walk to that door, pretend there's a puddle you step over and go inside.") But every time I entered the hallway, the swinging doors kept swinging too hard for the director's taste.

At first, he thought I was responsible. But then a crew member told him the doors were the issue. So then they spent 15 minutes rehearsing me coming through the doors and putting a hand behind my back to catch the doors so they wouldn't swing wildly. Then it was time to shoot the actual scene. Quinn and Masterson stood on their marks, we shot the scene twice and everyone went home. It was well after midnight by then.

Any Winona Ryder "Stranger Things" stories?

More broadly, every seen a famous/known actor miss their marks?

R291