DAY 12: July 14, 2010
“I love you, extras!” Stephen Gyllenhaal exclaims to an audience of about forty in the basement of the Phinney Neighborhood Center. He playfully reminds them that Coppola supposedly made about five hundred extras move five steps to the right in “The Godfather II” before changing his mind and making them move back, so he’s not that bad.
No one’s complaining; the extras are lucky enough to see Cedric The Entertainer’s standup talent at certain unexpected moments. In one scene set at a meeting of the 36th District Democrats, an actor delivers a line questioning Cedric’s character, McIver: “Isn’t it sad that the city lacks the cultural and ethnic diversity it had ten years ago?”
Cedric replies, “Isn’t it nice that nine years from now we’ll have a Black president?”
We’ll never know if he wanted to shake up the routine or just forgot his line, the mark of a good improviser. I thought Cedric was choked up with emotion during his first take yesterday. He told me today that he tucked his shirt in too tight and felt strangled when he sat down, but kept going because he didn’t want to interrupt the take. Actors, take note of this trick.
Even the walls are full of inside jokes, plastered with campaign signs touting members of the GRASSROOTS staff. Our co-producer, wardrobe head, and intern advisor will have their posters ready should they decide to run for city council.
Cobie Smulders, star of “How I Met Your Mother,” is flanked by two young, tall, attractive brunettes so she “doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb,” as our second assistant director said yesterday requesting these extras to play the friends of Cobie’s character, Clair. This day is mostly about the extras, as we spend a great deal of time filming their reactions to the campaign speeches.
New actors are also featured uttering one-liners in the post-speech question-and-answer sessions. One takes notes on his one line from Mr. Gyllenhaal on the spot. All the while the extras patiently strive to respond authentically to lines they never get to hear in their complete form, since the film just needs their reactions to certain parts of the speeches. We do love you, extras.
We love you, too
Meli
Thank you so much! Yes, no complaining here, what a wonderful day getting to see all these actors perform live, a wonderful treat! And a brillant director knowing exactly what he is looking for! I really hope you will consider shooting more films up here in the great northwest, we are very proud of our region. Again THANK YOU!
Sharla Rae
So I stumbled across this site and have been reading through the blog posts. This one is particularly interesting because of coincidence. I’m not sure if the Phinney Neighborhood Center staff told you – or if the producers scouted out website for our current meeting location – but you filmed in the room that our monthly membership meetings actually take place. In fact you filmed on the actual day of our meeting. We were moved to the upper building for a filming but weren’t told any more details. It would have been awesome to know that it was a political film.