June 17, 2013
Rob Lowe and I
Yeah.
That's what I said.
'Rob Lowe and I.'
Here are our moments together on the set of the promo shoot for Killing Kennedy as best as I can remember them:
There are always moments before ACTION! is called when the director sets up the shot. He goes over the scene with the film crew, the principle actors and all of the background.
In the scene we shot yesterday a room at the PBS station had been transformed into the hotel room where JFK is preparing to make a speech. He is talking to his speech writer. He is flanked by two Secret Service agents. Jackie is sitting with her secretary and makeup person. There is a flurry of activity in the small room.
The director approached me and told me there would be moments during the scene when I would approach The President and whisper in his ear something Secret Service-like.
He then got The President's attention and said "Rob. This guy is going to come over to you every now and then and whisper something to you. Do you want to go over some ideas about dialogue?"
RL: <looking right at me but replying to the director> "Naaah. We go this" <now looking right at me? "WE got this?"
Me: <looking right back at him> "WE got this."
RL: <looking at the director> "We got this."
I leaned down to whisper in his ear, making sure I didn't block his shot, or worse, step on his foot. I said something to affect of 'Mr. President. Governor and Mrs. Connelly have asked if it was all possible to move dinner from 7 to 8."
He replied: "Yeah...yeah...shoah...>(in Kennedy accent) "That's fine."
Rob Lowe: "Nice glasses. They look good."
Me: "Thanks.
RL: "A good acting prop."
Me: "Actually they're real. Prescription...and all mine."
Rob Lowe: "No shit? You look like Kevin Costner."
Me: "Serial Killer Kevin Costner or JFK Kevin Costner?"
(Well...it is a valid question)
Rob Lowe: <Smiling and laughing a little> "Kevin Costner."
~~~~~~
Rob Lowe <looking right at me> "How do you think it's going?"
Me: "Excellently. I think it's going to be amazing."
Rob Lowe: <excitedly> "ME too."
Me: "The shoot's been going well...and well..the casting...<nodding to him> is perfect. You've got this."
Rob Lowe: "Thanks man. You know...<leaning in a little> "I've been waiting to play this role all my life. It just took til now to get it..."
Me: "It's like my wife always says "Things will happen when they are supposed to...how they are supposed to..."
Rob Lowe: "Truer words, man. Truer words..."
~~~~~~
To touch Rob Lowe or to not...
Never touch the talent.
Unless that is you are instructed to by the director or by the talent themselves. Big rule. Good rule. Important rule.
It's a good rule. It is. And I want to stress that I did not go running to up to the stars of the shoot high-five-ing them or giving them wet willies. I read the rule. I understood rule.
There were two moments though...
The first came as we shot the parade scene.
Confetti guns were brought in to launch red, white and blue confetti into the air. There was confetti everywhere.
After each take the confetti would be swept off of the Presidential limousine and of course the stars, Rob Lowe and Ginnifer Goodwin and reset.
There was one take however when the largest piece of white confetti found its way on its downward spiral directly on top of Rob Lowe's head. It was just sitting there. Glaring at me. No one else seemed to notice it. Just me! And they were about to shout action! What the Hell was I supposed to do?
So, I took a step off of the sidewalk and away from the other background actors. There was an actual audible sucking in of breath. Someone might have even mouthed the word "Noooooo" in super slow motion.
I took several steps towards the limousine. No one seemed to notice me. It was like I was invisible. No snipers took me out as I crossed The Line of Death.
I slowly reached out and snatched the white piece of confetti from The President's head. He barely knew I was there. I was gone just as quickly as I had come. And so was the confetti!
I just might have saved the whole production.
Now I told you that little tale not only because chronologically it happened first but because I wanted you to know I did understand the rule and did not abuse it.
The second incident occurred only after Rob Lowe and I had interacted and there was a bond there. He trusted me.
So as we filmed the hotel room scene, I noticed that all his sitting and standing wrecking havoc on his suit jacket. There was a ridge along his shoulder line where the material was bunching.
I did what I needed to do. As my character, a Secret Service agent, I walked over, leaned and whispered, "I'm going to fix your jacket, Mr. President. It's going a little crazy back here."
"Do what you need to do," was his reply.
So I smoothed him out and suggested he give himself a good tug.
I'm pretty sure, at one point during his presidency, a Secret Service agent probably did whisper to J.F.K, "You might want to give yourself a good tug, Mr. President."
Well...think of all the trouble it would have saved.
Rob Lowe and I
Yeah.
That's what I said.
'Rob Lowe and I.'
Here are our moments together on the set of the promo shoot for Killing Kennedy as best as I can remember them:
There are always moments before ACTION! is called when the director sets up the shot. He goes over the scene with the film crew, the principle actors and all of the background.
In the scene we shot yesterday a room at the PBS station had been transformed into the hotel room where JFK is preparing to make a speech. He is talking to his speech writer. He is flanked by two Secret Service agents. Jackie is sitting with her secretary and makeup person. There is a flurry of activity in the small room.
The director approached me and told me there would be moments during the scene when I would approach The President and whisper in his ear something Secret Service-like.
He then got The President's attention and said "Rob. This guy is going to come over to you every now and then and whisper something to you. Do you want to go over some ideas about dialogue?"
RL: <looking right at me but replying to the director> "Naaah. We go this" <now looking right at me? "WE got this?"
Me: <looking right back at him> "WE got this."
RL: <looking at the director> "We got this."
I leaned down to whisper in his ear, making sure I didn't block his shot, or worse, step on his foot. I said something to affect of 'Mr. President. Governor and Mrs. Connelly have asked if it was all possible to move dinner from 7 to 8."
He replied: "Yeah...yeah...shoah...>(in Kennedy accent) "That's fine."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Lowe: "Nice glasses. They look good."
Me: "Thanks.
RL: "A good acting prop."
Me: "Actually they're real. Prescription...and all mine."
Rob Lowe: "No shit? You look like Kevin Costner."
Me: "Serial Killer Kevin Costner or JFK Kevin Costner?"
(Well...it is a valid question)
Rob Lowe: <Smiling and laughing a little> "Kevin Costner."
~~~~~~
Rob Lowe <looking right at me> "How do you think it's going?"
Me: "Excellently. I think it's going to be amazing."
Rob Lowe: <excitedly> "ME too."
Me: "The shoot's been going well...and well..the casting...<nodding to him> is perfect. You've got this."
Rob Lowe: "Thanks man. You know...<leaning in a little> "I've been waiting to play this role all my life. It just took til now to get it..."
Me: "It's like my wife always says "Things will happen when they are supposed to...how they are supposed to..."
Rob Lowe: "Truer words, man. Truer words..."
~~~~~~
To touch Rob Lowe or to not...
Never touch the talent.
Unless that is you are instructed to by the director or by the talent themselves. Big rule. Good rule. Important rule.
It's a good rule. It is. And I want to stress that I did not go running to up to the stars of the shoot high-five-ing them or giving them wet willies. I read the rule. I understood rule.
There were two moments though...
The first came as we shot the parade scene.
Confetti guns were brought in to launch red, white and blue confetti into the air. There was confetti everywhere.
After each take the confetti would be swept off of the Presidential limousine and of course the stars, Rob Lowe and Ginnifer Goodwin and reset.
There was one take however when the largest piece of white confetti found its way on its downward spiral directly on top of Rob Lowe's head. It was just sitting there. Glaring at me. No one else seemed to notice it. Just me! And they were about to shout action! What the Hell was I supposed to do?
So, I took a step off of the sidewalk and away from the other background actors. There was an actual audible sucking in of breath. Someone might have even mouthed the word "Noooooo" in super slow motion.
I took several steps towards the limousine. No one seemed to notice me. It was like I was invisible. No snipers took me out as I crossed The Line of Death.
I slowly reached out and snatched the white piece of confetti from The President's head. He barely knew I was there. I was gone just as quickly as I had come. And so was the confetti!
I just might have saved the whole production.
Now I told you that little tale not only because chronologically it happened first but because I wanted you to know I did understand the rule and did not abuse it.
The second incident occurred only after Rob Lowe and I had interacted and there was a bond there. He trusted me.
So as we filmed the hotel room scene, I noticed that all his sitting and standing wrecking havoc on his suit jacket. There was a ridge along his shoulder line where the material was bunching.
I did what I needed to do. As my character, a Secret Service agent, I walked over, leaned and whispered, "I'm going to fix your jacket, Mr. President. It's going a little crazy back here."
"Do what you need to do," was his reply.
So I smoothed him out and suggested he give himself a good tug.
I'm pretty sure, at one point during his presidency, a Secret Service agent probably did whisper to J.F.K, "You might want to give yourself a good tug, Mr. President."
Well...think of all the trouble it would have saved.
keeping it reel
copyright 2013
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