As bloggers who've come before me have noted, walking onto the sets of Stage 6
is a rather surreal experience…
I enter through the sound stage's double doors, not
knowing what to expect. I walk past clusters of lights and
equipment. I walk past a lonely table of food at craft service. And
suddenly, I'm walking on squishy grass, unapologetic in its fakeness, and it's
only then that I realize, oh, this is the Walker's
lawn.
The front door is wide open, so I just walk on in. In most contexts, this
behavior would be reserved for criminals and fairytale characters, yet I
do not feel like a trespasser. In fact, it's a strange mix of feelings.
Everything's so warm, inviting and familiar, but I also feel like a
child visiting a museum. Keep your hands and feet to yourself, no
touching.
I peer around. The whole house seems bigger and more open than it looks
on TV. Past that famous wall of family photos, the staircase leads to
nothing. I look up and see no ceiling but rather the dark empty space of a
sound stage. If only the cameras would pan up five more feet.
In the dining room, I
remember countless family dinners I wasn't at. Tommy and Julia, in front of everyone, admitting they
both had cheated. Kevin not so discreetly plucking one of
Rebecca's hairs. And I imagine all the future dinners full of secrets and
dysfunction.
Then, I peek into the pantry. So this is where Nora went when Sarah got
engaged and when Kitty told her she was pregnant. This is the pantry
where Kevin and Jason McCallister finally just cut the pretense and sucked face. As my mind continues to wander, my eyes scan
the shelves. Teddy Grahams? Hmm, I wouldn't have pegged Nora as a Teddy
Grahams kind of gal.
I turn around and I'm in the kitchen, probably the most frequented room of the
house. The room where the siblings sit around gossiping, drinking wine,
snacking. Ah, the Walker
kitchen. I can't help but smile.
And then, I'm snapped back into reality. Crew members march through,
setting up lights, reading meters. The kitchen is actually where they are
filming now. Stand-ins for the actors wait patiently as the crew busily
works around them. Oh, that lady looks like Nora. I wonder if Sally
Field is nearby. And then I don't even have to wonder.
"Calling first team." A rush of adrenaline. I'm a newbie,
but I've been around film sets enough to know what that means. I quickly
exit the kitchen, as Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths begin making their way
in.
I reenter the dining room and now see it for what it really is: "Video
Village." The furniture
has been pushed against the wall. Director
Michael Schultz, script supervisor Margery Kimbrough, and episode co-writer Liz
Tigelaar sit watching the video screens. A few of the seats look vacant,
and I'm invited to take one. Now I can
just sit back and relax. It's almost as
if I'm sitting at home on a Sunday night watching the show.
Soon, crew members huddle around the monitors to watch the
actors at work. The scene includes much
of the cast as Justin, Tommy, Kevin, Sarah and Rebecca surprise Nora with an
elaborate brunch. The siblings all play
along innocently, but Nora sees through this obvious attempt to cheer up Mom.
They film the scene a few times in a wide shot, then a few
in a medium shot, and then some close-ups of Nora. This process includes even more downtime than
I had imagined.
In between these set-ups, Balthazar Getty comes into the
dining room and chats with his two agents, who have taken the time to visit set
today. He introduces them to Dave
Annable and Matthew Rhys. Dave Annable jokes, "You guys come to see some Balty magic?" Balthazar and his agents discuss what projects he can do over summer
hiatus. "You look good and fit," they
tell him. Balthazar mentions that the
strike gave him time to develop a fitness routine.
They continue chatting. Balthazar recounts a couple years back when he first auditioned for the
show. "I originally read for Kevin. I told Robbie (Jon Robin Baitz) and Ken
(Olin) that I wasn't interested in Kevin. I just told them. But for Tommy
they thought they wanted a blonde haired, blue eyed, athletic, All-American
guy." The agents smirk at this. "That's what I love about you," one pipes in,
"You just tell it like it is."
Director Michael Schultz approaches the three men, his brow
sternly furrowed. "You need to keep your
client UNDER CONTROL." He pauses and gives
a long chuckle. They all stand around,
making small talk, throwing in a little industry talk here and there. As they joke around, I can't help thinking
these agents must be a little jealous. Whatever high-rise, posh office they sit in rolling calls to casting
agents and TV executives can't compete with the warm and homey Walker
kitchen.
[Editor's note: Yes, they can.]
Then Michael Schultz gets back to work. Emily VanCamp needs his assistance because a
fellow actor keeps cutting her line off. Everyone on the set talks about Emily as being polite and sweet. It seems Emily is just one of those people,
that when she leaves the room, no one can say anything but good things about.
A few minutes later when Emily forgets one of her lines, she swears under her breath. She's mad at
herself, but not a single person even rolls their eyes. Rachel Griffiths yells out, "Come on, you
half Walker!" The actors and crew hiss at this insult and
all start laughing. Clearly, this group
is a family, able to goof around and insult one another, which makes it all the
more fun to watch.
"Alright, places." They're taking it from the top. And
in exactly a month, I, along with you, will be watching this on my TV screen.
Until Next Time,
Cole Fowler
Writers' Intern
"Double Negative," the second episode back, airs Sunday, April 27th.
