Baywatch Diary – Day 13
Today at 7am I got into the van to go to the set, which is over an hour away. We are working on boats all day and our base camp is set up at a harbor down south. In the van were Nicole, Carmen, Gena, Brande, myself and Scott, who plays a bad guy, but is a super nice guy in real life. We stopped at Starbucks so Gena and Nicole could get coffee, and so Brande could pick up a cake at the grocery store for Stacey, who turns 28 today. The entire ride down all 5 of us women chatted – girl talk. Scott and the driver were quiet the whole way – they would not have been able to get a word in edgewise anyway. I wont go into details of our conversations ( and we made them swear to secrecy too), but we were very honest and open and I am again reminded of how alike we all are: our fears, our foibles, our innermost thoughts.
Billy and Yasmine, Jason and Stacey had been on the set since 5:30 am, but after getting makeup and hair and body makeup, and putting on wardrobe, I still waited three hours to get taken out to the picture boat (that was also serving as the mother boat). Sigh. I call Ian (who has already run, swam and surfed – I am relieved he is having such a good time) and a bunch of us still on shore surprise Stacey in the makeup trailer with a happy birthday song and her cake. When we are finally brought out to the set, we shoot a scene on the deck with 13 actors in it (11 principles) using a handheld camera, and we did the whole scene in one shot which was kind of cool, with the handheld moving in and around all the actors as we did our business in the scene, catching us at the moment we say our line(s). It was like a choreographed dance, and we didnt have to “cover” the scene as we got everyone’s closeup in that one shot. Getting “coverage” means that you have to set up several different shots to film different angles of a scene, but since the camera we were using could move, we didnt need that. Even though we had to do it over and over again to get the dance right (and one flub meant we had to start all over again), John said that it saved more time than if we tried to do coverage on all the actors.
My cough is bad enough that we have to change the kissing scene I have today to a fake kissing scene, as I dont want to get anyone else sick. I have a kissing scene with David tomorrow, and I hope I am better by then, as it is a pivotal scene in the script.
Some actors are shooting rescues with 2nd Unit, but I am only with 1st Unit today, so am on the boat all afternoon. We have “french hours” on the boat, which means we dont break for a formal lunch, but sandwiches are put out all day for people to snack on. Why do they call it french hours, I wonder – do the french not eat lunch?
I like the boat because we all are in close quarters all day, and no one can retreat to their respective trailer. I hang out with John and Michael some. Jeremy jumps off the second story deck of the boat, and he and John go swimming. The water is very clear and they see alot of fish. I cant go in, because of my darn makeup. I miss Ian and want to go back to the hotel to be with him – that is the problem about having loved ones visit: your heart is a bit distracted.
I shoot the last scene of the day, a scene I was a bit nervous about as it is an important one and I am shooting it with a guest star with whom I have never worked. It actually turns out really well, and as the sun is setting I get to take a zodiac back to shore and start home. I am in a car with Gena and Doug the director/producer, his son Corey (who is now 23, but I have known him as a pre-teen) and Josh Berk (who is Corey’s cousin, also 23 and the son of Michael Berk, the writer/producer – ah, we are one big happy family on this set. Literally!). It is a nice, chatty drive home. David, Jeremy, John and a few others have gone into Honolulu to see “The Ultimate Fighting Contest”, which is basically fights between big men who can do anything to beat each other up except bite and gouge eyes out. No weapons. It sounds pretty neanderthal, but I would be interested in going if I didnt have Ian to go home to. I remember David talking about it 8 years ago and have always been curious (although I dont even like boxing, and this is much rougher), but when it comes to a choice between fighting and lovin’, it’s an easy one…
Daniel, my manager, sends me the hugest bouquet flowers to thank me for his Hawaii trip. I have to remove the first huge bouquet that he sent me when I arrived to fit it in my room – arent I the luckiest actress to have such a great guy looking after me and my career?
