“Quiet on the set,” the director calls out from behind the
camera. “Now Sundance, I know it might feel awkward but I need full frontal
nudity from Destiny, our pole-dancer in this tracking shot and therefore you
cannot be so close in. The camera will naturally foreshorten things and you
will only be in the frame for 4 seconds.”
Sundance was thrilled to get the call from the casting agent who
pulled his 8X10 glossy and bio from the stack of local New Orleans characters.
As an adult continuing education student at the community college, he’d been
making straight A’s in Theater Performance Methods, Acting for the Stage and
Improvisation. He was a natural and a character actor to be sure. It was one of
his instructors who encouraged him to apply as an extra in this film.
“And roll sound. Action.”
“Oh, for crying out loud Sundance, we can’t have you method-acting
differently on each take. What’s your motivation? Puhhhhlease. Your motivation
is to gently place the folded bill on the hip and allow Destiny the opportunity
to turn, shake a little bit and smile. That’s it, for Christ sake! Now let’s
see if we can get it right this time. Do you need anything from the craft
service? Somebody get Mr. Sundance some peanut M&Ms before we roll again.”
“Destiny, I know that’s not your real name but I like it. Are
you getting tired? Because you have been
running through my mind all day. Ha Ha Ha. Are you from New Orleans? You know I
have only a short list of credits since I started acting professionally. All
this business of showing up at a particular place and time…And the waiting. My
acting teacher, she’s a 35 year old version of Julia Roberts, only prettier. Well,
she said I really need to treat this like a job. Maybe she’s right, the time I’ve
spent with you today has been a real pleasure, I must say. Want an M&M?
Never mind …the director and camera crew are coming back.”
