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NOTES ON VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS EZRA HAS PARTICIPATED IN This was the shortest shoot I've ever been on. Very pleasant all told. We were on location at a rare record store in Silver Lake. Try as we might, no one could find one single artist they'd ever heard of. All very obscure stuff. Both Sandra Oh (Rita) and Maddison Mason (Ronny) were as charming as they could be. It was on this set that I heard the new Steely Dan "Two Against Nature" album. The sound guy (naturally) was playing it. When we wrapped the scene they also wrapped the location. I went back to my trailer and started changing when I heard a large engine rev up. It was the truck hauling the trailers. I got out just in time. Otherwise I could have ended up who knows where. Casting Directors: Lisa London/Catherine Stroud What thrilled me most about working on "Norm" was that I got to do a scene with Laurie Metcalf. She's a comedic genius with razor-sharp timing. It was wonderful just being around her and watching her work. Norm MacDonald was wonderful as well. Very supportive of all the Guest Stars and day players. It was interesting to see firsthand the process a script goes through from the table read to final taping before a live audience. Changes come fast and furious and one must be fast on one's feet and ready to change anything at a moment's notice. Again I was asked to disrobe for a part. What is it about people wanting to see me in my underwear? Casting Director: Brett Benner I was flown up to San Francisco to shoot my scene with Matthew Fox for their Thanksgiving episode called "Tender Age". I played "Leon", a homeless guy who is mistakenly believed to have kidnapped Owen. There was a deep sadness inherent in playing Leon that I noticed the first time I'd read for the role with casting director Stacy Wise. At the Producer's session I met the producer/director Ken Topolsky and, after my reading, he said "That was very good." I thanked him and headed for the door. "No." He said again, stopping me. "That was really very good." I thanked him again and asked if there was anything else. "Not really." He said. "It's just that you don't seem to happy to hear a compliment." I smiled and assured him that, no, it wasn't that at all. It was just that with Leon I felt a very deep sadness that wasn't all that easy to shake. On the set it was the same story. Mathew and I ate lunch together that day and we talked a lot about the craft of acting. Great guy. Very forthcoming. Casting Directors: Stacy Wise @ Liberman/Patten Sam n' Ella's was the first Pilot Presentation ever shot on digital (high definition) film. The difference is pretty astounding. The high definition really has a strong effect on the lighting in particular. It doesn't really make a difference in terms of acting. I played a hair-brained con man who had the brilliant idea of bottling thoroughbred horse semen so as to sell it on the black market. The problem was getting the semen in the bottle. How else other than to dress up as a masochistic jockey and allow myself to be whipped by a guy dressed up like a horse? Our actions actually made the real horse rather skittish. He kept backing away from us and moving out of frame. Sam n' Ella's has yet to be picked up. But it was a blast. I was featured on the episode called "The Elevator" starring Joseph Campenella. Another very early call way out in the Inland Empire. The location was some abandoned water processing plant where we were shooting deep in the bowels of the main building. I was a "Morlock" named Bean. Which means I had prosthetic horns slapped on my head and some substance not unlike Dippity-Do slathered all over my face. Very uncomfortable. But totally cool. Jonas Pate was the director and he was very intense and knew exactly what he wanted. This didn't mean, however, that he wasn't open to new ideas. They're a great team Jonas and Josh Pate as they always seem to be ready to adapt to a new plan at a moments notice. Casting Directors: Jennifer Fishman of Colloff, Fishman and Britt
One of my all time favorite shoots as everybody was so pleasant and it went so wonderfully well. My scene was with Sydney Penny and Christina Moore, two of the most beautiful women you could ever hope to meet. And two of the most pleasant. Not a skoonch of attitude. When I was having lunch with Laurie Metcalf and Frank Stoller in the commissary at Warner Brother's on lunch break from shooting "Norm" I ran into them and we had a wonderful chat. It was a night shoot on my birthday (December 11) and what better present than to be on a set? Director Stephen Cragg was charming and professional and I'd love to work with him again anytime, any where. Casting Director: DeeDee Bradley Now The Hughley's was an interesting shoot. I was on the fantasy episode called: "Two Jacks and a Beanstalk". It was my second trip into sitcom beanstalk territory (see Sabrina - The Teen Aged Witch). I played "The Mysterious Man" who sold the beans to young Michael in exchange for a cow. Yet again I get to work with barnyard animals. (See Sam 'n Ella's). The cow was much cooler though. My costume for this show rocked. Actors know that occasionally we'll get a gig where the costume does all the work for you. It just answers all sorts of character questions. This was one of those occasions. (See photos). D.L. Hughley was a most gracious host and went out of his way to welcome me to the set. This could not have been easy for him as this particular show was very difficult to shoot. He had to sing, dance and cavort in ways not common to his oeuvre. Most of the credit for the smooth sailing of this particular shoot must go to the First Assistant Director - Ms. Jackson-Houston. I even went so far as to write the producers in praise of her efforts. She was the best. Casting Directors: Mossberg/Anthony SECRET DIARY OF DESMOND PFEIFFER How sad. This episode never actually aired. I played George Axelrod, a guest at a White House function who, upon introducing himself to General Grant, is promptly drafted so as to allow Mr. Grant access to my date. It was only one line: "George Axelrod, sir. Very pleased to meet you." During the rehearsals I'd mentioned my name to Desmond Pfeiffer. "Hell," he said, "that's a better name than George Axelrod. You should say that!" So I did. Next rehearsal. And the one after that. Right before we taped, however, the Script Supervisor came up to me and asked what I was saying. I told her I was saying "Ezra Buzzington, sir. Very pleased to meet you." She looked at her script, scratched her head and told me to say George Axelrod instead. "Legal problems." She told me. "Clearance." Personally, I can't imagine there being any problem with getting clearance for Ezra Buzzington but what do I know? It was on this shoot that I got to know Max Baker. Max played Desmond's gooney sidekick and is a wonderful human being whom I see on occasion at our favorite restaurant in West Hollywood. Casting Director: Greg Orson I'd never heard the expression "My bad" before this audition. But there it was in the script. I played some businessman who stays at the hotel briefly and ingests some fake bottled water through a con by Garrett Morris. It makes me sick and I'm supposed to run out of the room shouting "My bad...". In the audition I added "luck". When my agent booked the job he called me and told me they wanted me but not to say "luck" at the end of "bad." Lesson learned. Christopher Duncan (Braxton) and Gracelle Beauvais (Fancy) were particularly nice and welcoming. Christopher and I spoke at length about working various local stages and I still run into him from time to time. During the shoot they discovered they needed two voices to be making love-making sounds through Jamie's cheap hotel room wall and another actress and I were drafted. It was wild standing in front of a microphone making erotic noises, let me tell you. Later on during the shoot they decided that they'd need a few more seconds at the end of the episode, so they decided to have Garrett and Jamie chase my character out of the hotel with a baseball bat so that Jamie could move back into the hotel. Of course, they wanted me to be in my underwear. (See "Norm"). Neither Garrett nor Jamie nor I felt very comfortable with it as we shot it and it ended up being cut. Good decision. Casting Director: DeeDee Bradley My agent told me they needed a Barker for Magnificent Seven and to go to Mary Jo Slater casting in Santa Monica. I did. When I got in the room, though, the male assistant thought I might be right for another role. So I glanced at that one as well. He asked me to slate (this is the term used for stating your name and the role you're reading for just before you begin the audition). I slated: "Hi, my name is Ezra Buzzington and I'll be reading the role of the Barker." He interrupted, "Actually you're reading for Tom." I nodded. "Okay. My name is Ezra Buzzington and I'll be reading the role of Tom...as read by a Barker." Gregg Champion, the director came up to me on set and said that one of the reasons I was cast was he'd found that so funny. Gregg's a great guy with a wonderful attitude. I loved my costume for this show. They ended up winning an Emmy later that year for best costumer. I got to stand among peeing horses again. Caroline Rhea (Hilda) is a Goddess to me. First of all, she's so decidedly funny. Secondly, she's a human being. During the set up to shoot my scene, one of the techies decided to give me a hard time and started telling me how to deliver a line. The director was on the other side of the set putting out some fire or other. I wasn't sure how to deal with the situation and Caroline stepped right in. "I think he's doing fine, Joe. His reading is perfect." The guy, Joe (not his real name) backed off plenty quick and I placed Caroline in my heart forever. Turns out she was right, anyway. My bit gets a great laugh. Casting Director: Rick Millikan WARHOL: E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY I went to the E! Headquarters with an Andy Warhol wig, black turtleneck sweater and black jeans for the audition. I didn't speak to anybody there. Just stood off in a corner and stared in bored wonder through my sunglasses at everybody passing by. They called us in about a dozen at a time and "interviewed" us. My experience with two Warhol shows and studying all things pertaining to the Factory really paid off. I booked it right away. I don't know why they interviewed us or felt it necessary that we behave like Warhol though, when you see the final cut the camera wiggles so much and you never get a clear shot of my face. But it was a blast being Warhol for a few days. When I was playing the role of Stewart in the Farrelly Brothers produced movie "Say It Isn't So" with Chris Klein ("American Pie", "Election") and Heather Graham ("Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me", "Boogie Nights") I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to meet the Brothers Farrelly (Peter and Bobby) in person. I'd read Peter's books and enjoyed them thoroughly. And I've always enjoyed their movies ("Kingpin", "Dumb and Dumber", "There's Something About Mary", etc) as a bit of a guilty pleasure. But, alas, it was not meant to be. They weren't on set for my scenes. So you can imagine my joy when my agent was contacted by casting director Nancy Foy (who'd cast me in "Say It Isn't So") and was told that the Farrelly Brothers had seen the dailies for "Say It Isn't So" and had enjoyed my performance so much that they had added a role in "Me, Myself and Irene" specifically for me. Though the film was pretty much completed by the time they hired me, there was one week scheduled for reshoots and that's when they used me. Working with Jim Carrey will forever remain one of my favorite memories. Not only was he charming and professional, he offered two ideas to improve my character. One of his ideas was to have my character, who was in a backbrace/halo and used a walker to get around, to chase Jim Carrey's character through a parking lot and then throw the walker down in frustration at not catching him. Only to then fall down himself. When we shot it neither Jim nor I told the director or anybody else that we'd be doing that. When I fell with the cameras still rolling, I started shouting "Ow...ow...owww...ow...ow...oww......" and noticed that several grips, PA's and the set medic were racing toward me thinking I had actually hurt myself. I jumped to me feet, took a bow and cried out "Acting!" The set broke up. Except for the medic. He glowered a little, but later admitted that it was very funny. I also got to ad lib a few takes when I discover Jim Carrey relieving himself in my car's gas tank. My favorite adlib (and one that got Jim and the Farrellys laughing) was "You Son of a Bitch, get your c*ck out of my Chrysler!" I was thrilled to see my mug featured in the trailers showing at movie theatres. But the television ads didn't feature my character. I also got to do my first stunt on this film. I was in the driver's seat of the Chrysler with a back seat full of Jim Carrey supplied garbage and it suddenly catches on fire. I was completed surrounded by crew, three cameras, fire extinguishers and the back of my head, neck and arms were slathered with fire retardant goo. We did it in one take. The Farrelly's made me watch the footage to see how funny it was. I kept my characters lucky rabbit's foot key chain as a souvenir. Casting Director: Nancy Foy I was playing the role of Juliette the Maid in Ionesco's "Exit the King" at the Actors' Gang featuring John C. Reilly as the King. It was a tough production in many ways but I was thrilled to be working with that caliber of actor. Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of "Boogie Nights" and "Hard Eight" came to see the production and contacted Cassandra Kulukundis, the casting director for "Magnolia" to have her see me for a role called "Middle-aged Bob." I read for her and it turned out we knew a few people in common and we had a lot of laughs. But I didn't get the role. Cassandra called sometime later and told me that there was a small role available in a scene with William H. Macy and would I be interested in working for a day on the film. What, was she kidding? I jumped at the chance. She said she'd contact me. I was having some dental work done at the time and was literally in the dentist's chair waiting to start some work when my cell phone rang and it was Cassandra and could I be in the Valley in one hour to start shooting? Hell, yes! Anything to work with Paul T. Anderson. I threw my bib to the ground and headed over Laurel Canyon. They'd decided to shoot my scene that evening as it looked like rain and Paul needed that for our scene which took place outside the bar William H. Macy's character frequents - The Smiling Peanut. I'd never seen them make rain for a shoot before so that was fun. A huge crane had a contraption attached to it that would rain down and make a loud noise. I was to walk toward camera from about 200 feet and time my line "Hey, it's Whiz Kid Donny Smith" with Macy getting out of his broken down car. We did it a few times and it seemed to go alright. Then we shot some wild sound (My line being recorded separately so as to lay it over the final shot if necessary.) I ad-libbed well. "Hey, Whiz Kid, don't know enough to come out of the rain?", "You're all wet, Whiz kid." Stuff like that. Paul loved it. He kept laughing and trying not to make any noise so as not to screw up the take. I was wrapped and headed back home. About 1130P that evening the phone rang and it was the production office wondering if I'd be willing to come back and be added to a scene inside the bar. "Hell, yes! When do you want me?" "Right now." So I headed back over the hill and worked on "Magnolia" for the next three days. Thank goodness I did. The original scene ended up being cut so the scene he added me to kept me in the film as well as the video for Aimee Mann's amazing "Save Me". I also got to work with Henry Gibson on that shoot. A wonderful man who I can't wait to see again. It was also meeting (and falling a little in love with) Fiona Apple, Paul Thomas Anderson's girlfriend. I can't wait to work with Paul again. He's a genius of the first degree. Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis Cassandra Kulukundis called and asked if I'd be interested in reading for a small role in the indie-feature "Ghost World". She sent a script and I fell in love with the role of "Weird Al", a 70's retro food server in a classic fifties diners. I met with the director Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb") and was told the lead female role would be played by Thora Birch ("American Beauty") and the lead male role was being played by none other than the indie-god himself, Steve Buscemi. My heart stopped. I've been enamored of Mr. Buscemi's work for years and was thrilled at the thought of just meeting him, let alone having a scene with him. Count me in. Terry confessed later that one of the main reasons he wanted to work with me was because of my Grandfather Ezra Buzzington. It turns out that he knew my Grandpa's work and loved the fact that he'd be working with a close relative. Not only did Terry know Grandpa's stuff, but so did Dan Clowes' the author of "Ghost World" and so did R. Crumb! This makes sense now that I think of it because R. Crumb is a collector of rare LP's. But, hell, who knew? So, thanks for the gig, Grandpa! The shoot was laborious but thrilling. Steve Buscemi was the kindest soul and it's clear why his work is always so well rounded. Our scene was brief (most of my stuff was with Thora) but very rewarding and it's nice to know that I'd be able to approach him now at a party and start talking. Though he might not recognize me because of the wig they had me in. It was a black, curly mullet cut sucker that I got to spend upwards of 12 hours a day in. It looks a lot like Weird Al Yankovick's hair. After a few takes on my close up, Terry popped up from behind the monitor and said "Ezra, Dan just whispered to me that he thinks you're a comedic genius. I have to agree." Wow. Thanks. Right back atcha. Thora was a doll as well. She didn't have to stay on set and feed me my cues for my close-up but she did. I'm very grateful to her for that. It makes quite a bit of difference in the acting. Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis "Say It Isn't So" was a blast! It was freaky. When the sent the script over, I opened up to the first page where it said: Exterior - Day - Downtown Muncie, Indiana. Downtown Muncie, Indiana?! THAT'S WHERE I WAS BORN! It was fun to show up on set and point out to the director, JB Rogers, that this movie took place in my hometown. He found it odd as well. My character, Stewart, is a blow-hard, Midwestern, red-necked, poser who's missing a front tooth and doesn't even seem to notice. He cleans road-kill off the highways for a living and eats with his fingers. Loved him. I got to ad-lib a bit on the set and that's always fun. Later, when I was shooting "Me, Myself and Irene" a few crew members who'd been on set for "Say It Isn't So" (the Farrelly's tend to used the same people on their shoots), would come up to me and say "Say, you been over to the Mega-cuts lately?" That was a take on one of my lines ("She's new over ta Mega-cuts") that, apparently, after I was wrapped, became a kind of catch phrase on the set. That made me feel proud. Chris Klein was wonderful to work with. He was a wee bit weary from having celebrated his 21st birthday late into the night before, but he warmed up as the day went on and could become a strong actor soon. Very down to earth and giving. I didn't get to meet Heather Graham unfortunately. She wasn't called for those days I was working. Casting Director: Nancy Foy My character in "Fight Club" was an insensitive Hoosier who worked as a car manufacturing technician and was showing the remains of a burned out car crash to Edward Norton. I make some sick jokes about the braces wrapped around the back seat ashtray. Ed was wonderful. He was pretty much in character for the entire day so it's not a wise thing to engage an actor in conversation if they're trying to stay in character. But after we wrapped he was very forthcoming and I got to communicate to him how much I enjoyed his work. He's a chameleonic actor. The kind I hope to be. He can literally disappear into a role with no trace. Like Robert DeNiro. One of my biggest "L.A. moments" occurred on this set. We were between takes and my cell phone rang. It was my agent saying I'd been booked on a television show. I looked up and there stood Edward Norton and David Fincher talking to each other. Behind them a palm tree. Yeah. I like L.A. Fincher was great. A real stickler for detail. He gave out good advice for surviving in the business. I'm eternally grateful. Casting Director: Laray Mayfield To be surrounded by Mel Gibson, Jimmy Smits, Jeremy Davies, Bud Cort, Milla Javovich, Bono and Wim Wenders. What's not to love? Not much challenge here in terms of acting, but it was a great experience to spend the day with these heavy weights. I played a news reporter who's asking about the disappearance of a body at the hotel. It was done if a few takes and I didn't see anyone until the wrap party at Jimmy Smits' Conga Room where I salsa'd the night away. Casting Director: Monika Mikkelsen I'm walking down the hill to my favorite restaurant for lunch and my cell phone rings. "Ezra, are you free tonight to meet the director of "Woman Chaser" starring Patrick Warburton?" "Sure. When and where?" "7PM at such and such. And can you bring wardrobe?" "To a meeting?" "No. We'll be shooting you tonight." "Wait a minute. Who is this and what do you want?" Turns out they wanted me for a quick cameo where I play a rather sleazy piano player in a gay bar. As I had nothing planned that night I did it. I'm really glad I did. I love this movie. It was a really disorganized shoot, people running to and fro, make-up people doing catering, Generator trucks not showing up and such, but the script is fabulous and the final version is incredibly intriguing. Plus I got to meet Patrick Warburton of "Seinfeld" fame (Elaine's on again/off again boyfriend and currently playing "The Tick" for television). When I showed up, the director said he didn't care what I played (good thing since I don't play piano) but it'd be nice if I'd fake singing something. I informed him that I was quite an accomplished singer and he was thrilled. But what should I sing? He'd had this song he couldn't remember the name of going on in his head all day...something about a buddy and how I've missed you where you go and stuff. I started singing "My Buddy" for him and he was thrilled beyond belief. Not only did I know of the song, I knew every word and could sing it beautifully. We knocked it off in two takes and went home. Rent this movie. It's cool. "Evil Hill" is one of those "cross" short movies that students or fledgling directors make so as to send it around town and get noticed. "The Blair Witch Project" had dozens of them. There was one called "George Lucas in Love" which was a cross between "Shakespeare in Love" and "Star Wars". "Evil Hill" was a cross between "Knotting Hill" and "Austin Powers". What if Dr. Evil was actually a well meaning sap who owned a children's bookstore called "Evil Books" who meets and falls in love with Marilyn Monroe, only to be thwarted by the leader of the free world, John F. Kennedy, which sends our hero headlong into the world of evil and manipulation. It was cute and very well executed. Nice crane shots on the Universal lot. I played the weird customer who tries to steal Mr. Bigglesworth. It was a lot of fun and did, apparently, make the rounds. An agent friend of mine said that another agent brought the tape over to her and said "You have to see this move. One guy in particular, the customer. He's hilarious." My friend had trouble convincing her co-worker that, not only did she know Ezra Buzzington, but had just been over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner! What a small town. Sometimes, if you have an idea for a film, but no money to produce it, the best thing to do is to make a trailer of it's high points and try to find funding that way. This is the way with this project. My friend Endre Hules has a screenplay about a Russian born immigrant who, due to gossip, misinformation and mistaken identity, ends up tasting the bitter side of American jingoism. I played your basic stupid redneck who sets out to destroy the Russian I don't even know if this film was ever released. It's listed on IMDb but that's as much info as I can get. Though I know it played in Cannes a few years ago. Amir Naderi directed me in one of my first screen appearances. I was a street acquaintance to one of the female leads. She's looking for her lost dog and comes to ask me if I've seen it. I'm living in a small park with a bunch of other squatters. (Real street squatters who were given a small payment to be in the film.) It was a tough shoot. The shot began about a block away with a hand held camera following the girl's actions. It crossed E. 9th street and into the park ending with me. Amir wasn't completely taken with my acting style but I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong because his accent was so heavy I couldn't understand a word he was saying. He finally yelled "That stuff you do....that acting stuff...stop that...stop acting!" Stop acting? What the hell does that mean? His assistant explained to me that he meant I was being too big. Well why didn't he just say so? The next shot went off without a hitch and so did several others. I ran into Amir a few weeks later and, judging by his big embrace, I assume I did alright by him. If you know how I can round up a copy of this one, let me know. My first movie ever. I played the third lead - Bold, a performance artist whose heart is always in the right place but should probably keep his mouth shut more often. It was shot in black and white in Seattle, Washington. The problem is with the screenplay. There's a forced conflict that really doesn't work but, all in all, not a horrible first venture. This is actually available at most video stores. This will be the one they play on David Letterman or Jay Leno when they want to embarrass me. "Stop It" was a short film I made in New York City where I played a character who was, essentially, the director's doppelganger. They took us upstate and put us up in a beautiful rustic hotel while they filmed this existential piece dealing with the human dynamics that come into play when about 8 people are trapped on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere by a red traffic light that just won't go to green. Noel Honig wrote and directed this charming piece. I spent the entire shoot of this short film with a Panavision camera and a cinematographer strapped to my shoulder so as to get my POV. It was shot on a freezing subway train in Philly and at outdoor locations in Boston. This was the first student film to ever use Panavison and it looks really cool. I play a man on a subway train who's terrified that the man sitting across from him is the "subway slasher". (It turns out to be me.). Buck Hubbard shot this one. And he did a rather fine job. But boy, it was tough. This show kicks ass. I was thrilled to be booked on "Buffy" for a few reasons. One is that this show kicks ass! Another is that I always love to book a job. (Kind of a given, I suppose.) One more plus is that my old buddy James Marsters is a regular on the show. He plays Spike. Has for a few years now and does a great job being scary/sexy/funny. We didn't work together on this episode, though. Pity. They said the role could recur, though, so maybe sometime this season he and I will get to play together. But I was mostly thrilled to be working with the creator/writer/director of "Buffy", Joss Whedon. He's a consummate pro and very dedicated to the look, style, feel, etc. of "Buffy". I feel very proud to have been included in their family of vampires and ghouls and such. The shoot itself was very, very fast. I had a 7am call and was out by 930am. I reported straight to wardrobe where they had prepared an amazingly tacky combination of beige polyester pants and a deep blue synthetic, stretchy sort of disco shirt with a HUGE collar. As soon as I put the shirt on I could feel the character falling into place. I rolled his sleeves up very high on my arms and found my way to props where I picked out some snazzy, showy jewelry (including a pinky ring). I tried to rig up a gold tooth but couldn't do it in time. There was absolutely ZERO room behind the bar. There were about seven people standing directly behind me for the shots favoring the other actor and I had, literally, two feet to my right so I could exit the frame. The camera was directly over my shoulder and if I missed my mark by the tiniest bit it would blow the shot. I'm proud to report I hit it every time. The props (glass, bottle, napkin, rag and such) were far more complex than they look in the final product. I'm very physical when I work so I plotted out exactly where I needed each item so as to hit the mark with the prop every time. It was all a delightful challenge and since, as I said, Joss is so focused and intense, the stakes are high for everybody once they call "action". Believe me, the pressure's on when you're thrown on a set, handed 17 different props, marks that change from moment to moment and dozens of people staring at you. Especially the extras who just know they'd do a better job than you given the chance. (And who knows, maybe they would.) But, luckily, I thrive in that environment and I think it shows in the work. The only thing that went wrong that day was the damned pinky ring I loved for my character kept clinking on the bottle. You'll notice my pinky is extended when I pour the drinks. It was primarily a character choice, but one that came out of necessity. It's great to turn a "negative" into a "positive". Suffice it to say, I cannot wait to get back on the "Buffy" set. Casting Director: Amy McIntyre-Britt of Coloff, Fishman and Britt Whew. What a shoot. When I first read in Variety that a film called "Rain" starring Melora Walters, Jamey Sheridan and Diane Ladd and to be directed by Katherine Lindberg would begin shooting in Iowa in October I hopped on the phone and had my agent scour down the script. I'd met Katherine Lindberg in Seattle some years before. She'd directed me in one of my very first films, a short called "My Vacation". Then we'd knocked around a bit in New York City when I returned there in '93. In fact, I appeared in her thesis film for NYU which won her the Martin Scorsese award. She worked with him after that in some capacity on "Kundun" and now she'd be shooting her first feature for which Mr. Scorsese would Executive Produce. I read the script and couldn't really find any role I thought I'd like to play, until I found Officer Ben Patterson. Officer Patterson was originally written for a wide-eyed youth in his twenties but I saw myself in the role immediately and started lobbying like you wouldn't believe to gain the role. I read a few scenes on tape, my agent FedExed it to Iowa and I booked five weeks work on what will be an extraordinarily moving and deeply disturbing film. "Rain" is basically the Oedipus myth told from Jocasta's (his Mother's) point of view and set in the Midwest during a drought. It's supposed to be excruciatingly hot. And it's shooting in Iowa. In October! Now anybody familiar with the Midwest knows that in October the weather is, at best, unpredictable. At worst? Could be anything from floods to sleet to...as it turns out...clear and beautiful. For almost the entire shoot (save the very beginning and the very end) the weather was, on average, balmy to cool. This is when I knew that Katherine Lindberg had more contacts than just Martin Scorsese. Believe me. It was lovely to meet Melora (with whom I'd worked on "Magnolia" but had never met) and Jamey Sheridan takes his place as one of my favorite actor people. Down to earth, very real and a wonderful actor. I kept getting tongue-tied around Diane Ladd because, well, she's Diane Ladd. I was sitting next to her on set one day and her phone rang and it was Laura (her daughter) Dern and I'm just pinching myself thinking "My God! It's Diane Ladd talking to Laura Dern and sitting next to me!" I am, I fear, the worst kind of celebrity whore. The high point for me, though, was working with Siobhan Fallon. Siobhan is the brilliant actress known for several things, really, but immediately recognizable as Vincent D'Onofrio's weathered farm wife in "Men In Black". She also was the prison matron in "Dancer In The Dark". A performance which broke my heart into several pieces several times. Our scene together was like magic. Every once in a while you just connect with another actor and, man does it feel good. Unfortunately for me, however, my face will barely be seen in that particular scene due to the fact that the camera was shooting another character's POV who was trying to avoid my character. So damn. But, hell, I got to work with Jamey Sheridan, Melora Walters, Diane Ladd and Siobhan Fallon. So I'm happy! P.S. - Anybody from our shoot who saw Mamet's "State and Main" will appreciate the car wreck sequence. This shoot lost no less than four rental cars for reasons I'd best not divulge but, boy, buttonhole me a party sometime. Suffice it to say that State Center, Iowa will never be the same. And a big shout out to all the folks at ROAD HOG'S BAR at 104 E. Main Street in State Center. If you're ever in the center of Iowa (literally) and got nothing to do, The Road Hog is the best place in town to shoot pool, knock back a few and popcorn-ski on the table tops. You ROCK! Casting Director: Kathleen Chopin I came back from the Iowa shoot ("Rain") just in the nick of time to do a day on "The Man From Elysian Fields" starring Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Angelica Huston (one of my all time favorites) and, of all people, Mick Jagger. My scene would only be with Andy so I wouldn't get to meet any of the other heavy hitters but it was great to work with the director, George Hickenlooper. It was the very last week of the shoot and everybody was tired as hell but they were all in high spirits and very helpful and gracious. The bit they had me do was surprisingly small but I figured, hell, what else would I do that Saturday? Might as well work, huh? There was a German documentary film crew shooting coverage for some German TV show or something and they kept getting in everybody's way. I actually tripped over them at one point. They were finally moved. We shot in downtown Los Angeles. Just across the street from the Music Center. All in all not a bad way to spend the day. Meeting new people and working in the field you love. Casting Directors: Heidi Levitt/Monika Mikkelsen What a thrill for me. I've loved Annette O'Toole since she first appeared in "Girl Most Likely To" with Stockard Channing some ^*%^%^*^* years ago. Loved her in "Superman III" as Lana Lang as well. Her work is always consistently good and, well, she's just so darned pretty. In this series on USA, Annette stars as a bail enforcer named Dottie who, after her bail enforcer husband dies in a shoot out takes over his practice with their daughter, Brandi (played by the charming and talented Jordana Spiro). In the episode called "With Great Power..." written by Gerry Conway and Chris Black, I Guest Star as a con-man minister named Harlan Beauville who gets busted by Dottie and Brandi while performing a wedding ceremony for a pregnant trailer trash gal and her beau. I resist. They explain to the bride that I'm a fake and the bride attacks me. I try to run but do a header into a three-tiered wedding cake. (See pics.) It never rains in Southern California. Have you heard that before? It's true. Except when I'm supposed to shoot exteriors of a wedding ceremony. 6am call to travel to a park Northeast of Santa Clarita in the pouring rain. Blech. It rained all day and the temperature never rose above 40 degrees. Not really all that bad until you consider that the bride is in a strapless gown and all her bridesmaids are too. Poor girls. They were very brave and professional about the whole thing. It's not like we could hop back to our trailers during set ups either because it was a van ride back to base camp so we just kind of shivered and gathered around space heaters. Robby Benson is an Executive Producer and sometime director on The Huntress. Like Annette O'Toole I've enjoyed Robby's style from his early days. It was strangely comforting to have him on the set. Not sure I understand completely why, but he was a calming presence that supported the work I was doing. Michael McKeon (Spinal Tap, Laverne and Shirley) showed up on set toward the end of the day. He's married to Annette O'Toole and it was great talking to him about the craft and such. I really wanted to do the actual stunt of diving into the cake myself but my manager wouldn't let me. I'd never worked with a breakaway table before. But I watched my stunt double (Mike Cassidy - go to his website here) do the bit. After he did it perfectly on the first take they had no need to reset it and have me try it. I told them I'd give it a shot after watching Mike. Oh, well. Next time. I did get to <almost> fall into the cake. I pride myself on hitting my mark perfectly every time. And the bit required that it look like I was falling (having been tripped by Annette) into the table with my open mouth heading right for the cake. I asked the director (the specific and very supportive Tim O'Donnell) where <exactly> for camera he needed me to be in proximity to the cake. He showed me and I hit it dead on every time. No easy feat considering I was moving pretty quickly as I "fell". Mike then matched my choreographed fall perfectly. What a pro. All in all it was a wonderful shoot and I can't wait to work with these people again. Casting Directors: Eileen Stringer/Lisa Mionie |