Throwing Money at Celebrities

Seems like the sort of thing that happens, doesn't it?

You become famous and then suddenly money comes flying out of nowhere.

Well, I know for a fact it's true.

I threw money at an actor yesterday. Quarters, to be precise.

And I nailed John Krasinksi (aka Jim from The Office) square on the head. It pinged off him and everything.

Noooo, I wasn't doing it to get his attention (I was using my flirty hair tosses and batting my eyelashes to get that job done). I was told to do so. In fact, I was paid to do it.

Yesterday I spent 15 looooong hours on the set of the re-shoot of License to Wed.

My day started at 5AM, for the 6AM call time. Luckily they were shooting at Doolin's Irish Pub downtown so it was a 5 minute commute but I didn't get a good sleep since someone was buzzing my apartment at 2AM. No idea who it was, but it freaked the hell out of me and I couldn't get back to sleep after that...kept having visions of my stalker restlessly pacing oustide my building.

Anyway, I arrived at the extra's holding and gleefully found out I was getting paid $15 an hour. It was me and five other girls for this call-time since we had to go to wardrobe and then have the director pick out what he wanted us to do. I packed a huge amount of wardrobe like we were told (Look sexy, not slutty!), but the wardrobe lady still took her sweet time with me. In the end I got to wear my unflattering jeans paired with this awesome wine silk top. Still...I felt like SUCH a heifer, especially since I didnt fit into ANY of the wardrobe jeans (note: Rock and Republica jeans fit a LOT smaller than they say!) and all the other girls were slim and toned. They looked great. I looked like a shiny, maroon blimp. On the plus note I did get to rumage through Mandy Moore's wardrobe and saw that her jean size was only one smaller than mine. Yay!

Anyway, we were called up to set and watched a rehearsal of the scene that was being done today.

Robin Williams was there, busting a gut and acting like a crack victim. I had met Robin before, years ago, when my mum embarassed me in front of him, so it wasn't TOO exciting to see him again. But he was still hilarious as always and no stopping him.

And Jim...Jim was there too. Sorry. John. John Krasinki. Cute guy in real life, kinda puppy-dogish, fairly tall too which is uncommon among actors...mmmm. And he has a real cute bum. I say this for you crazy Jim fans out there. But yes...he does look good in them Levis. Real nice too...I enjoyed the crazy eye contact we were making during the shoot, but I think he was just going over his lines. He did take his job quite seriously. His first leading role, I bet there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Pressure I could have relieved if I was aloud to touch him...but I digress.

Anyhoo, when the scene was over, the director and the 1st AD, which I recognized from last week's meeting, came over to us and looked us through. Three girls were picked to be waitresses, one of them was featured to hang all over one of the actors.

Me. I got nothing. Maybe cuz I looked like a giant, I don't know. But that's probably why. Sigh. It always seems that anytime someone else dresses me, they want me to look fat. I'm pretty good at hiding it, I don't know why they can't do the same.

So yes, I was just a regular bar patron. But a bar patron that got to throw quarters at John's head.

It was a scene for a bachelor party at a bar and for some reason we all got a handful of quarters and got to fling them at his head. Of course, we had to do this scene for six hours until we got it right. Which meant a lot of practice at throwing. Which meant by the end I was just hurling them off his head. The guy I was with in the scene and I had a competition near the end, who could cause the most damage to the actors.

He won. He missed Jim but he got this other actor right in the eye. The poor actor couldnt help but flinch at everytake after that.

And Robin. Dear, dear Robin. You could hardly do a minute without him throwing some crazy joke, crazy accent, crazy jab at Britney Spears....make that many jabs at Britney Spears. And Michael Richards...and Mel Gibson...and Ted Turner...and so on. At one point I turned to my guy and said "Seriously, you give that man one second of silence and he eats it up."

As if on cue, Robin went on, grabbing the sound mic and pretending to be an operator on a New Zealand sex line. Let's just say the joke involved lots of sheep. And, oh yes, we laughed our asses off.

When we were not throwing quarters and maiming actors, listening to Robin's stand-up or stuffing our faces with gourmet food, I was trying to figure out who this one actor was. This guy:

He bugged me aalllll day. I couldn't place his face I just knew he looked familiar. I knew his name, Brian something or other, but that was it. I even spent some time talking to him (about potato skins and stale beer, don't ask)but all I could think about was saying "Excuse me, who are you?"

Only now do I realize he's from The Office. I watch this show and yet couldn't figure him out for the life of me. Oh well. He's a hilarious guy, by the way.

Hmmm, what else? Well, I was used more prodominantly for another scene in which I had to toast Robin Williams. Quite a bit of acting was required, which was not common for mere extras. In between takes, I talked to the 1st Assistant AD who seemed to take quite a shine to me, and Ken Kwapis, the director himself, who gave me an affectionate bop on the leg.

Anyhoo, the shoot was long but enjoyable...especially enjoyable when we went past 12 hours and started making double time...$30 an hour, baby! The people on the shoot were super nice which helps and when I wasn't on set I was downstairs in the bar "The Cellar" and lounging in their VIP room with other extras and laughing our asses off at our delirium. It's funny how on extra sets you just bond with the other people, especially if they are all your age. One guy (my scene partner) went into a funny tirade about how he left a girl on a date alone after she farted, prompting an hour-long discussion on bodily functions.

So, even in the end, I didn't get the Bride part, I did have a lot of fun, made money just by having to laugh at Robin Williams and stare at John's bum and stuff my face with good food. The only dissapointment was not getting see Mandy Moore. But I felt up her wardrobe, so that's gotta count for something.

Speaking of the bride bit, one of the girls who was there actually ended up getting the part. And she wasn't any of the girls I was at the meeting with. I think the director just picked her out himself.

But here's what is weird...she was a very pretty girl, sweet and only 19 and an aspiring actress...but holy skinny. Skinny enough that all the other skinny girls were commenting on how skinny she was. Her bones jutted out of her dress...she must have been 5'10 and 100 pounds. So no freakin' wonder I didn't the bride part! I had no idea in the end it would go to someone a size 0.

But I guess that's the crazy film industry for you.

Sigh. You at least would have thought I could have gotten the part of the bridesmaid. You would think "once a bridesmaid, never a bride" is definitely something that applies to me.