Contretemps

I went to bed last night so relieved that the shoot for the TV series for which I had received a call Wednesday afternoon wouldn't take place 'til Friday, per that confirmation email. That would give me an entire day to get into character as the older Mexican woman and also go through my wardrobe, which had not too many choices in the elder Mexicana department. Where is that old black skirt from the play, anyway? Could I really appear in public in that unflattering mustard yellow peasant top?

The call came in from the actors' wrangler at 11:20 AM today. I was half dressed, and, as usual, at the computer, catching up on email and deleting junk. When would I get there? "In, um, maybe 45 minutes," I said, knowing it was useless to avoid the gig. The confirmation email had been a day off! And, for me, it was off to the races!

Going through clothes, all wrong, bundling it all up, adhering to the little make-up rule, making sure my hair looked like the woman I envisioned, that I had four wardrobe choices with me...Jumped into the Miata, and could have been there, on Treasure Island, in half an hour had the Bay Bridge retrofit not forced the shutdown of a lane, had there not been a game today, etc.

But, I made it - in plenty of time to hang out in the green room with the kids - all second-gen immigrants from Mexico, the Philippines, China, and Argentina. Great stories! Then, a wonderful outdoor catered lunch was served ... And, this young woman from the East Coast had won a contest, and her win was merely to be among us, so that feast and the cake for dessert were videotaped by a second unit.

My episode was shot in the late afternoon, and it went smoothly. Re-shoots were mainly for lighting. It was all improv, and that mustard yellow thrift-shop blouse worked really well, helping to set the ambiance of a Mexico afternoon living room, where, unbelievably, the character's old velveteen chair perfectly matched my blouse.