Copuple of updates on the movie:
I’m having a really good time. This director is just awesome, the crew is friendly, professional, and all the actors I’ve worked with so far have been great.
There is this one strange thing, though…the movie isn’t being called by it’s title on the call sheet, or our signs to location, or the slate, or anything…theyr’e calling it “Boise,” like it’s a codename or something.
I wear lots of suits, so I walk around talking into my cuff, telling people “I’m on Project Boise,” and looking mysterious.
Hey, without WiFi at work, I have to find ways to entertain myself, right?
Yesterday was Day One and it was a typical First Day On A Movie(tm). Most of the actors had gotten their material late Monday night, so they were having a tough time with the lines. Luckily for me, I had the studio email it to me as a .pdf, and I printed it out.
I shit you not, that laser printer paid for itself on Monday!
So I knew my lines, had worked out enough of the character to feel really comfortable living in his skin and stuff. Since we’ve all really hit the ground running, I’m being forced to trust my instincts and make quick and deliberate character choices, which is actually good for me, I think. If left to my own devices, I have a tendency to overthink things, and complicate the hell out of stuff. Since I don’t have the ability to do that on this picture, it is a good test of my acting skills.
Speaking of my acting skills, I was paid a very nice compliment by the director late in the day yesterday. We were between scenes, and we were talking. I mentioned to him that I hadn’t done any real acting jobs in over a year, since I’d been working primarily as a writer.
He looked at me, his face showing real surprise, and he said, “Wow! I would never have known. You’re performance has been so wonderful, I thought you’d just come off of another movie, right into this one. You’d never know that you’ve taken a year off.”
Shortly after that, the producer came over to me and told me how happy they all were that I’d been cast, and that he’d been watching me work. He told me that I was doing great things with the role, exactly what they’d wanted.
It felt good to be told that I was doing a great job, without it being followed by, “but we’re going with another, bigger actor.”
My character in this picture has suffered a terrible and tragic loss, so he is never too far from tears, covering his pain in various ways. He’s ironic, he’s angry, he’s sarcastic, he is occasionally vulnerable…boy, it is grueling work.
At the end of the day yesterday, I was physically and emotionally exhausted.
Today was much easier. I was only in 2 scenes, and I was mostly reacting in them…but I was so tired from yesterday, I was having an insanely difficult time focusing and staying present. I’d forgotten just how tough it is to not get distracted and let my mind wander…it seems that in every spare moment I am thinking about the book, or how I’m going to write about the day when I get home.
The next two days are pretty much like today. I don’t talk too much, but I’m there for each scene…Patrick Stewart called it “Face Acting.”
I was able to break away from the set long enough today to call Screen Savers when they aired my segment. I haven’t seen it, but Anne tells me I didn’t look like a total dork…even though I was wearing what she calls “Your Croccodile hunter Shirt.”
Yeah, there’s nothing quite like gettin’ dissed by your wife, you know?
So that’s it. I’m bleary-eyed and having a hard time staying awake.
More tomorrow.
83 thoughts on “Boise? WTF is that?”
Comments are closed.
Related Posts
IFC Midnight Acquires Retro Thriller āRent-A-Palā
I am so excited to share this with all of you. About a year ago (or ten years ago, what even is time amirite) I worked on a FANTASTIC movie […]
destroy all monsters
I have never been a huge fan of Kaiju movies, but I think it's because I never saw the right ones. If you, like me, are new to this genre, or are curious about it, I can't recommend Destroy All Monsters enough.
āMemoryās fog is rising.ā
I wrote this last night. 30 years ago today, John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness was released. That means that 30 years ago tonight, I was at the AMC 10 in […]
One year ago, I rebooted my life. Has it worked?
Just about one year ago, I took an honest look at myself and I didn’t like what I saw. I needed to reset a lot of habits, make some significant […]
yayayayayyayayayyayayyayyyyyyy!!!!
i’m so ecstatic!!!! yayayayayay Wil!! yay “Boise”!!!! yeeeehaaaaaaawwwww =D =D =D
sounds like a great movie!!!! yayyayayayayyyyyy *jumping of joy and shouting yay Wil!!*
i’m sooo glad that you’re acting again!! š š š
hehe sorry, i’m a little hyper… š
Congratulations Wil!
Glad to hear things are going your way, Wil. I look forward to when the movie comes out, as I don’t have Tech TV, so I don’t get to see you in that medium any longer. Keep those of us interested updated when you can…don’t lose sleep or time with Anne and the boys for us! : )
All the best,
Boise’s not too bad. I lived there a year. My hubby grew up there. š
Project Boise?
Interesting name.
Since your light on content on what the film’s about and who the director is and why Full House lasted 8 seasons (’cause the show sucked), we’ll just have to fill in the info.
Boise, the tale of a lonely spud lost on the mean streets of East Tanker Street in Tell City, Ind. How did this spud get there, were is he going and why is he afraid of the red ketchup bottle at Al’s Pork and Barf Cafe?
Wil Wheaton, in his most dramatic role since his guest turn on Doc (PAXTV) plays the spuds best friend. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman costar. Directed by the same guy who helmed many episodes of the last show that aired after Friends.
EM
sounds pretty awesome wil
the character sounds pretty interesting, what with all the emotional content…
can’t wait to see the movie!!!!!!
If any other casting directors see this…take note…
we want wil in more movies!!!
the posse has spoken!
Congrats on the new movie, Wil! Can’t wait to hear more about and I shall make it appoint to see when it gets release.
Wil,
You’ve earned the billing. You’ve put in so much time to get the world to give you a fighting chance, and it’s great to see people noticing you for who you really are.
Chris
Wil Wheaton Psychogroupie / Llama Caretaker
What I want to know is are you in Boise filming? ugg… I’m dying to know.
Ego-stroking can be so very good, especially if you’re working on something that gets a codename.
I mean, think of all the movies that have gotten codenames, the most famous of which would be the the Star Wars movies (Blue Harvest, anyone?).
You’re working on a codename! Sweet deal.
I thought that you were great on the Screen Savers. Funny too.
Great job on getting the movie Wil! Can’t wait to see it.
-Jase
Crocodile Dundee is cool. A
Woo hoo, I’m after a nice comment from “johnny” Bet that’s gone soon. oh well.
Hey Wil,
You know despite reding yer blog for some time, I never got the idea that you were through with movie acting or that movie acting was through with you… where the heck did that come from about turning your back on acting? You’re an actor who writes, and a writer who acts. Or a techo geek weenie who acts like he’s writing.
Point being is that people are complicated.
Anyway, you deserve nice big juicy roles.
Mmmm. Roles.
Later.
Hey, Wil, this is pretty cool. We get to read a little bit about how a movie is made while you’re making it.
It’s great that you fell back so easily into acting mode that the director didn’t even know you’d “been away”. Acting is story telling and you’ve been telling us stories on this site for quite a while now, so I’m not surprised.
Wonder if you’ll have some good location work for this movie?
Have Fun! We’re rooting for you.
Wil,
It seems that with a good director, cast and crew that film acting is just like riding a bike for you. Keep up the good work and try not to think to much.
F.G.
Hey – I live in Boise – don’t knock it until you’ve been here! So, is there a location shoot here? I can show you to all the great bars…OK – to the one great bar…OK – to the local biker bar…OK – to one of the local biker bars. But still, it isn’t that bad here…
johnny,
Heavy Sigh.. some kids… You buy them books, You send them to School and all they can do is chew the covers off of them. Nice going spew-chewer! May the fleas of a Thousand Camels infest your armpits!
Alacrity
your cheering section is behind you!…looks like it’ll be awhile before you’ll be on “where are they now”.
Admit it, Wil: “Boise” is actually pr0n, isn’t it?
WIL!
Glad to see you got a real job finally, whatever happened to that video game channel? Tell me that idea passed the face test. Serious question though, when you finish a role, have you ever confused your real identity with that of the character?
Congrats, Wil! Really great you have a film lead. (Not sure if it was spelled the same, but hey, wasn’t “Boise” the nickname of the lad who was Oscar Wilde’s lover?) Have fun and keep us all posted on the film’s progress. Cheers.
I saw you on Screen Savers!!! It was great!
I live in Canada…so I cant get your wiked game station….I love seein ya on tv again
Gwalchmai –
You betcha it’s porn. There are SO many not-quite-A-or-even-B-list stars out there who resort to soft-core or sometimes hardcore porn out there.
Really.
Just look at Lou Diamond Phillips’ CV.
For those of you who don’t get Tech TV or who missed Wil or for those who want to see Wil share his Family Curse with Kevin, the computer geek, you can see video of it on TechTV’s site:
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,3404676,00.html
Enjoyed you on TechTV the other night! But you didn’t REALLY need help installing that drive, did you?
in sports, there is a phenomen known as “surcompensation” (in French, I don’t know the word in English). It points to the progress you made during a break. it is not all unusual in sports to make great results from coming back from a break. It’s as if your mind and body didn’t have time to digest your progress when you were training all the time.
maybe it’s the same thing with acting?
I live in Boise to. Just don’t let them portray us like they did in 3000 Miles to Graceland. Boise is the Little Silicon Valley of the Northwest.
Screensavers was fun to watch…I was on the phone w/my best friend, and zoned out on her, lol. ‘Boise’ sounds like my kind of movie, can’t wait to see you in it!
Tonights the night! Can’t wait!!!
Watching it right now and thought of the site!
Dude- Wow your working!!! Awesome!!!
now flexeril variety get 30 Order or of vitamins. Bayer days and night http://www.MEDIMANITEE.INFO/flexeril.html delivery Ortho-McNeil The buy FDA The approved. without supplies over Merck largest Pfizer largest free AstraZeneca of