DAY 13: July 15, 2010
After the last take of Joel’s impassioned campaign speech about the monorail, his audience of extras explodes in applause, whoops, and hollers. For a moment, his performance for this indie film feels so much like Grant’s performance for the 36th District Democrats that the campaign seems real. We worked on this scene yesterday in the same place, but it’s brand new now, like history repeating.
The overlap between the real and the fictional is in even sharper relief today when the real Richard McIver and his campaign manager, Paul Elliott, drop by at lunchtime. Cedric the Entertainer has just wrapped for the day, and he emerges from his trailer to meet the man he has been playing for the past few days.
Ironically, Cedric wears a bright red “Peace through Superior Firepower” tee shirt. McIver does not comment. “I think I got eight votes today without even saying anything,” Cedric says of walking around in his earlier, more professional political attire. McIver warms to him quickly, and the two banter like old friends for the camera.
Peggy Rajski interviews Cogswell and McIver, who show that they have put their political battle far behind them. McIver says he saw Cogswell “grow as a candidate and as a person.” Being on the campaign trail, McIver explains, broadens one’s depth and breadth of thought.
That’s not to say Grant and McIver no longer disagree on a number of issues. McIver believes that the mayor is the biggest challenge facing Seattle today, while Grant likes the mayor. McIver has no intentions of leaving Seattle, while Grant has moved to Mexico for the togetherness of the population, through mass transit and otherwise.
However, because Grant has chosen a different life path, these disagreements are no longer fodder for political debate but rather for friendly discussion. “I’m here to make art, make friends, make love,” says Grant, “and leave the public policy to other people.”
“All right!” McIver exclaims. Grant bursts into a fit of laughter. These two like each other despite themselves, an unconventional example of art bringing people together.