Brothers and Sisters: Bloggers and Sisters

Set Diary -- Friday, October 19

Executive Producer Ken Olin likes to sit in the makeup chair for old times sake.

Hey Bloggers & Sisters Fans,

It's Blayne, the new writers intern coming to you from stage 1 on the Disney Lot.  I’ve been interning here for a couple of weeks now, but today is my first time on set.   Before I tell you about it, just a reminder: we've got a new episode Sunday, written by Sherri Cooper and Liz Tigelaar.  It's called "States of the Union."

Back to set.  It's a pretty special day because of our most excellent guest star -- Chevy Chase.

About an hour ago, I looked on the call sheet and saw we were filming scenes with Chevy in the afternoon.  So I quickly took care of the second coffee run for the writers and headed down to the set.

I stepped through the big door of the soundstage and entered a different world, one I can only describe as organized chaos.  Crew members are walking pretty much everywhere, all with a specific purpose.  And yet the set is extremely quiet.

I met up with Michael Morris, a supervising producer on the series and the director of this episode.  He explained how they were “block shooting” the next two scenes.  I found out that means they shoot two consecutive scenes from one side of the set, then move the cameras for the reverse angle and shoot the two scenes again from the other side. 

This saves time from having to go back and forth.  Doing this can be confusing for the actors, but when you're working with two pros like Sally and Chevy, you can be pretty confident they will get it right every time.

After two takes, they moved on to get close-ups.  While they moved the cameras, I was tempted by the fresh baked cookies at the craft services table.  Michael resisted, but I wandered over to inspect…mmmm…

They passed my inspection.

Sparky walked by and mentioned how she shares her nickname “Sparky” with Chevy’s character Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation.  We assured her that the likeness between her and her fictional namesake ended there.

If this guy looks like Sparky, I'm a monkey's uncle!

While they moved in the second camera, Chevy and Michael conversed about the scene and Sally checked messages on her Blackberry.  I wandered back into the unused portions of the stage to see what else was around. 

I saw all the extras from the scene waiting patiently for their call back to set.  I saw a lot of walls and backgrounds I recognized, but couldn’t quite remember where I had seen them in the show.  I think one wall was part of Kevin’s apartment.

It wasn’t long before they were ready to begin shooting again. During the take I hovered over the monitors with Michael, the Director of Photography Cynthia Pusheck, 1st Assistant Director Sally Sue Lander and Script Supervisor Margery Kimbrough.

Michael calls out “ACTION."  The scene starts, a dinner plate falls in the background and makes a loud noise.  Michael yells “CUT."  They reset and do the take again.

Michael and Cynthia like what they see on the monitors after this take so they plan how to move the cameras to the other side of the set. Since that requires moving a wall it looked like it might take a while so I headed back out into the rain and across the lot to my desk.

I really enjoyed my visit to the set and hopefully will be writing again with more interesting tidbits from behind the scenes of the show.

-- Blayne Vixie

Interview with MATTHEW RHYS - Part II

by Andrew Major 

Hey there.   Andrew Major here.   It's time for the second part of our Matthew Rhys interview. 

Many thanks to those of you who submitted questions and comments...

ANDREW:  So, I have a few questions and comments from our bloggers… 

MATTHEW:  Cool.

ANDREW:  One blogger wrote, “All I have to say is that during the great clip show I almost FELL OFF MY COUCH. It happened when Matthew Rhys opened his mouth as himself and that SWOON-WORTHY Welsh accent filled up my living room. I literally cranked the volume for all of his comments and WISHED he was actually here. WOW!”  What do you have to say to the fans of our blog who think you have a sexy Welsh accent?

MATTHEW:  (BIG LAUGHTER)  That’s nice because in the British Isles it’s the accent that gets the most poked at.  Everyone makes fun of the Welsh accent because they think we’re hick and stupid.  So it’s nice to hear someone say they like the accent.

ANDREW:  Another blogger wrote, “He seems to have the gift of completely embodying, inhabiting a character, from the inside looking out (with those nuances that bring a character alive....)”  I would agree with that.  So, how much of you is in Kevin and do you have an approach to playing him?

MATTHEW:  Thank you. Actually, if you were to go back to the beginning of last season you’d see how much I floundered.  The great beauty of doing TV is that you have the luxury of time. TV gives you the opportunity to explore and develop and nurture and fine tune.  The other great thing is what the writers do – they pick up very quickly and write to your strengths.  An enormous part of it is that the writing is really good.  Like Sally says, you just say the words and don’t get in the way.  It’s very true.  You know, the creators brought a fully rounded, fully fleshed out character to the page before I showed up – so the job was a lot easier.  The backstory was very detailed.  Yes, there’s a way I approach characters based on drama school and training but, with Kevin, I’ve just had the opportunity to develop – and that’s the luxury.

Matthew is the only non-American of the B&S boys.

ANDREW:  How did you develop such a command over Kevin’s American accent?  People always assume it’s really hard to speak American, but is it really?

MATTHEW:  It’s a hard accent to master.  It’s really tough.  Different dialects like New York or southern are easy because they’re so distinct.  But California is hard because it’s more about tone than sound.  It’s hard.  In drama school you do a lot of dialogue work.  Playing American characters in the past has helped.  When you come out to LA for pilot season you work on it too. 

[In case you wondered, Matthew was speaking mostly American during this interview. --ed.]

ANDREW:  Someone from Singapore wrote, “I hope there’s a bigger role for Kevin this year.”  Will you have a bigger role this year?

MATTHEW:  I don’t know, ask your boss.  (Laughter)  I’m happy.  They always give me interesting stuff.  It’s nicely balanced.  I get nice legal stuff where I’m a different person, and then a lot of floundering relationship stuff.  So I’m lucky I guess. 

ANDREW:  Why’d you quit the softball team?

MATTHEW:  I’m committing to my charity work.

ANDREW:  Are you dodging the question?

MATTHEW:  Um, no.

Rhys was an integral part of the B&S softball team until his mysterious exit.

ANDREW:  Final question, can I hang out with you, Keira, Cillian, and Siena sometime?

MATTHEW:  Yeah.

ANDREW:  Really?!

MATTHEW:  No.

ANDREW:  All right then.  Thanks for your time.

MATTHEW:  Thank you.

New Episode Sunday - #203 - "History Repeating"

By Jon Robin Baitz & Jennifer Cecil

...In which the McCallister Campaign encounters a familiar challenge in a new venue, Tommy & Julia try and work out the crux of their troubles, and a 3-legged dog wins 1st prize at Westminster...

History is indeed repeating.

Check out the B&S site Monday morning for the new edition of "Writers Room."

Interview with MATTHEW RHYS - Part I

by Andrew Major

Starting today, Wednesdays on “Bloggers & Sisters” will feature a series of interviews with the cast behind TV’s favorite family. I thought we’d kick off the season with one of my favorite actors – Matthew Rhys (Kevin Walker). 

I picked Matthew mainly because our readers seem to be very fond of him – but really I feared for the things you might say if I didn’t.  ☺   And be sure to check in with us next week, when we'll post the portion of the interview in which Matthew responds to a few of your comments.

I talked with Matthew last Friday in his dressing room around 7pm – where he was just about to start his day on set – and our last day of shooting Episode 207.

*****************

ANDREW:  Hey Matthew, how are you?

MATTHEW:  (Yawning)  I’ve been surfing all day so I’m exhausted.  I know, sounds pathetic.

ANDREW:  So, you’re HUGE on “Bloggers & Sisters.”  How does that make you feel?  Like you’ve arrived?

Yeah, you know, any kind of recognition is nice.  If that’s the truth, that’s nice to know.

ANDREW:  You have a movie coming out called The Edge of Love with you, Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley.  What was that experience like?

MATTHEW:  It was one of the best experiences of my life.  Just to play Dylan Thomas was great – to play one of Wales greatest sons.  You know, to have that opportunity, with those actors, to shoot at home in Wales, some of my friends are in the movie – it was like everything came together.

Matthew with Sienna Miller on the set of The Edge of Love.

ANDREW:  What’s more fun – being famous in the UK or America?

MATTHEW:  I’m not famous in the UK. In fact, I wouldn’t say I’m famous in America either.  I’ve never been recognized at home.  I’ve been recognized twice, here, and one of the times was a woman who said, “How do they make your head look SO BIG on TV?!”  If that’s being famous – it’s not that great.

ANDREW:  There really isn’t a process for making your head big?

MATTHEW:  Yeah, it’s all mirrors and smoke.  They make me wear a special cap, it’s all “green screen” special effects.  It’s crazy.

ANDREW:  Do you have any good stories from playing opposite Kathleen Turner in the London production of The Graduate?

My best story is when we were first rehearsing the script. We were in a little rehearsal studio in London and I wasn’t really kissing her properly – because I was nervous.  I could tell she was getting really frustrated.  As we were getting through the scene, and I was gingerly half kissing her, Kathleen interrupted – “Okay!  Stop! Stop!  Come with me outside.”  I was like, oh my god, she’s going to ball me out.  She took me outside in the corridor and demanded, “Kiss me.”  I told her I was sorry, I’ll do it properly.  She said – “No!  Kiss me.  Now!”  I hesitated and she kept yelling, “Kiss me!”  and I kept saying, “I’m sorry,  I won’t screw up!”  “Kiss me!” “Oh god!” “I’ll do better!”  “Now!”  She finally grabbed me and (Matthew makes a loooong sucking face noise).  When we pulled apart she looked at me and said, “Okay, now do it like that.”  And that’s how we did it from then on.  She just took control of the situation, which I liked because it made it easier for me.

ANDREW:  What’s the best thing about working on Brothers & Sisters?  

MATTHEW:  It’s this group of actors I get to work with, the writing, the crew, the whole production as one.  I’ve never had a job this good.  We’re lucky we get along so well and have such a good time making the show.  We have too good of a time, sometimes.

The Graduate opened at the Gielgud Theatre in West London in 2000.

ANDREW:  What’s your worst day and your best day while working on B&S?

MATTHEW:  The worst was my first day, when all these rewrites came flying in and I was so insecure about the accent.  I was panicking and sweating and not really getting it.  Ken Olin was gingerly trying to get it out of me and I was just having a meltdown.  Finally, Rachel Griffiths said, “Come one, I’ll take you for a drink.”  And we did.  God bless her, it was a pretty bad day.  She was the perfect person – cause of her first year on “Six Feet Under.”  It was a great talk at the bar – she just said all the right things.

As for the best?  I think when we all jumped in the pool on the season finale.  That was a fun day.

**************

Thanks for reading.  Be sure to check in with us next week when we put some of your comments to Matthew and see what he has to say about them....

 

A Letter of Apology from Brothers & Sisters

To Our Viewers

The writers and producers of Brothers & Sisters would like to apologize for mistakenly indicating in Episode 202 that Nora Walker was a Gold Star Mother.  As many of you have pointed out on this blog, a Gold Star Mother is a mother whose child served and died in line of duty.  We are truly sorry for our gross oversight during the writing of this episode.  As ever, the writers and producers of this show are in awe and indebted to those serving our country as well as the people that love them.

With deepest regret,

The Writing Staff of Brothers & Sisters

Tonight's Episode -- "An American Family"

Hey folks --

Thanks for all the comments; keep 'em coming.  We've got another new episode tonight, this one written by David Marshall Grant and Molly Newman.  David and Molly co-wrote 3 episodes from last season: "Family Day," "Northern Exposure" and "Date Night." 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts (and I know I'll hear them.)

Dan

Premiere Partay Phlog, by Beth

Party organizer Todd Stolarski doesn't feel pressure.  Pressure feels Todd.

I show up to the Cabana Club in Hollywood at 6:30 pm, fashionably late to our show’s premiere party.  I see Todd outside chain smoking.  Excited to see him, I run up to say hi.  He looks right through me, clearly in a different headspace. Todd has been planning this party for the past two months, and if things don’t go smoothly… it’s his butt on the line.   I walk up to the bouncer holding a thick guest list. 

“Last name Schwartz… first name Beth.” The bouncer gives me a once over. “I swear I work on the show,” I say desperately, thinking of how embarrassing it would be to be turned away.  He finds my name and steps aside.

Dave Annable and Emily VanCamp.

I’m in!  This club is very Hollywood, in the best kind of way. (Good job Todd!)  It’s filled with palm trees, cozy cabanas, and a narrow pool (not the best idea for drunk people).   There’s even a bridge in the middle leading to the second bar.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’m from Michigan and we don’t have many outdoor clubs with pools and bridges.  I was impressed.

I scan the sea of people to find some familiar faces. Everyone is so glammed up it’s hard to recognize my co-workers without the usual t-shirt, jeans and sneakers combo.

 
Executive Producer Mark B. Perry and Producer Liz Tigelaar.

I see Deb, one of the fabulous assistant editors.  She says, “This is it.  All of our hard work this summer is going to be seen by everyone.”   The clock hits 7:00pm (East Coast Feed) and Sally Field’s face covers the screen.  The crowd erupts in applause, and the episode premieres…

I’m assuming all of you have seen the premiere already, so I’ll spare you the details.  However, I will say this, there was not a dry eye in the place when the episode came to a close.  And no, I’m not going to tell you if Justin is alive or not.  I wouldn’t even tell my own mother when she called me freaking out.  You’re just going to have to watch Sunday and believe me you’re not going to want to miss it!  

East Coast feed --- whaddya want?!




Dave and Balty.

Episode 201 Writer's Video

Hey kids!

Here's a new treat for fans of the Hit ABC Show, Brothers & Sisters!

Following the broadcast of each episode, ABC.com will post a video interview with the writers of the just-shown episode.  For instance, today you can watch Alison Schapker and Monica Owusu-Breen talking about the conception and execution of Episode 201, "Home Front."

Access it here: under the screen, click on "The Writers Room 201."

Hope you enjoyed the premiere -- we had a great party organized by Todd Stolarski.  Pictures to follow later in the week.

Take care now --
Dan