So... I'm still a week away from knowing what my treatments are. I was very much hoping that it would be clear what I would route we would be taking but because my new doctor is one of the top Breast Cancer Onocologists in the world, it turns out that my course is not that simple. Since I won't know what's up til next week, I wanted to take this opportunity to sing the praises of a series that in many ways changed my life, both personally and professionally. And it was all with the talent I was lucky enough to work with.
I have to start with Meredith Baxter. Come on!!! Cathy is responsible for bringing her to our series and how cool that? I would be lying if I didn't say that I was nervous the first day I met her. Yes, I'm a new director to web series but I've directed plays and short films since I graduated High School, so I'm not sure what happened the day she showed up for the reading but except... I grew up watching her in TV movies and I'm a HUGE socially awkward geek. So there you have it.
Anyway, Meredith was awesome. She brought her natural gift of comedic timing and an attitude of "try everything" to our set. She also has worked on some big sets, so she adjusted to our little production band of thieves very well. My favorite suprise about her is that she is a total smart ass, so we all got along very well indeed. So happy to have been able to share a set with her.
The list of guest stars is mind boggling to me, especially when I think of the day we had all 18 of them. Or 20. I am going to make a blog just with their names soon.... Thankfully, Jill and Cathy are talented directors in their own right (as you can see from their work throughout the series) because without them on the set that morning, I would have crashed and burned for sure. A stand out for me is Kate McKinnon... she blew us away and in fact, if you look really close, you can see Jill and I laughing in the reflection on the seat behind her. They will hate me for saying that, but now you can watch it over and over again to see what else you can pick up in those seats :)
Kate just took this little piece of dialogue and spun it into a character that could have her own show. Her level of commitment to an improvisational way of bringing the script alive is a director's dream. If you haven't watch "The Big Gay Sketch Show", you need to. Kate is going to be gracing our computer screens, TV screens and hopefully someday movie screens for many moons... thank god!
Three new actors that you have to keep an eye on are Mary Frances Careccia, Alexis Boozer and Sage Mears. All three of them were the last standing in the auditions for Dee Dee. They were all exceptional in their auditions and exceptional in their own ways. If you watch them in the series, you can see what each brings to their roles.
Mary Frances finally won out. She's a wonderful and committed actress and in the end, it's the chemistry between her and her co-stars that won her the part. One of the best ways to see how an audience will react (a chemistry all it's own) is to see what one actor brings out in the other. It's the part of chemistry that you can articulate. Watching her audition with Ann, with an added directory twist from Jill, it was clear that Mary Frances brought out a more vulnerable Cindy... something that I've been dying to bring the audience since Season One.
Alexis and Sage were sooooo good that we had to write them into the script. That is the biggest compliment that a production can give to an actor who doesn't get cast. I loved working with both of them... one of my favorite days on set. They are both so strong in their instincts and flexible... it's wonderful so see such young actors that have the ability to be nuanced and subtle in their emotional turns. I can't wait to see what else these talented ladies can do.
Mary Francis is ridiculously talented. There is simple depth to her performance on screen which belies the hours and intensity in which she pursues her performance off screen. I fear that I could never really give her all the time she yearned for... I tried but our set was very much like a low budget television show where you get two takes if you are lucky and move on fast. Sometimes I would push for 6 takes on one thing, which would cost on others. She adjusted and gave strong, nuanced performance that is always grounded in absolute truth. Mary Francis is going to tear it up people... just watch.
Last but not least, I need mention Shannon Allel Reeve. Shannon is one the most giving and hard-working people I have ever had the pleasure to share a set with. She has an amazing lack of ego and besides being a fantastic actress, I would not have made it through a few days on that Cruise without her. She is tireless with an amazing spirit and I'm so glad to see her getting so many parts. She is a force to be reckoned with.
I'm not going to comment right now on the finale because it's behind the scenes thoughts and if you read this, it will reverberate without you knowing it. All I can say is that I am proud that I was part of the series that brought some of the best work I've seen from Jill, Cathy and Ann. Especially because of their involvement in every other aspect of the series.... not easy to do folks. Check it out.
So... that is my pre-finale, pre-treatment rant of the week. Have a glorious weekend all! I am diving into a sea of hospital bills and financial aid web sites. Not complaining though... in all things, I remain a lucky and ridiculously grateful, at some point to be breast cancer survivor who finally knows how lucky she is.
