Day Six

The alarm was brutal this morning, and I moved through the first half of the day on autopilot.
Well, that’s not entirely true. When I was on the set, my mind would wake up long enough for me to be present in the scene, from action to cut. Until after lunch, though, all the other times were spent in an exhausted haze.
I was so tired because I spent the evening yesterday with Anne and the boys, picking out punkins for Halloween.
I love Halloween more than any other holiday. I love the scary decorations, the spooky movies, and the costumes…oh, the costumes!
Anne is really skilled with the FX makeup, so we always end up as really horrible zombies, complete with gushing blood and spooky wounds…it’s hard to tell who loves it more: me or the kids.
I usually start decorating the house the last week of September, and by the 31st, the house is in full-on spook mode.
This year, though, between the Avon 3 Day and the movie, Anne and I haven’t had time to hang a single skeleton, or tape up a single mummy. Anne took the kids to pick out their makeup and costumes last week while I was on the set, so last night was my first chance to do anything “Halloweeny” with the kids. Even though I was exhausted from work, and I knew that I should have been learning lines and going to bed early, I wasn’t about to miss out on time with the family…and I felt really great about that choice. As recently as a year ago, I wouldn’t have stayed up to learn lines after they’d all gone to bed, and though I am positively wiped out, I don’t regret the decision at all.
Tomorrow I have 7 1/8 pages, and since we’re shooting out of order, I have to work hard to ensure that I track my character correctly across the story…I love that stuff because it’s a challenge, but it’s also one of those efforts that I won’t know the results of for months, until I see the movie. That’s a part of acting in places other than the stage which I’d forgotten about: we work really hard all day long, for days at a time, and we don’t really have anything to “show” for it, other than the occasional reassurance from the director, and the visceral feeling that we did something right.
Then it’s months of waiting, hoping that the composer, the editor, and the director bring to the screen what we thought we were making while we were on the set.
I only have to wait until the end of January to see this picture, and I don’t think I will be disappointed.
I had some challenging scenes today; some real emotional stuff, where my character has to contemplate some life-and-death choices…heavy stuff, and I was able to use my real physical exhaustion to inspire my character’s emotional exhaustion.
I also had some scenes with Isaac Hayes…and every time he spoke, I had to really focus, so I wouldn’t start singing, “suck on my chocolate salty balls” in my head.
Heh, see how it’s in your mind right now? That was me, all day long.

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72 thoughts on “Day Six”

  1. Thanks for the laugh! I’m with you on the Issac Hays thing, since I’d be snickering every time he said anything.
    Congradulations on the role, though! I was thrilled when I read that and you MUST let us loyal minions know when it plays.

  2. Um, ok, I know the movie is due in January and that I misspelled congratulations.
    At any rate, Wil, your blog is greatly entertaining and I’m glad you’re letting us in on the set’s events.
    Get some sleep! 😀

  3. thanks wil,
    now ill be singing chef songs ALL DAMN DAY!
    “gonna make sweet love to ya woman…gonna lay ya down by the fire….”
    grrr…thanks

  4. I read something in a local newspaper; a woman wrote that adults who dress up for Halloween & get involved w/ Halloween events as if it were a real holiday have too much time on their hands and not enough self respect.
    My initial reaction: this woman is an idiot. Then I thought about it a bit. Now, I think she just lacks a sense of humor & a sense of fun. I could be wrong, but i doubt it.
    Anyway, Wil, I’m glad that you have this new gig & that it is a real positive experience for you.

  6. Wil,
    As usual a man of many talents. Working all day, writing on the blog and spending time with the wife and kids in the evening.
    Keep up the good work Wil. I look foreward to seeing this movie when it is released.
    Nice South Park reference I love that song. It’s a goocher.
    Best to you and your family……
    Matt……

  7. Halloween is a fun time for sure… here’s what I’m wearing this year; http://www.seattlebikesupply.com/fett.html Please post some pics of Wil Zombie, it’s the least you could do for us average folk who will never in our lifetimes get to work with the one and only Chef. I’d call you lucky, but you’re where you’re at through hard work and talent. I am a little bummed this is a PAX movie though, only because I don’t have PAX. Guess I’ll have to bum-rush Grandma’s house and watch it over there…

  8. Hi,
    Spooky Halloween To everybody!!!
    Do not think to the vampires and ghosts when trying to sleep! (I tried it once:(()
    Have a nice weekend
    Agi

  9. Chocolate Salty Balls is my favorite Karaoke song. People just stare at first, then really get into it. The first time I did the song I was recorded for posterity, much to my chagrin. Hey, it’s one thing to do it live, quite another to have several copies of my performance floating around the office.

  10. Well, I didn’t have the song in my head until I read all the comments. Cheers, guys! 😉
    *scampers off whistling you-know-what*

  11. “suck on my chocolate salty balls” ?? WTF is that?!??!?!?!?!! Anyway i love halloween too. I am being a phsyco this year freshly excaped from the mental ward. My so called “FRIENDS” say that’s good, but where is the costume part, it s saposed to be halloween man, they’re cold.

  12. Speaking of Halloween…did anyone else catch Wil’s episode of Tales from the Crypt, “House of Horrors”, today on the Sci-fi channel say around 5ish EST? It was a nice surprise. I haven’t seen that episode in a while.

  17. “I also had some scenes with Isaac Hayes…and every time he spoke, I had to really focus, so I wouldn

  18. MAN! I don’t check the site for like a week, and all this cool stuff is happening for Wil!
    Congrats man. As they say, you’re the man 🙂

  19. Wil,
    Out of all of the songs this guy has done it is interesting that this is his mental music picture you will remember him for singing. I wonder if he was thinking about stand by me or a TNG moment. Eventhough I have not seen the scene I
    know it turned out fine. If it was bad I am sure you will both be back to do re-shoots.
    F.G.

  20. Hi,
    Happy Halloween. Just a note…”punkins” has a typo, you may want to edit it. 🙂
    ROTFL about the chocolate balls.
    Keep up the writing.

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