"...and you wouldn't believe the way those people acted? As though they were too important to be bothered!" I exclaimed to Aaron.
Aaron was getting soda from the fridge.
"You do remember that you are in the entertainment industry, right?" he asked with a smile. "An ego problem is like a prerequisite."
I rolled my eyes. "My boss - he's great! I will be working with him most of the time -- but its that girl! Sharon! She goes out of her way to find inane things for me to do -- things that aren't even relevant to my job....just so she can throw her weight around....she made me erase 45 dailies today, from another shoot!"
I could see that Aaron was biting his lip to keep from laughing.
This was my usual venting -- I was always like this with a new job or project. I had a small adjustment period and then I would be fine.
This week had gone by quickly but I had become infuriated several times and had to hold it in until I could get home and tell Aaron about it.
We have been together the past four years - we went all the way through college together.
He had moved here with me and was the General Manager of an upscale hotel here in Shreveport.
"I think it will be fine -- you haven't even started shooting yet," Aaron said, handing me my drink.
"Yeah, but that may stand to make things worse! I don't know --"
Aaron walked over and put his arms around his waist, "you're going to be fine sweetheart....you're doing what you've always dreamed of doing, right?"
I looked at the ground, smiled and nodded my head.
"Okay....you're paying your dues right now....it won't always be this way - just remember that," he said with a smile.
He was so supportive - he was beyond great.
I shook my head and smiled.
~~~
I was awakened at 6:30AM the next morning when my cell phone was chirping loudly.
I sat up, completely disoriented.
"Hello?! Hello?" I could hear a voice racheting from the other end.
"Hello?" I asked in a raspy, sleepy voice.
"Where are you?" I recognized the voice immediately -- Sharon.
"I'm at home -- sleeping," I said, my eyes half closing again.
"Well get down to the studio, now!" she said harshly.
My eyes popped open. "I'm sorry - what? What's going on?"
"Oh my G--- Lara has come down with a case of food poisoning and we have to find someone to replace her in Wardrobe for a fitting like thirty minutes ago!" she exclaimed into the phone. It was going to be difficult to remain calm around this woman.
I blinked quickly -- Wardrobe? I had nothing to do with the Wardrobe Department --??
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," I said, causing Aaron to sit up a bit, now awake.
"Lara is a close, personal friend of mine and I promised her I would find a replacement -- We can't just leave Holly to do the fitting alone!!"
I shook my head, now forming coherent thoughts to see that I was being recruited to do an early morning wardrobe fitting for someone out sick.
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes --"
"Yes, like ten! You're already late as it is!"
She hung up with that last statement.
I shook my head. This was getting ludicrous.
I climbed out of bed for a thirty second lukewarm shower and ran around the apartment, finding clean clothes, kissing Aaron goodbye and rushing out the door.
I arrived at the studio twenty minutes later.
Paying my dues I thought to myself over and over --
I walked to the wardrobe building to find Holly, the Wardrobe Coordinator.
"Hello, thanks for coming on such short notice," she said with a smile.
I smiled, not at all sure of what I was going to do or how to pull this one off.
She flung a couple of jackets at me -- "here have Hayden try this on!"
She returned her attention to another male cast member who was also being fitted.
I caught the jacket in time to turn around and to find Hayden standing beside me.
"Thanks," he said quietly, taking one of the jackets and heading back into the fitting area.
I blinked a couple of times, catching my breath for the first time in almost an hour.
Hayden stepped out a few minutes later in the chosen ensemble.
"Gorgeous!" Holly said, putting her hands together and causing Hayden to grin.
I looked from one to the other, just observing.
"Could you mark that one with this tag?" Holly asked, handing me a Sharpie and a plastic wraparound tag. "Put Scene 23 on the tag."
I took the tag and the marker, "alright."
Hayden looked at me a second, took the jacket off and handed it to me quietly.
It was like a complete change of tone - gone was his grin from a half second ago.
He appeared uncomfortable around me to say the least.
I helped out with a few more wardrobe changes, tagging and marking whatever Holly told me to -
A few moments later, Hayden said goodbye to Holly and without even an acknowledgement of my presence, left abruptly.
What is that guy's deal? I thought to myself. What a jerk!
I shook my head, wondering how many other people on this project were going to be like that --and wondering how much more I could take with my less-than-thick skin.
~~~~
Pre-production finished in a flash and before I knew it, we had begun shooting.
I had been doing everything from making copies of dailies to printing call sheets to getting coffee for Greg.
I didn't mind doing anything for Greg- he was the best boss to have.
One afternoon he had asked me to accompany him to set so that I could see everything in action firsthand, not just from the office.
"I think since you will be attending production meetings, its important for you to spend at least one solid day a week here on set, watching how the shooting is progressing," he told me.
This prospect thrilled me! This was why I was in this industry to begin with -- to see filmmaking in action!
I had met a few of the cast members in passing - they were surprisingly friendly...at least friendlier than Hayden.
He never had much to say in my presence and absolutely nothing to say to me directly.
I had struck up a friendship with one of the supporting cast members, Mandy Thompson -- this was her first mainstream film.
One afternoon, we had gone through the lunch line at the catering truck and settled at a table in the commissary when Mandy asked me, "So, who do you think is the cutest?"
"Cutest?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Aww c'mon -- you had to have at least noticed who you think is cutest....of the guys?" she asked.
I rolled my eyes.
There was a good combination of attractive males on set - between Hayden, Charlie Hunnam and Josh Jackson.....
"I don't know, its hard to say," was all I could reply. "I've kind of been brainwashed not to notice."
Mandy rolled her eyes and laughed, knowing I was referring to Sharon's tirade on being 'starstruck.'
"Ya know what I think is really rich? She says all of that to you and then turns around and fawns all over Hayden...and he doesn't even seem to notice!" Mandy said in a low tone with a giggle.
I shrugged, "well, he's kind of a snob or something anyway..."
Mandy's jaw dropped. "Hayden? A snob? Are you kidding?"
I looked at her, shaking my head, confused.
"He's probably one of the most down to earth people I have ever met in this business," Mandy replied.
I rolled my eyes. "Well, he certainly hasn't been very 'down to earth' to me."
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't speak -- I mean, he literally only speaks if he's spoken to, at least in my presence."
It was Mandy's turn to shake her head in confusion. "That's really weird -- maybe he was just having a bad day."
"Yeah every day," I said, taking a forkful of salad.
Mandy shrugged and we went back to our lunches.
It was a mystery that secretly intrigued me and bothered me at the same time.....if he was so different with everyone else....why did Hayden act so differently around me??