Written by Marjorie David & David Marshall Grant
Directed by Ken Olin
The family attends a benefit at Nora’s cancer center. Kitty worries Nora and Sarah when she considers other alternative treatments to chemo. Robert and Kevin strategize on how to handle a new candidate who has entered the race. Sarah lets Luc look after the kids for the day. Meanwhile, Scotty’s dad makes a surprise visit.
Hope everyone had a marvelous Halloween, filled with lots of candy and mayhem. Here at Stage 6, the ghouls and goblins came out and so did the pumpkin carving knives. Check out the fine pumpkin craftmanship of the B&S cast, crew, and writers...
Stand-In Department, yes, this is some Ojai peach on pumpkin action...
Craft Services, bagels for ears and spoons for eyes...
Props Department, the Pumpkin-Pine...
Transpo Department, the wheels on the truck go round and round...
Accounting Department, ONE Jack-O-Latern, TWO Jack-O-Laterns...
AD Department, with smoke coming out the ears...
Actors, without the smoke and mirrors...
Construction, they tied for 1st place...
Hair Department, but where is the hair...
Art Department, tied for 1st place...
Work of Sparky Hawes, meet William's other lovechild Pumpkin Walker...
Wardrobe Department, pumpkins and feathers and sparkles, oh my...
Editors, this pumpkin is a mess, we'll fix it in post...
Writers' Floor, but where's the dialogue...
Greens Department, hey, are those Nora's bushes...
Production, their lips are sealed...
PA's, also tied for 1st place...
Great pumpkins everyone! Also, here's a pic of the assistants on the 4th floor. This is our attempt to make the B&S writing office more like the Sterling Cooper offices of Mad Men...
Cole, Elysse, Matt, Marc, John
Written by Brian Studler & Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Michael Schultz
He’s baaaack! Tommy pays a surprise visit to the family. Sarah tries to keep her romance with Luc hidden from Paige and Cooper. Kevin and Scotty take steps in making Michelle their surrogate. Meanwhile. as Holly faces the reality of her financial situation, someone makes her a very tempting offer.
This episode was reviewed by Entertainment Weekly and received a B+. Not too shabby if you ask me! This is also the first episode co-written by new B&S writer Geoffrey Nauffts.
Well, that’s all until next week. Hope everyone has a fun Halloween this weekend.
Best,
Cole
My roommate was super jealous when I left for work this morning. She, like most of the country, has a huge crush on Gilles Marini. And who would I be interviewing today? None other than the famous Frenchman himself. Gilles was, as always, extremely gracious and very generous with his responses. Enjoy!
Cole: What was your life like before you moved to America?
Gilles: Well, I
grew up in south of France. When I
was 7 years old, I started working with my father at his bakery, helping make
bread, pastries. And it was a
pretty hard job, let me tell you.
That was my job until I turned 18.
This is when I became a fire fighter in Paris. The army owns the fire fighters in Paris. It’s very different than here. During my service, my father got sick,
and this is why I decided to go back down and work with him until he
passed. After that, I was a little
bit sick of my situation in France, so I decided to seek a different horizon
and move to America.
Cole: And how
did you first get into modeling?
Gilles: A
friend of mine named Sandy would come to the bakery all the time. We really liked each other, she was the
sweetest girl ever. And her uncle
was a photographer. And she told
me, when you get to Paris, you’ve got to meet him. I got to Paris, I met him, and actually he’s one of the best
photographers in the world. And I
just didn’t know it at the time.
His name is Fred Goudon. I became very, very close to Fred. We took a lot of pictures together
along the way when I was a firefighter.
Next thing you know, after that, I had these beautiful pictures.
Gilles in his days as a firefighter, photograph by Fred Goudon
Cole: And did you move to America to pursue modeling?
Gilles: That was in my mind. But when I moved to America, I had already met my wife and
she was pregnant. So for me, in my
mind, it was like, oh God, I have to do whatever it takes to provide for her
and the baby. It went smooth in a
way because in America I was really welcomed. With the photos from France, I was able to quickly get a
Visa for work. I got one campaign
and next thing you know, an agency wanted me to work with them. I was doing modeling and able to spend
so much time with my family. It
was awesome.
Cole: And was it an easy transition going from modeling to
acting?
Gilles: Everything
went slowly but surely. Acting was
always in the back of my mind. It
is what I’ve always wanted to do.
Now, there’s a big difference between what you want to do and what’s
going to happen. But, I never gave
up. I said, this is what I want to
do. I will take it step by step
and take my time.
Cole: So it took a ton of perseverance?
Gilles: Oh yes.
And by the way, I didn’t speak a word of English. I came here with 400 dollars. It wasn’t easy. I couldn’t say, oh I want to be an
actor, so let me spend money to take acting classes. No. It really
was way more complicated than that.
Cole: Your
French accent is one of your trademarks.
But I’m wondering, when you were first starting out, did agents or
casting directors pressure you to change your accent?
Gilles: I didn’t speak a word of English. Obviously acting wasn’t something I
could ever do because of the language barrier. With modeling, I had a chance to go to some commercial
auditions. And right away, I was
booking commercials. And that’s
when you understand, okay, there’s something going on here. So I decided to explore it a little bit
more. I didn’t jump in the mix and
say, “I want to be an actor.” I
took my time. While I was in Miami, I was going back and forth to France a
lot. I was also working as a model
with Giorgio Armani in Italy.
Cole: Sounds like you were quite the globetrotter. So when you were trying to make this
transition, were there any actors in particular who inspired you?
Cole: So what did you do next?
Gilles: I decided to move to Los Angeles and also to kick it
up a notch with my English, I mixed more with the crowd to learn faster. I kept
telling myself Los Angeles is the place for me to become an actor. I know it’s a long shot. I know I’m not from here. I know I don’t speak the language. I know it’s a long shot. But why not me? I feel in my bones that this is
possible. This is something I
feel. I also started taking
acting classes at Vincent Chase on Sunset. I met with an agency here called L.A. Model and they threw
me in the mix. I worked more than
ever as a model. That helped me a
lot because I could actually have a regular, normal living, not thinking too
much of what was happening tomorrow.
I kept doing a lot of commercial acting. One year, I did six commercials. It was pretty involved, but one thing leads to another. I started doing acting starting with
the soap Passions and then I did Criminal Minds and did an independent feature,
Ugly Betty, The Bold and the Beautiful, Dirty Sexy Money. All those things. It wasn’t major. It was always a little part here and
there, where you would just see me quickly.
Cole: Taking the classes and getting these roles, what did
you discover to be your favorite part of acting?
Gilles: Being
able to expose things. I was very
moved by the fact that you can get into a different character. You can just dream of being this person
and be them. You can also explore
your dark side and what not.
There’s no limit when it comes to acting. And it’s great to tell a story and entertain people.
Cole: A lot of people recognize you as Dante, Samantha’s
sexy neighbor from the Sex and the City movie. Were you at all intimidated when you found out how sexually
provocative the role would be?
Gilles: Well, I
did not think too much of that just because the script…I didn’t know how far
we’d push it. Michael Patrick King
had an idea about the character. I
felt like, well, maybe we’re going to see a little bit of a butt.
[Cole laughs]
Gilles: And when I got on set, I let it go. You know why? Thinking about being this character. As this character, why should I be
ashamed of anything? Who cares? It’s my house, my shower. Samantha comes onto my property. Maybe she wants to see that, you
know. I really felt I became one
with Dante and found a way to be this kind of person. I’m always dressed up and I never walk around the house
naked. I’m very shy when it comes
down to that. So I just pushed the
envelope a bit, and next thing you know, it went from a bit part to a scene-stealer
and it changed my life. It changed
my life. So I have no regrets for
pushing the envelope a little bit.
I went full frontal. Who
cares? And what you guys saw on
camera, it was really nothing compared to what was happening on set. It was much more provocative and they
toned it down quite a bit.
Cole: So there was a lot more that happened in that shower
that we didn’t see?!
Gilles: Absolutely.
Cole: Yikes. Well,
a lot of people talk about a difference in French and American attitudes on
nudity. Have you noticed a
difference?
Gilles: Here,
people don’t really talk about what’s happening behind closed doors. I think in Europe, we’re much more open
and it’s more of a natural thing, especially when it comes down to sex. It is what it is. And here, it’s a little more
taboo. But in the end, people are
all the same. Culture can alter
you a little, but what it comes down to is our nature. And it’s weird to me that people are so
taboo about something that’s natural and actually the reason why we’re all
here. My character, if it comes
down to Dante, is really nuts, crazy.
It’s pushing the envelope.
But really, what is normal anyway?
Who are we to judge anything?
It was a pretty interesting movie.
Cole: What was it like to find yourself cast in such a big-name
movie?
Gilles: I realized it was a big movie when Michael Patrick
King told me on set that day, this is going to make you a superstar. I was like, what? He said, “You’re going to hate me. Your phone is going to keep
ringing. It’s going to be insane.” I was shocked.
Cole: And was he right? I think he was right…
The interview continues next week, as I ask Gilles about Dancing with the Stars and his experience so far working on Brothers & Sisters.
Written by Molly Newman & Jason Wilborn
DIrected by Bethany Rooney
Time to put on your dancing shoes. This week, Luc (Gilles Marini) meets the the Walker clan and gives Justin and Rebecca dance lessons in preparation for their wedding. Kitty is feeling better, and Robert surprises her with a night out. Scotty tries to convince Kevin that his friend Michelle would be the perfect surrogate. Holly receives devastating news regarding her finances.
Here's what's next on the slate:
Episode 406- "Zen and the Art of Mole Making" Written by Brian Studler & Geoffrey Nauffts, The family has a special visitor. One hint, he's visiting from Mexico...
Episode 407- "The Wig Party" Written by Marjorie David & David Marshall Grant, Not to be confused with the Whig Party. No, Robert does not switch political parties...
Episode 408- "The Wine Festival" Written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman & Michael Foley, Walkers plus wine... what could be better?
Written by Sarah Goldfinger and Michael Foley
Directed by Michael Morris
Kitty faces her first round of chemo and picks Sarah to be her “chemo buddy.” Sarah distracts Kitty with stories of a man she met in France. Nora, Holly, and Rebecca look at possible venues for Justin and Rebecca’s wedding. Justin and his new lab partner struggle to work together. Meanwhile, Robert faces criticism when he announces he is staying in the gubernatorial race, despite Kitty’s cancer.
It's a quiet day here at Stage 6 today. It's raining outside and all the writers are locked in their offices writing Episode 410 and 411. A couple of the writers have suggested we title Episode 411 "Information." But then, that begs the question of what we will title Episode 420. Any suggestions? I'm actually really excited for Sunday's episode. Not only does it feature the handsome, charming Gilles Marini, but also director Michael Morris did a great job infusing Sarah's flashbacks with French New Wave flavor. All in all, should be a pretty memorable episode of B&S. To everyone in Los Angeles, stay dry!
Best,
Cole
Written by Jennifer Levin & Sherri Cooper-Landsman
Directed by Michael Schultz
Robert and Nora struggle to accept Kitty's cancer and to come to an agreement on the best treatment. Meanwhile, Kitty realizes she must face the unavoidable and tell the entire family. Justin has his first day of Gross Anatomy and can't help feeling intimidated by his lab partner. Saul and Holly attend a wine auction, where they run into someone from Saul and William's past.
Hope you enjoy the episode. Have lots of Kleenex on hand. Especially for the scene with Kitty and Kevin. It gets me every time. Speaking of Kevin, tomorrow we start filming Episode 409, which will be directed by our very own Matthew Rhys. In fact, right now Matthew is in the room next door to me for a Tone Meeting, where the director, writers, and Executive Producers go through the script scene by scene and discuss the character arcs, the tone, and what everyone hopes to capture. We're all excited for Matthew's directorial debut! Hope you guys are too. Maybe we can do an interview with him closer to the air date...
Best,
Cole
My name is Marika Cahn and I intern
with the writers at Brothers & Sisters. After weeks of Starbucks
runs, kitchen clean-ups, taking lunch orders and copying, I finally
hit the jackpot today when I was asked to interview my favorite Brothers
& Sisters writer, Cliff Olin. He co-wrote last Sunday's episode, "Breaking the News." Cliff warned me – “I give bad interview”
but I put him at ease with a reassuring “I give great questions.”
Here’s our chat.
Cliff is distracted by his iPhone, Marika does not seem amused
Cliff: I’m usually hungry so I think about the lack of food in the kitchen. I think about seeing Molly Newman (another writer.)
Marika: Would you say that your apartment is decorated in Art Deco, French Colonial or Modern style?
Cliff: There is nothing on the walls.Marika: What’s your favorite You Tube video right now?
Cliff: That’s a very good question. Thank
you for asking. It’s called Allen Iverson practice remix. It’s by
DJ Steve Porter who is friends with my friend Fetus. And you can quote
me on that.
Marika: What is the one thing that if people knew this about you, they wouldn’t let you write another episode for this show?
Cliff: My past with Calista Flockhart. And by past I mean future.
Marika: What made you decide to get an indigo colored car?
Cliff: What is indigo? Do you mean Indica?Marika: What’s your definition of the word nepotism?
Cliff: I don’t know that word. Ask Patricia Wettig what it means.
Marika: You went through a period where you steered away from your usual Grande Iced Coffee order and opted for double espressos. What was going on in your life at that time?
Cliff: YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW.Marika: Which or the following male Brothers & Sisters characters do you identify most intimately with; Scotty, Kevin or Saul?
Cliff: Saul. I don’t want to say why.Marika: Which or the following female Brothers & Sisters characters do you identify most intimately with; Nora, Holly or Rebecca?
Cliff: I would say Holly. Neither of us have been married, I have a grown daughter and I love David Caplan.
Marika: What is your workout routine? Cliff: Sometimes I run, sometimes I swim and I used to go to Barry’s Bootcamp. Marika: When is the last time you cried?Cliff: Writing for episode 409, I cried because what I wrote was so good.
Marika: What are your top three TV shows?
Cliff: Besides Brothers & Sisters; Modern Family, Mad Men and Sports Center.
Marika: Complete the following sentence: “If I wasn’t a writer I would be a….”
Cliff: Scientist.Marika: If you had to be on a reality show, would it be Jon & Kate Plus 8, Dancing with the Stars or MTV’s Next?
Cliff: The City. I’m contractually obligated to say that. (Cliff’s sister Roxy is currently on the show.)
Marika: Which movie do you wish you had written?
Cliff: Sleepless Beauty so I could work with Sara Sugarman (Sara is our former intern slash also a successful film director).
Marika: Who is the man you respect the most that wears a pony tail?
Cliff: I don’t want to say.
Marika: Why, was it in porn?
Cliff: Yes.
Ponytail porn caters to a very niche audience, but Cliff is no stranger
Marika: When is the last time you brought home a girl to meet your parents?
Cliff: Probably in 2003. It did not go well.
Marika: Top iPhone applications right now?
Cliff: I am T-Pain and Backbreaker Football.Marika: Do you write anything other than TV?
Cliff: I write emails. Obituaries. Love Letters. IOU’s. Good Byes.
Marika: What is the first thing you do when you get home from work?
Cliff: Thank God and then dance.by John Kazlauskas, Writer's Assistant
There is a famous quote that goes: “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.”
Each script we write at Brothers & Sisters goes through any number of revisions that are all represented by differently colored pages (White then Blue then Pink then Yellow then Green then Goldenrod…then Double-White, Double-Blue…well, you get the idea). In the four seasons of the show, we’ve had scripts that were revised only through Pink Pages and other scripts that were revised all the way up to Triple Pink. That’s a lot of revisions. Here’s what the Writer’s Floor looked like the week that Triple Pink script came out:
And revisions can happen for any number of reasons: the writers can address notes from the director, the studio or network, sometimes actors have ideas about their characters, or maybe changes can be suggested to make the script more “production friendly,” or easier to shoot.
That’s why we’ll never see the scene Cliff Olin wrote where there is a massive explosion at Ojai
that blows the entire Walker Family into the middle of the ocean,
where Saul befriends a talking lobster
who inexplicably gives him flashbacks of storming the beach at Normandy.
Well the fact that that would be a production nightmare probably isn’t the ONLY reason you’ll never see that scene on the air…but I digress….
So what happens when the writers are asked to rewrite a scene? Well, after the initial shock and fear passes:
Brian Studler hearing he has major revisions due on 406.
They get down to business and make the changes to make the story better. But sometimes there is a sweet side to rewrites.
Take Episode 401 for example. In an early draft of the episode, Nora and her mother Ida shared some freshly baked coffee cake in the kitchen before Ida left. The script called for Nora to cut into a new coffee cake at the top of the scene. Because scenes are shot multiple times, the crew had to bake a bunch of coffee cakes so each time it was shot, it would appear that Nora was cutting into a brand new one.
But the scene got rewritten after the cakes were baked but before it was shot. So who got to eat Nora’s coffee cake?
We did.
Co-producer Linda "Sparky" Hawes
And it was delicious!
Script Coordinator Matt Donnelly
Her coffee cake was so good, in fact, that someone was on set trying to steal her recipe. But we had that pesky intruder arrested and sent back to his tree bakery:
Writing is rewriting. And rewriting can be immeasurably hard. It can be torturous. But sometimes…just sometimes…it can also be delicious:
Be sure to tune in Sunday for the next episode of Brothers & Sisters – “Breaking the News”!!
Written by David Marshall Grant & Cliff Olin
Directed by Ken Olin
Kitty receives frightening medical results and must share the news with Robert, who is preoccupied with his own crisis. Reports of Robert's heart attack have begun leaking to the press and could threaten his gubernatorial campaign. Scotty, still debating whether or not it's the right time to become a dad, can't help feeling pressured by Kevin. Meanwhile at Ojai, Holly and Saul give Rebecca and Ryan a new opportunity to prove their business savvy.
Hope you guys enjoy the second episode of the season. Here's what's next on the slate:
Episode 403- "Almost Normal" Written by Jennifer Levin & Sherri Cooper, Normal is a relative term anyway...
Episode 404- "From France with Love" Written by Sarah Goldfinger & Michael Foley, Watch for the introduction of the handsome Gilles Marini...
Episode 405- "Last Tango in Pasadena" Written by Molly Newman & Jason Wilborn, We'll find out which Walkers have all the right moves and which Walkers have two left feet...
