For the last two nights I've slept in the costume for Chris' film. My character left his wife, and he's had to crash on a friend's couch wearing the same clothes. To accentuate this, I also haven't been shaving or washing my hair.
Yesterday they filmed a scene in a coffee shop. The coffee shop was open for business. Patrons watched as I struggled desperately to remember my bulky lines with patrons watching me. It was pure schadenfreude. Many takes were interrupted by squealing cappuccino machines and customers walking through shots. As the shop was closing, Chris captured the fourth and last take of complicated dialogue between ten actors.
"We're done. Everybody go home."
This morning, to really get my character down, I woke up at 5am on the couch with my contacts still in. I noticed a beer on the living room floor. It was full, save for one sip from four hours ago. So I finished it, watched an Elvis movie, and ate an entire potato. I don't know if my character would have done that. But I did it.
The Nurse Novels are finishing up recording our first single this weekend. Nicole knocked out her vocal parts like a pro, as did Thea. It's great to hear the songs with pretty voices all over them and shit.
I had to cut out around 5 to shoot my last scene for the movie at a house in the tiny southwest suburb of Hometown. I joined the cast in the living room, waiting for Chris and the crew, who were running behind. Together we watched episodes of That 70's Show, Seinfeld, and The Office. I hadn't eaten anything since my misguided Doors breakfast, thinking I would "use" the hunger for my character.
But he wasn't that fuckin' hungry.
So I went to a pizza place and ordered an Italian beef. In the corner stood a coin-op Pac-Man game. For the next 14 minutes I played it, eating pellets, ghosts, fruit, pretzels, bells, and keys, everything but the Italian beef sandwich waiting for me by the joystick. The new Pac-Man King of Hometown racked up over 119,000 points and secured the high score. Sometimes I can't help being a winner.
Meanwhile, Chris and the crew had arrived at the location and were setting up the shot. Hometown peaked out from their screen doors, undershirts, pick up trucks, and cigarettes to see what all the camera nonsense was about.
What they saw was a Wiseauan spectacle of rapid takes and lapses in continuity. But we got my two lines down in two takes and I returned to Greg's to make more music, something I'm better at doing.
Verdict: Loss*
*My portrayal of a loser can be rather convincing
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