Last February, three different people asked if I wanted to be in a movie. One was a dance studio friend who writes and shoots his own short projects. His inquiry wasn’t tied to a specific project; he just said he’d like to use me in something sometime in the undefined future.

 

The other two, friends I know from other performing arts experiences, were talking about the same movie, a Walla Walla University (WWU) student’s senior project. One with a definite timeline that needed someone like me.

 

You mean someone tall?

 

Or someone with acting experience?

 

Not exactly. My acting experience is mostly in live theater, not movies, which is an entirely different medium. It had more to do with my age and appearance. Tall wasn’t mentioned; being 60-ish and lean was more to the point. They were looking for someone who could look like a terminally ill woman, late 50s.

 

But you’re not terminally ill!

Are you?

 

No, I just play it on the screen.

 

I mentioned “Love Between the Lines,” the senior project of producer Sam Grecov-Molina, in the June 13 blog. I attended the screening of the completed project later that day.

 

 

 

How exciting! What was it like?

 

I’ll get to that next week, Lily. This is an epic tale that needs to be presented in two parts. This week covers from what I would call the audition phase to being cast.

 

It started with a meeting with the producer/writer, Sam, and the director, Tori. Tori is a WWU graduate, recruited to work on the project. There wasn’t budget for costuming, but Sam provided a costume plot in advance. I showed up wearing this:

 

 

 

The crew did not include a makeup person. With Sam’s input, I came up with this:

 

 

Gosh, you do look kind of sick.

 

Thank you, 9. Sam and Tori agreed this was the look they wanted. We talked about the script and what would be required (brief flashback scenes, very few lines, most of them voice over), and Margaret’s shooting schedule, a day and a half in late March.

The character’s name is Margaret?

 

Yes, but mostly she’s called Maggie.

 

One question surprised me: Was there anything in the script I was uncomfortable with? I flipped through the pages again. When I was a college theater student in the 1970s the two biggest on-stage issues were smoking and nudity.

 

Ew!

 

I know! I felt my face squinch into a puzzled expression and asked, “There’s no nudity, right?” They looked horrified at that question and quickly assured me there was not. Their concern was, if, when Margaret dies, her husband did something like cradle her in his arms or kiss her forehead, would that be uncomfortable for me? No, not at all (and I’m thankful the movie industry now has intimacy coordinators who act as liaison between actors and production, advocating for actors’ boundaries and comfort levels while working with the director to choreograph scenes with physical intimacy).

It was a thrill to be cast in the project!

But how would I do in front of the camera?

Tune in next week for The Rest of the Story. . .