Day Nine

My bonus day, February 1st, 2008, started with an early call of 10am, especially considering how late the shoot had gone the night before.  Down in the lobby, I encountered Bob Harvey, who was probably as surprised to see me as I was to still be there.  We rode together in a shuttle over to the new base camp, where Alie informed us that there was no trailer space available for us before taking us over to a nearby building.  Several of us changed into our costumes in what appeared to be a meeting room of some kind.  Our location was across the street at the H.J.E. Reid Conference Center.

This, then, was the press conference I had been hearing about since November.  It was not an actual press conference, as I had always thought, but a scene which occurs early on in the script.  Though my character is named by reporter Rhonda Martin (played by Lisa K. Wyatt, a veteran of all three Richard Kelly films), there was no mention of me being present in the script.  My addition must have caught everyone off guard, because I was only listed on the blue revised call sheet for the day.

I spent much of the day in extras holding along with Bob Harvey and Ryan Woodle, who plays test subject Jeffrey Carnes in the film.  A good deal of time was also spent on the phone with the production office (equally caught off guard) as my flight out of Newport News that day was cancelled and I was rescheduled on a flight out of Richmond on February 2nd.  James Rebhorn was in holding with us, but he went off on his own to learn a whole new speech that he had just been given.

For the scene, a seat was held for me in the front row.  I sat right near Richard Kelly's brother, who pointed out to me that their father was up on the dais beside Bob Harvey.  Richard concentrated on the action in the front and back of the room, leaving me to my own devices.  B camera operator Terence Hayes told me that he would be focused on me and my reactions throughout.  Michelle from props offered me a press packet like the other spectators, but I declined, choosing to sit with my arms crossed, sternly observing the action.  This decision served me well in the film, though I am sure most viewers don't make the connection as I continue to face forward when all others turn around at Rhonda's mention of my presence on the base.

Ryan had to stay to shoot some additional scenes with James Marsden, but the rest of us were wrapped relatively early.  We returned to the Guest Quarters and all met down at a table by the bar in the spacious open lobby.  For the final time, I soaked up the atmosphere sitting with Bob Harvey, Lisa K. Wyatt and the late, great James Rebhorn.  A lovely moment occurred when a family recognized him from the film How to Eat Fried Worms and he briefly joined them at their table, much to the kids' delight.

By the end of that day, principal photography was complete.  The next day, we would all go our separate ways, some to L.A., some to New York, and some elsewhere.  I would board a plane back to Boston along with many members of our local crew.  The film would now move into its post-production phase, which would require some additional work from me in the coming months, but the most exhilarating part was over for me.  It was the most unique experience of my career and, while I hope to equal or better it someday, I realize that I may never know its like again.