Secrets of My Hollywood Life #2: On Location (12 page)

"Give us a second," I snap. My hands are trembling. Na dine nods and shuts the door quietly. "Can we finish this later?" I suggest wearily. I think our current conversation is only making things worse. How did things get so out of con trol? This sort of thing would never happen to Spider-Man.

"I guess we have to." He doesn't look me in the eye.

"Do you want to wait here or watch me film?" I ask, try ing not to cry.

"I'll watch you work." Austin seems stiff.

We meet Nadine outside and the three of us take a golf cart over to the soundstage. Austin and I don't speak. Instead he talks to Nadine, who plays tour guide by pointing out where different TV shows film and what stars shoot hoops at the backlot court on their lunch hour. When we pull up to our soundstage, which is set up to look like an aban doned gas station, I show Austin to my chair, which is parked in front of a series of monitors set up to view shoot ing. Since the filming area is too tight for Austin to stand near, one of the P.A.s offers Austin a pair of headphones so he can listen in to Hutch's commands and our dialogue. It dawns on me that I should tell him about the scene I'm about to shoot.

"Drew and I are on the run from goons from the super human army," I whisper, since Hank is already issuing orders.

Austin nods, but he's focused elsewhere. I turn and see Drew and Sky staring at us.

"Is this scene okay for me to watch?" Austin asks, eyes on the ground. "I don't think I'm in the mood to see you two kiss."

"It's a fight scene," I reply curtly.

"Then you should have no problem acting mad." Austin turns to Nadine, who has just put on a pair of headphones to listen in herself, and I'm left staring at his broad back.

I'm shaking as I take my mark next to Drew. Like he has the last few days, Drew refuses to acknowledge me before Hutch calls action.

We start the scene fine. I'm so riled up, I have no problem yelling my head off, or shaking Drew--or should I say Donovan--silly while trying to prove Carly's point. But then, out of nowhere, as our characters are supposed to run for their lives, Drew kisses me passionately on the lips!

One second...two...three...four...WHEN IS HUTCH GOING TO CALL CUT? I want to scream as Drew continues to press his lips and whole body into mine. His mouth is hot and I feel like I'm suffocating. Finally, I can't stand it anymore. I push him off me and slap him across the face.

"There's bigger things at stake here than your hormones, Don!" I manage to blurt out in character.

"CUT!" Hutch yells.

Drew looks at me smugly. "I forgot how soft your lips were." He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

I want to slap him again so I can wipe that sly smile off his face. "You've got some nerve...," I say before Hutch cuts me off.

"What was that?" Hutch asks Drew.

"It felt right, Hutchie," Drew says. "In the middle of hell, Donovan can think of nothing more comforting than kiss ing the girl he loves."

A few seconds of complete silence tick by as Hutch con siders the suggestion. "I like it!" he finally exclaims. "Good improv."

Hutch really is crazy. "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard," I argue, my words practically tripping over one another. I'm unable to contain my emotions. "Carly and Don are about to be captured and instead of running like light ning he stops to make out? That would never happen."

Hutch's smile turns into a scowl. Uh-oh. He puts his arm around me and pulls me aside. "Is there a problem here, Kaitlin?" Hutch pulls on his scraggly new goatee. He looks even thinner than usual, and his Doors concert tee and ripped jeans hang off him.

"No, Hutch," I say feeling my lungs constrict.

He shakes his head. "I'm here busting my butt to make this movie better, writing and rewriting, and you can't be part of this team and just go with the moment?" His voice is a little loud and a few people stare.

I'm flabbergasted. I've never been yelled at by a director before. Especially in front of a room full of people. I can't be lieve he's angry over this! "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I was just try ing to give you another opinion."

"I'm not feeling your dedication, Kaitlin," Hutch says, running a hand through his long, flat hair. I spy Sky and Drew watching our exchange. They're practically drooling.

"I'm completely dedicated," I assure him, trying to defuse the situation even though I feel like screaming. "I've always meant to do what you ask.
Please
don't blow this out of pro portion, I beg silently. Daniella moves closer to where we're standing. My face is burning hot and I know it's not from the strong lighting.

"Don't make me regret my decision to cast you over Sky," Hutch whispers when he sees Daniella. I feel like I've been slapped in the face. "Let's try the kiss again."

I take a deep breath and do the walk of shame over to my mark. Drew is waiting with a wide grin.

It requires all my self-control to get through the next few takes. During one where Drew gets a little too frisky I bite his lip. He grabs his mouth in horror.

"What? I'm just improvising!" I hiss.

When Hutch is satisfied, I rush to my director's chair to see Austin and find it empty. Nadine shakes her head sadly. Before I can ask her what happened, our unit publicist in terrupts us. Lisa is the one responsible for handling set visits and interviews during production.

"Kaitlin, this is Elena from
Fashionistas
!She's doing a set visit," Lisa says cheerfully.

SHOOT! I completely forgot I had an interview.

"Can I do the interview in twenty minutes?" I beg quietly. "There's something I need to discuss with my boyfriend. He's hanging out in my trailer."

Nadine pulls me aside. "Austin left," she murmurs. "He said he had somewhere he needed to be and said to tell you he was sorry that he couldn't wait to say goodbye." Nadine studies my face for a reaction, but I turn away. Seeing Drew kiss me was more than Austin could handle and now our fight has been kicked up a notch.

"I guess I'm free to do the interview now," I say mechani cally.

"Elena is going to take the golf cart back to your trailer with you and interview you on the way," she explains.

"I hope you don't mind." Elena grabs a pen, paper, and her recorder out of her bag.

"Not at all." I muster a smile. "Glad you could make it." A golf cart rolls up to the four of us and I hop in.

"Was that your boyfriend I saw you with earlier?" Elena asks excitedly once she's seated.

I nod. At least he
was
my boyfriend this morning. Now I'm not so sure.

Elena holds the microphone out. "How are things going between the two of you?"

I inhale deeply. "Couldn't be better," I lie.

THURSDAY 7/5

NOTE TO SELF:

Ask Nadine to find a chunk of time that I can leave set.

MUST SEE A ASAP!

7/6--Capoeira choreography session w/Paulo, Drew and Sky :(

eLeven:
Fight Club

JAB, JAB. CROSS. UPPERCUT I hit the leather punching bag harder and harder.

"Very good, Kaitlin!" Paulo, my Capoeira martial arts trainer, yells enthusiastically in a thick Spanish accent as he watches the blows. "Keep your elbow up as you throw the hook, like this." He guides my arm in slow-motion until it impacts with the bag. Nadine thinks Paulo looks just like Sayid from
Lost
(tall, broad, longish wavy hair, dark-skinned muscular arms), which may explain why she never misses one of my workout sessions with Paulo. "Try to envision the enemy as you make contact. GOOD!"

I pound away to the beat of the African drums CD, throwing jabs like lightning (okay, at least it feels that fast for my aching arms) as sweat drips down my face. It feels good to get out some aggression.

Things between Austin and me are really weird right now. We had a major fight we couldn't finish because I got called to set, where Drew kissed me to make Austin jealous, and before I could explain to Austin what happened, he left. I know Id be mad if things were reversed, but strangely Austin seems fine. In fact, he hasn't even brought up the lip-lock! So I haven't either. Instead, this was Austin's explana tion for his disappearance: "Sorry I had to rush out of there the other day, but I forgot I had a meeting about this charity game." WHAT? I know organizing a lacrosse scrimmage be tween the players and the faculty to raise money for the team to go to a lacrosse clinic before school starts, but all he could talk about is how many tickets he's sold for the game and how excited everyone is to play Coach Connors. I felt like I was in a
Twilight Zone
episode. Did Austin and I not have a fight? Did Drew not kiss me? Does Austin actually understand the pressure I'm under at work and is just let ting me slide on this one? Or is Austin avoiding the conver sation because he's waiting to break up with me till after his all-important charity game? My head hurts just thinking about all this. I just wish I could ask him in person. I wanted to go to his scrimmage this afternoon, but I have to work.

"Let's try kicks," Paulo enthuses. I change stances, stop ping long enough to pull up my black hip-hugger terrycloth pants and adjust my fitted vintage-style college tank that says NEW YORK UNIVERSITY across the chest. I got it when I visited New York this spring. I secretly dream of taking a few years off to go to college in the Big Apple.

I can hear Sky and Drew grunting through the same motions at their own punching bags--that is, when Sky doesn't stop punching to flirt. ("Wow, Drew, you have such a strong punch!") After each comment, I see Drew eagerly look for my reaction. Drew is my other problem du jour. Does he want to get back together and thought a liplock would refresh my memory or was he really trying to tick me off?

UGH. Boys. They're like French class--no matter how much I study I'll never be fluent in the language.

"You guys seem warmed up." Paulo rubs his hands to gether enthusiastically. "Let's get started."

The three of us are here at Paulo's studio to choreograph the final fight sequence. This is the scene where Donovan and Carly are making their way through an airport that the superhuman camp is using as their home base; they fight the bad guys and come face-to-face with Regina (aka Sky). It's a fight to the finish, and I'm really looking forward to per forming it.

We've been working on the choreography for over a month and today we're putting on the finishing touches. Daniella said Hutch wants the sequence to be lyrical, even though it's a bloodbath, which is why we've all been studying Capoeira, a martial art combining kicks, jabs, and punches with African instruments and music. Hutch says the cere monial dance and rhythm spoke to "the heart of his human ity" I'm more cynical about this kind of statement now that I've seen him frequently yell louder than Laney does after a scandalous story about one of her clients appears on Page Six.

"Sky, you must be tired," Drew coos as he stares at me. "Do you want a lift?" Without giving her time to answer, Drew scoops Sky up and she squeals as he carries her to the center mat. He gives me a look that's obviously meant to say "See what you're missing?" I roll my eyes.

"Who wants to practice their part first?" Paulo asks. Our fight starts with Regina and Donovan facing off then Carly steps in to confront Regina.

"We will," Sky points at me. She looks back at Drew and the two of them chuckle.

What are they up to? "I'm game," I reply calmly.

Sky begins rewrapping her wrists and fingers with tape. She pulls her blond extensions into a ponytail and adjusts her short pink spandex bottoms and matching bra top. When she's satisfied, she moves inches from my face.

Nadine, Madison, and Liz, who have been deep in con versation up until now, see Sky and me touching noses and run from their bench against the wall to the edge of the mat. Even Rodney, who is working in a corner on his own stunt routine, stops what he's doing to watch the show.

"You've got this, Sky. She's easy," Drew coaches. "And I mean that in more ways than one."

"Watch your mouth, pretty boy," Rodney grumbles.

Sky and I glare at each other, neither of us moving a mus cle. This close up, I can see her sweat-smudged black eye liner and the tiny mole above her lip. "Maybe you should read your script more and flirt with Sky less," I retort. "Carly wins this fight, remember?"

"Yeah, but Carly gets beat up pretty badly, and that's all that matters," Sky spits as she pulls her arm back and pre pares to take aim. I block her punch, grab her arm, and twist it behind her, as planned. With my free hand, I jab her in the stomach, a bit harder than called for.

"Ouf!" she moans. Then she clocks me on the side of the head.

"Use the choreography, girls!" Paulo reminds us. "This isn't a bar brawl."

HOLLYWOOD SECRET NUMBER ELEVEN: Not all movie fights are fake. Some onscreen slaps, punches, and falls are real and they hurt.
Bad.
Sure, the scene is staged down to the most minute detail so that no one gets injured. But sometimes, a slap needs to be real in order to be convincing.

On
FA,
we shoot fights in slow motion, but there was this one time last season when Sam was dating a guy who spread a nasty rumor about her going all the way with him. (Not! [Neither Sam nor I have rounded second base.]) Sam was supposed to confront him and slap him across the face. The cute actor playing the jerk, Jimmy Feeney, didn't want it to look staged so he made me promise to hit him as hard as I could. It felt weird smacking him across the face, but the dailies did look amazing. Jimmy had a huge red welt on his cheek and he was so proud.

I stick my leg out to trip Sky, but she sidesteps me and kicks me in the shins.

"Sky, move your feet to the music," Paulo adds. "Remem ber this isn't just a fight, it's a dance. A dance of anger."

"Tell that to K," Sky seethes. "She's the one with the pent-up frustration. She didn't want Drew..."

"I wouldn't go that far," Drew interrupts from the side lines, but I'm focusing too hard to turn and glare at him.