Second part of IT WAS EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA-ORDINAIRE !
PART ONE : THE LABORIOUS BEGINNING : there
PART TWO : FRIDAY, 8th OF JANUARY (THE GLORIOUS DAY)
Was it the hour and a half in the cold, or the high level of adrenaline that was too much for my exhausted brain ? I caught high fever, spending the night shivering and steaming alternately. When I woke up, I felt like I had the longuest night in my life, my nose was stuffy, my throat hurt like hell, my head was buzzing and I still had sore muscles, nauseas and light fever.
But nothing in the whole wide world could have prevent me from doing this.
I went to a class from 9h to 11h like a good student then returned home, changed my clothes, and took the tram to arrive at the Hotel a little bit early.
They gathered us up in the first basement, and we waited in line to give them our name and fill up the form for the extra pay at the end of the day and agreeing with the contract's conditions.
We were around 60 extras, more men than women (I'd say one men and a half to one woman), generally dutch and french. We just finished to fill the form when two women appeared : a little asian woman and a tall women with long grey hair (Funny detail : she had two pair of glasses, I still wonder why. But she was really really sweet. I nicknamed her "ma copine gentille" at the end of the day, forgetting her name. Could be Joan but not sure).
They told us that there was a slight change in the day : they forgot to shoot a scene before, so they needed around 20 volunteers to play passer by's. I already leapt of my chair to gather around with the small group that was forming at one end of the room, eager to be further involved in the filming process, But ! (and it was a MAJOR "but") the said scene was to be in... July.
Right. July. And I'm sick. Sick as Hell. And I took an aspirin just before I arrived here. And I could possibly be in an hospital before the end of the day because I went by in the street with just a top on and no jacket.
But I'm also crazy. So I stayed in the queue, waiting when they browsed the women, and even took off my sweater. "If you could somehow look like you're French" they said, and I smiled because, well, I am French but really don't know how a French looks like.
I think someone must have realised the difficulties to make a 5°C belgian street with low grey sky looks like a sunny french street in July because 20 minutes later, a grey-haired man came down to told us that there was a change : it wasn't July anymore, just January/February and added "Please, don't die on our account".
They let us put our coats again and wanted to avoid black clothes as much as possible. Finally, I wasn't picked up because I wore a long black coat and underneath a bright white jacket which was too short. I didn't know I'd be so glad and thankful for their wise decision, because even without this extra scene, it was really exhausting.
Being put aside, I could then go to the costume room, where they lend me a long blanck trouser to go with my blazer and my black top. They joked when they saw that at least three out of the first four women brought a black trouser / top / jacket and said their biggest challenge today will be to avoid as much black as possible.
At one point, I caught a "schrchrsshrrrr Benedict schhhrrrhrhschchrrrrr" on someone's talkie-walkie and felt ridiculous but smiled.
I then did go through the make-up corner and started waiting. It was around 13h30.
At 14h30, when I convinced myself to close the book I was trying to read because I read a sentence ten times and still couldn't understand a word, I looked vaguely at the stairs to watch people going up and down, sometimes in a hurry.
This is when I saw two people going up and suddenly the sight of Ben's white wig hit me. I let out a squeak for half a second that nobody heard (thank God). And then I saw his precious face and then his whole precious body in a green parka. I tried no to gaze too much but he didn't notice anything since he was talking with the woman next to him and continued to go up and vanished.
He went up and down a couple of times, at one point with a banana and a cup of something warm in it (tea or coffee, you choose). I started to be really hungry and I waited until he get up and vanished another time to go grab a slice of buttercake (I didn't have a breakfeast this morning and it was already 15h).
Just when I finished the cake, they gathered us in the waiting room, and told us there was a slight problem with the room they choose to film in, because it looked apparently more like a wedding ball room than a proper conference room.
"They took away most of the flowers, thank god, but we thought that it was more professional and less... glitzy", so the costumes had to be levelled up to match with the atmosphere, something a little bit more glamour.
After few changes, they choose some people to begin to install the background. It was "only" 15h30. There was seven tables with half-full glasses of wine and water, some empty plates, and a lot of half-finished cakes as props.
There were a lot of noises, and a really great deal of technicians that installed the cameras, the lights, the cables... The atmosphere was buzzing. It was really amazing to see the "behind the scenes" for yourself, not just with a documentary like in the "Confidentials" of Doctor Who for example. How many little hands, people, time, energy, and material to bring to life two minutes of a tiny scene in a whole movie... It was truly impressive.
There was another surprise in this room : David Thewlis (as Potterheads will know him : Remus Lupin). I wasn't expected him at all, and was so pleased to see him ! He was apparently a speaker and had to deliver the end of a speech. When we entered the room, he was sitting on one corner, talking to another man.
They alternated women and men to sit around the tables and I got a very good place at a table near the stage. We were after a while joined by another actor, which at one point in the scene has to deliver a line.
One woman at my table said that it was a little bit absurd that none of our glasses were filled, even a tiny bit. I said that's because we drunk all of it. We laughed, and she filled two glasses with water.
The lights gave them a bit of a trouble but after fifteen minutes, we began the reharsals with Ben's understudy.
Rolling cameras, cameras rolling !, Clap, Imaka (? I though that's the word I heard every time but it sounds very Japanese), Background action.... And action !
(I think it's a succession of words I heard too many times to count. That and PLEASE QUIET !!! We were indeed a very loud audience.)
We had to hear David saying his line, then it was the turn for the other actor to say his, then back to David again, and then Ben showed up from a corner of the room, and we had to laugh a bit and applause as he walked to the stage, and smiled, and thanked us, and cut, that was great people, we will do another one.
Unfortunately, we clapped too early for the first takes and the understudy didn't have the time to deliver his second line, which was ruining the effect. But we finally got the trick, and applauded at the right time.
Then, the real shooting began with Ben.
I don't have to tell you I could have cheered him up far more loudly, but it wasn't the role or the right time so... Well, my smile wasn't fake, and I hope my eyes weren't glittering too much. At least, you can't see how fast my heart was pumping when he stood less than three meters away from our table.
Yep, fangirl time was good.
He looked concentrated on his lines and the gestures but between the takes, looked relaxed and laughed two or three times after a take with David on the stage (a most beautiful laugh). He didn't messed up lines but on one take, I think he entered too quickly.
I tried not to stare too much at him between the takes, intensely looking at the ceiling, the lights, the cameras back there, the technicians, and trying to talk to the other extras but it was quite hard and I generally kept at least my ears open to whatever word I could hear from the stage where Ben and David were.
One time though, I heard "hurting" and he left the stage, found the make-up lady, kneeled before her and she gave him eyes drops. I felt really sad for him, because it must have really hurt.
I didn't have any contact lenses in my previous short-sighted life (got operated two years ago). I just had glasses for 17 years, but I imagine what it could feel like.
They changed the angles of the cameras several times and the lights a couple more times, but we finally stopped shooting the scene around 18h ish. The staff and the technicians left the room and we were ordered to stay there and eat, because that was lunch break. Also it was more convenient that way, with no one in the way.
At that point, my head was hurting like hell, and I was afraid that it could actually explode just like that, in the middle of a take. The fever was upon me again, with the shiverings, the stiff muscles and the coloured cheeks. At least we were seated.
We had bags with a sandwich, a wrap, a waffle (obviously) and a fruit, with beverages. Some of the extras ate the half-finished cakes in their plates even if (as it was later explained) it was forbidden. But the woman next to me, who had refill the glasses earlier, said that the slice of pie stared at her for two hours long and it was impossible not to eat it in the end, because it provoked her.
We had two hours free (even if we didn't know at that time we will have to wait two hours) and it was an intense session of texting with friends but not about the exact scenes. And since my phone is from the old Mathusalem days, it can only send texts and receive phone calls. It's not the fancy phone with tactile screen and camera inside, but it can resist through an entire washing-machine cycle.
All of this to say : no internet connection with the bloody thing so no twitter nor tumblr.
I saw Ben another time when he took the lift to go upstairs but began to be a little bit tired to fangirl in the right proportions.
Meanwhile, even if I took another pill with my sandwich, I still had nauseas and my brain was banging once more against my skull. I hold my head, and the tall lady with the long grey hair asked me if I was alright sweetie, and then ask the medic to come while installing me on a chair in the costume room, where it was more quiet and less heated. At that time, by dint of blowing my nose too much, I began to bleed a little bit.
She also gave me a glass of water and the medic said that I needed some fresh air, so we went upstairs and got outside in the black snowy streets, right next the entrance door.
We talked a little. Even if I wasn't dressed up to be in the cold with only a blazer, I was glad because the fresh air really did me some good. After five minutes, I began to shiver again and we went inside and back in the waiting room, where I had a glass of Coca Cola to help my stomach with the damn ham sandwich.
At 20h, we were called upstairs where the set was moved : the scene they were now shooting took place in the hotel bar, where Ben, David and another actress which I didn't recognise talked together. The actress then David left Ben, saying good night and he answered "... Good night".
Some of the extras, like me, were supposed to be passing by, right next to their table for the whole scene in a strict order. I was set up with a 40 year old guy as a couple, and we walked passed them too many times to count.
Between the takes, I often took off my heels (I wear flat boots and sneakers all year, so after a while my feet started to hurt a bit). That was just when I tried to put my shoes back on and tripped and nearly fell on my fake husband (whom was glad), that Ben passed beside me to go at the back of the set. Really, Brain ? Seriously ? Who was the responsable for this foolish behaviour ? WHY AM I NOT IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING UPSTAIRS, HUH ?
So I felt stupid but, as time went by, more tired and sick and forget to feel like an idiot.
We returned downstairs, and after a while, got back up, and passed by again. They had change the angle of the camera and we had to get back, so the camera won't see us waiting in line. Unfortunately, the "get back", included me just next the open entrance door.
I felt tired, sick, cold and my feet hurt, but I passed by several times, looking (I hope so) relaxed and in love with my new husband. Then, they decided to put the two of us in the background in red armchairs for two or three takes.
It was after that I heard some loud clapping, and that was it ! We did it, it was only 23h and we finished !
I woke up from my seat, and walked slowly to the basement to at least wrap my scarf around my neck. I was freezing. Ben was getting out of the bar at the same time, and for a split second we were walking side by side. Me being me, and really tired, and the reminder of not talking to any actors flashing in bright neon letters in my head, I saw him walking quite fast through the entrance door and disappear for the last time.
I went downstairs to change myself, finally getting in more comfortable clothes and return the trousers. The nice tall lady with grey hair was in charge of the returning clothes. I said to myself that I wouldn't have another chance, and asked if she knew that I could maybe have the tiniest possibility to have an autograph from Ben.
She looked at me sadly and said he wasn't here anymore, he was already in the make-up trailer (god only knows where it was) for quite a while now. I said to her that it was okay, because i really didn't want to upset or annoy him. She looked at me again and said that she could talk to him maybe, and ask me to write down my adress on a paper. I screamed internally and I don't know how many times I thanked her, and said good night and smiled too much.
We then waited in line to return the form we filled when we arrived and got paid. It was 23h30 when I finally got my euros and climb up the stairs for the last time that day.
After a quick talk with two friends, I waited for the tram to go back home and fell on my bed around 00:15.
But there's more... On part three (still to come).
PART THREE : SUNDAY, 10TH OF JANUARY (ANOTHER SIDE OF THE FILMING PROCESS) there
