Role of a Lifetime II
By: Kenneth Kirk
(© 2023 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

kkirk@tickiestories.us

Chapter 22

Our first table read for Living Large went quite well.  We enjoyed hearing the story as it flowed out through all our voices.  I found it enlightening to see how my lines fit with everyone else’s lines.  We each read our own parts, which was very cool.  Tammy read the narrative instructions while Phillip read all the other minor characters.  Since the seven sex scenes were not detailed except for who was in them, the reading took only a couple of hours including all the breaks and bits of discussion a few times.  A sound technician joined us to make a recording of the reading so Harold would have it as he considers alterations.

We had several good laughs at the expense of Rachel’s character Chrystal who was obviously trying to get into everybody’s pants.  Even though Chrystal seemed to be boffing her boytoy Angel all the time, she was quite upfront about wanting Ricky, Diego, Will, David, and even Marty, all of whom were 15-20 years younger than her.  Talk about a flaming cougar!  Chrystal’s assistant Lolly was a bit more subtle than Chrystal, but was successful at conquering the rather innocent young intern played by hunky Reynaldo Nuñez.  Her efforts to get into his knickers were quite fun, too.

After we finished the last scene, David gave us a 15-minute break.  I noticed Jeff and Randy (who play Aaron’s friends from school) go off to a corner of the room alone where they had a rather serious discussion.  I found that interesting since I don’t think they had met before.

When we were called back to order, David asked if anyone had any questions about the script or any suggestions.  A few points about continuity, appropriate schtick to include, and character motivations came up and prompted nearly an hour of interesting discussions.  Harold was good at fielding questions about the intent and motivations behind certain scenes or individual lines.  He listened carefully and jotted down a number of notes as we talked.

Finally, Jeff raised his hand.

“Yes, Jeff?” David said.

Jeff looked at Randy, apparently receiving a signal to continue.  Looking back at David, Jeff said, “Randy and I are wondering if there was any thought given to including a sex scene between Will and David.”

“No,” David Dawson said slowly.  “The suggestion hasn’t come up.”

Looking rather nervous, Jeff continued, “We, that is Randy and I, thought it would add some romantic content and sexual diversity to the movie.”

“We understand if you want all the sex to be between the stars,” Randy added, “but Jeff and I, would like to play such a scene.”  He looked down at the table as a blush raced up his neck and across his face.

“You understand the, uhm,  amount of realism involved in the sex scenes in this movie, right?” David asked.

“Yes, sir,” Jeff answered.

“Of course,” Randy added.

David glanced at Harold, who had a devilish smile on his face.  “Harold and I will talk it over and get back to you.”

“Thank you!” Jeff and Randy said simultaneously. 

********* 

When we got home that afternoon, Brant and I looked over our schedule, which started the next day with our at-home visit from the Wardrobe Chief Jerry Talbot and his assistant Hannah Morris.  Rehearsals would take up the entire 2-week period leading up to the first day of filming.  When Jerry and Hannah came to the house, we spent all morning in our closet where we looked at shirts, pants, shoes, and suits.  We also spent some time showing them our sexiest undergarments and swimsuits.  Once clothing had been selected, Brant and I modeled everything so Jerry could see how each piece fit us.  A few items were rejected and returned to our closet.  In the end, Hannah placed tags on each piece identifying who it belongs to and they packed up a wardrobe moving box for each of us.

 On Monday, rehearsals began with full-cast table reads on Monday and Tuesday.  On Wednesday, the cast was divided into groups for in-depth rehearsals of specific scenes.  Wednesday and Thursday would include Brant, Hector, and me as we rehearsed the non-sex scenes constituting our relationship.  We wrapped up a little early on Thursday so Tammy could take Brant and me to the condo unit the studio had obtained to serve as the set for our home.  David wanted us to see the space and walk through our scenes with Tammy.  We found the unit to be a lovely ultra-modern place with spectacular cabinetry, beautiful plumbing and lighting fixtures, and great contemporary furniture.  It had a large balcony with an excellent view of the Hollywood sign in the distance.  There were even photos of Brant and me on the wall in the hallway.  Most of our wardrobe and some additional clothing was in the closet and all the appropriate linens, dishes, and books and such were already in place.  It was only about 2 miles from the studio, which was a nice convenience.  Friday Brant and Hector would be in one set of rehearsals involving only people in the architectural firm plus Mom, Diablo, and Christina.  At the same time, I would be rehearsing several scenes with Jeff and Randy that take place at the university or an outside location.

The schedule for week 2 was rather similar except that table reads were replaced with standing walk-throughs of the scenes and were held on Monday and again on Friday with individual scene rehearsals Tuesday through Thursday.  I actually had Thursday afternoon off from rehearsals but I was scheduled into my wardrobe meeting that day.  On that day, I tried on additional items that were procured for my costumes for some of the scenes, but the majority of my costumes came from my own closet.  I was dressed in costume for each of my scenes, then photographed from every angle with Hannah taking notes regarding any additional changes that needed to be made.  After a grueling 3 and a half hours, we were done and I found Brant waiting for me to head home.  I had a good-sized box of clothes that were returned to me since they would not be needed for filming.

The Friday walk-through was finished shortly before 4:00, so we met in the conference room for a quick cast meeting before the weekend.    Before David arrived, our Script Supervisor Gloria Alvarez handed us packets of script pages clipped together.  It looked to be about 15 pages.  She instructed us to open our binders and walked us through how to pull some pages and add the new ones.  It took about 5 minutes for us to have our notebooks updated.  I was pleased to see the new pages had our lines highlighted in yellow.

“There are a couple of minor changes to the scene on page 35 with Marty and Aaron.  This scene will be filmed on Monday or Tuesday, so heads up Brant and Sky.  You will notice a scene has been added beginning on page 63.  It’s a new scene for Will and David, so Jeff and Randy, take particular note of that.  I believe filming is not scheduled yet but is expected to be about 2 weeks out.  Good luck, everybody!”  With that, Gloria left the room and David came in, clicking off on a call on his cell phone.

“Hot diggity!” Jeff exclaimed upon perusing the new scene.  He and Randy grinned, then high-fived and laughed.  When I looked at the scene, I saw that it was the lead-in to a sex scene between the two hot young actors. 

David seemed to be in a top mood as he thanked us for 2 good weeks of rehearsals.  Tammy handed out a sheet with the shooting schedule for the week ahead.

“From the great rehearsals we’ve had, I feel every confidence that you’ll all give excellent performances and we’ll have a successful venture here.  As you can see from the handout, our principal shoot on Monday will be scenes of Marty and Aaron in their condo.  Guys, you will have make-up and wardrobe at the condo, so please arrive there at 8:00 a.m. sharp.  Shooting will go through most of the evening.  Tuesday we will continue shooting at the condo, but only from about 2:00 p.m. through the evening.  Tuesday’s shoot will include the intimate scene on page 40 of the script.”

I was happy about doing the sex scene that just includes Brant and me as our first sex scene for this movie, but I was a little unhappy about having to be celibate over the weekend.  Oh, well, it would make Tuesday a very hot time for us.

“Everyone but Brant and Sky will report here for additional rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday.  We plan to film scenes with Miss Hughes, Ricardo, and Christina at the Sheraton in Hollywood on Wednesday and scenes with Brant, Hector, and Reynaldo upstairs at the architectural firm set on Thursday and Friday with Miss Hughes, Ricardo, and Christina joining them on Friday.  As you all know, these shooting schedules are always subject to change due to problems encountered during filming.  So, your flexibility is greatly appreciated.  Questions?”

There were no questions, just a big “Thank you!” from Jeff and Randy. 

********* 

The changes to our first couple of scenes were not too significant and, therefore, were easy for us to learn over the weekend.  We filmed a total of 6 scenes on Monday, including two dinner scenes that involved a lot of different foods and dishes.  Thank God for an on-site chef.  We were pleased that some familiar faces were amongst the crew, although there were new faces, too.  We were happy to see Rachoud when we reported for hair and make-up early on Monday.  He’d made sure we had a full pot of coffee with our favorite fixins handy.  He stayed with us all day, giving us touch-ups between takes as needed, bringing us water bottles to keep us hydrated, and generally being our silent cheering section.  Kenny returned as chief cameraman with Max as his assistant.  Joining them was a new cameraperson, Gregory, a young man of about 25.  Cole was again serving as the sound tech on set, but he had a new boss, James French, who was an Oscar nominee for his work on the original Avatar a couple of years back.  (This was another indicator of increased budget.)  I was also glad to find Victoria serving as our prop girl.  She immediately showed me the engagement ring Cole had given her for Christmas.  If size was any indication, he was one serious suitor!

Being back on a set with my husband was a thrill, especially because we were again playing a couple in love.  It made our interplay relatively simple since our on-screen relationship resembled our off-screen love so much.  The scenes we filmed on Monday were domestic vignettes in which we woke up together, worked out, made coffee, left for work or school, came home, ate together, discussed Aaron’s school days including mentions of Jeff’s character Will and Randy’s character David, and talked about Marty’s days at the architectural firm including meeting Ricky (Hector) as well as Chrystal (Rachel) and Angel de Madrid (Ricardo, AKA Diablo).  The scenes were generally short and could be captured in a few takes.  Most of our time was spent in changing clothes, moving some props around, and resetting the cameras and lights.

To be continued...

Posted: 06/30/2023