Life - the movie

A made for TV Movie is what I was told "LIfe" was all about. Starring Damian Lewis. For you that don't know who he is, he is the redhead in Dreamcatcher. "Life" is about a cop who was wrongly imprisoned and then released to join the force again...or at least that's how I've heard the story goes.

Basecamp 1 in downtown LA

Basecamp 1 was set up in a parking lot in downtown LA. From there we were bussed to a residential street for filming. This was Damien's first time filming on a street. To our surprise the streets were not blocked off. Damien, along with 4 or 5 other kids are eating fruit they get from a fruit vending cart. Officer Damian Lewis (not sure of his name in the film) also stops at the cart for something to eat. Its a short scene and I think we were there for about an hour or so.

Damian Lewis (Life Chair)

Damian Lewis sat in a chair right next to where I was standing and when Damien was done filming he went up to Damien Lewis and shook hands. They spoke a little and talked about having the same first name but with different spellings. Damien Lewis was very nice.

We let the set teacher know that we were going to head down the long outdoor stairs that led to another residential street. Here were the tables of snacks and bathrooms. When we went back up, we discovered the set teacher and all the other parents had left in the van. We were led to another van full of actors and waited while they filmed some more before the van could leave.

Instead of taking us to where our car was parked, we were taken to basecamp 2. Here they had tents set up with lunch. We saw Damian Lewis here and again he was nice enough to bend down to Damien's level and have a long chat with him. I had no idea if were suppose to be at basecamp 2 but Damian Lewis assured us it was fine and invited Damien and myself in to eat.

Finally another van pulled up and we had our ride back to our car. We learned to expect the unexpected on these jobs and from now on if we end up at the wrong basecamp, we'll be okay with it and not in such a panic! Besides, the stars of the show can be really nice!

Independent Movie

I heard that it's a good idea to try for independent or student films mainly for the experience and to add to your resume. So I applied for Damien to be in one. It was filming close by and it was only for the part of a student. Independent and student films often don't pay. The film is called "Those Chosen" and is the story of a boy raised in a cult. I was surprised when the producer contacted us in an email and invited us to the set.

Damien had already filmed several tv shows by this time so when we showed up to the school where the filming would take place, we were surprised that no one was there. We sat in the car for a while and eventually saw a few people walking around. There was a card table with snacks, the producer and two or three other helpers. After a while a few more kids showed up but not many.

Filming on a school yard.

Even though filming an independent movie is different than a tv show or big budget movie, we had a great time on this small set. Damien was filmed quite a bit, we got to chat with other Moms and Damien made friends with the young star of the film, Kevin. In fact they hit it off so well, that Kevin and his Mom invited us to the producers house after they were done filming outdoors. Damien and Kevin played the producers new Wii system while Kevin's mom and I chatted. I took plenty of photos with permission.

Later the producer sent me a CD with all of Damien's footage and a little more! We'd gladly work on a film with him again!

Work From Home

We had a couple of birthdays at the house this week (ugh, don't ask) and I came across a website that actually auto-posts a list of people who are celebrating their birthdays. Not a bad idea! I think I'll see about adding that to my business site. After a slow winter things have really started to pick up again with the business. I'm on a hunt for a few more web content (usually keyword) writers. At one time we (my good friend aka ex-business partner) had over 100 writers. I am now down to about 20 good writers. When I invite people to write for me, many assume it's a scam. They think it can't be that easy to get paid to work from home. I love being able to work from home and I'll even write articles myself for extra spending money. I think a work at home job is a great idea for those with kids who are actors and well, really for anyone with young kids who wants to work from home.

On one of Damien's acting jobs I ran into a Mom who was telling us other Mom's how she paid almost $2,000 for a list of agents, managers and breakdowns. Breakdowns are similar to employment opportunities. It will list the name of the project (movie, tv show, etc) and what they are specifically looking for. A breakdown might say, "(Name of tv show), Boy, ages 10-12, ethnic appearance, must be outgoing, must be able to cry on camera (etc)" plus usually more information. Many breakdowns are available online for a small monthly fee. Some breakdowns can only be viewed by your manager or agent. Paying someone a huge amount of money, Iin my opinion, is not worth it. You can find lists of agents and managers online or buy a book that lists current agencies. Save your money! The total cost for my son to get into the acting business, $100. But it doesn't need to cost anything! You can start with a photo you've taken yourself and self-submit your child online, in some places for free or as little as $2 for each submission. Don't fall for any scams!

Another Mom told me she paid over $40 for a work permit. These permits are needed by minors that act. They are available for free from your local county office. Do some research online before paying money for anything. We are new to acting but there are many other Mom's online that can lead you in the right direction. Join a forum for parents of child actors before starting in the biz. When your child gets his or her first job, talk to other Mom's on the set. Not just "one" Mom but several. Expect to get some wrong info since not all Mom's will know about the same hints and tips. Sort out all your info and just use what's best for you and your child.

Charlie Wilson's War - Filming

What can I say? This was an AMAZING set!

Charlie Wilson's War
(Found on the internet)

This could be my longest blog ever but I'm going to try and keep it short after the comment I received telling me my blogs are too long.

Charlie Wilson's War was the biggest and most impressive set we've ever been on. So large in fact that they took us by bus to move from holding to the set. The Refugee Camp was an exact duplicate of the real thing and just amazing. It felt as if we were visiting an actual Refugee Camp. Dozens of amputees were used, including children. It was a very moving sight.

Tom Hanks was on set but I heard Julia Roberts wasn't there this particular day. Damien wore his traditional Afghan outfit which included a red hat (not sure what they call them) and he was filmed walking down a dirt road towards the camera while pushing a old wooden cart.

This was obviously a big budget film with hundreds of Afghans, camels, a helicopter and a set we'll never forget. Damien has a chance of filming again in May. I know this movie will be a major hit when it's released.

Hi to Mina and her daughter Arika who was standing next to Tom Hanks in one scene, so close I hear they bumped shoulders. Arika plays the older sister of a young girl who is missing an arm. Hope we see you again on the set in May!

Everybody Hates Caruso

It was a long day on the set of Everybody Hates Chris. This is the fist episode of the new season called Everybody Hates Caruso. Damien had a great time working today. He made some friends and hopes to see them back on the set soon. In fact, they say they want him back on friday. Only problem with that is when we were driving home, Charlie Wilson's War casting called and confirmed that Damien is working on their film tomorrow. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday. I feel bad that we won't be home to help him celebrate but we'll make up for it over the weekend.

We entered Paramount after the guard checks out our California ID's. It was nice knowing exactly which studio to go to. We signed in and went to wardrobe. The wardrobe lady remembers Damien, which is nice. She sent him off to change into a denim blue long sleeve shirt and a pullover gray sweater.

They sent Damien to the hair and make-up trailer. There are four chairs in the trailer. The doors were closed but since they told us to go in, we opened the door. Standing there was "Chris" (Tyler) who is the main character of the show, so I politely closed the door. Then it swung open and the hairdresser said to come on in and leave Damien's suitcase outside. So we went in and Damien sat in the second chair. "Chris" (Tyler James Williams), "Joey Caruso" (Travis T. Flory) and "Greg" (Vincent Martella) were sitting in the other three chairs. I was so wishing I could take a photo but when we entered Paramount Studios, we had been handed a paper saying that all cameras would be taken away and not given back. It would have been a great shot! Damien sitting among the stars! They pulled Damien's hair back tight into a pony tail and sent him off to school.

He spent some time in school before being taken to set for filming. Seems this episode is going to have a fun cafeteria scene! I'll say no more! Damien's friend CJ was there. We've seen CJ on past shows and have been so excited to see so many close-ups of him. In this episode, he's carrying a cafeteria tray with food and well, things get exciting in the cafeteria.

Lunch at Paramount

Most of the kids finished school (3 hours) just before lunch break. We took a walk with other mom's and their actors to the Paramount Studio Cafeteria. Since no cameras were allowed, I took a picture of Damien eating his lunch without others in the shot. I just wanted at least one photo for his scrapbook!

Over Booked! Yikes!

Charlie Wilson's War

Wow! What a day! While waiting for my son to be let out of his class, I called The CWW casting to see if they had an update on the shoot for tomorrow. It sounds as if Damien will be needed. The recording said that everyone working on the film today was to return plus there would be new actors coming in. That would be Damien is my guess.

So I get home and just sit down to relax when my cell phone rings. It's Damien's manager! She wants to know if Damien can go to Everybody Hates Chris tomorrow and possibly Friday! Damien loves working on this show. Now what to do? I reminded his manager that Damien is doing Charlie Wilson's War and she was so nice about it. I just love our manager! Since we won't know for sure if Damien is working on CWW, she booked him for Everybody Hates Chris and told me that "if" we get a confirmation for CWW tonight, to just leave her a message and she'd try to find a replacement. If Damien doesn't get CWW, then it's off to Everybody Hates Chris tomorrow. He is so excited. He wants BOTH jobs! Hopefully this will work out.

Everybody Hates Chris

I'll update this blog as I get more news.

Okay, here's the update! I went to the CWW website and Damien's name is still not on the list. Though it does look like a list of different names. So that settles it, Damien will head to Paramount Studios tomorrow for Everybody Hates Chris. He is going to be a Coleone Jr High Student in the year 1985. I heard the message for wardrobe and we had to run out and buy a long sleeve button down shirt for the show! Damien's shirts are the wrong color (no red, white or black is a common guideline for tv shows).

Hopefully I can get his photo on the set tomorrow so you can find him when the show airs. We called Maggie and Nancy to see if they would be there but they didn't get a call. It's probably because only a few girls have been called in for tomorrows show. We need to get up early, about 4am to get to the studio in time. I'll post pictures tomorrow if I can snap a few.

Postponed or Cancelled?

Received a phone call on Sunday evening that Charlie Wilson's War was postponed. Now does this mean it's cancelled and Damien will get paid for the day? It really doesn't matter but that's a lot of money to earn for a cancellation! The person on the phone told me that Damien's scene was not being shot tomorrow after all and they would be calling me back tomorrow with a new date. I figure this is due to the rain. Yes, rain in sunny California.

So I went to their website to see if it says anything about the day being cancelled and to my surprise it didn't. Damien's name is removed from the long list of names though. I wonder how many other names were removed and what kind of scene Damien would be in. When his name was up on the list for filming, he was to be included in the arrival scene at the Refugee Camp. Now, the list of names is "still" for the arrival scene but Damien isn't included. I wonder what exactly he'll be filming now. At least it appears that there will be fewer kids or people in the scene he's in. Maybe I can ask when they call me today.

CWW casting is also offering a discount rate at a nearby hotel. I talked it over with my family and we are seriously considering getting a room. Damien has to shoot from 2 to 5 days and it's a long drive through traffic each way. I saw the early morning calls which means getting up at 2 or 3am if we leave from our house. It's probably cheaper to get a hotel than to pay for gas!

10:30pm Update: CWW website was just updated. Looks like another day of not working. So tomorrow, it's off to homeschool classes. Hopefully Damien will get the phone call to work on Wednesday. Thursday is his Dad's birthday and we were hoping we'd be home that day. So far it's not looking good. We'll have to celebrate over the weekend.

More on CWW

I have a website to check for updates on Charlie Wilson's War. I went to see if they had posted a time to be on set this Monday. Well, no time is there yet but...There was Damien's name! Along with many others but at least it's there! We are just so excited about this movie. Working on a movie that is starring Tom Hanks is just unbelievable. Though it looks like there will be hundreds of people in this scene, chances are my son will be hard to spot on the big screen. Luckily he is in a red hat which may help us find him when the movie airs.

I'd print out the page that includes his name but when I did a print preview, yikes! It's 19 pages long! Looks like Monday may not be a rehearsal but the actual filming now. I'm not sure. They are also offering a discount at nearby hotels for anyone who wants to stay. We just may take them up on that. With the cost of gas, it could be worth staying.

We are off to the show. Trying to decide what movie to see. I'm always open to see anything. I know my husband wants to see 300 but last time we went to see it, we bought tickets for The Reaping instead. We love the movies and I am hoping that the trailer for I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is running before the movie this time! I know others have seen it.

CWW and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Looks like the wind was really bad in the valley. Another wind storm is due to hit on Sunday. I wonder what this will mean for Charlie Wilson's War. Meanwhile, when we got the mail today, we saw a check for Damien. Before we opened it we tried to think of what he hadn't been paid for yet. We made a few guesses but nope, he's been paid for everything. Then Damien says, "Oh the Charlie Wilson's War FITTING!" and sure enough, that's what it was. He's never been paid for a fitting before so that was nice.

Taking measurements at Charlie Wilson's War fitting.

I don't think I've mentioned that I am "not" an actor. I work from home on my computer. I have an online business producing articles for websites. I love working from home and being able to spend time with my kids. Another great benefit is working your own hours. If I can't sleep, I can get up and start working. I not only hire writers but I also write some of the content myself. I'm always on the hunt for more articles to write.

Well, what do you know? I'm here writing when my cell phone rings. It's someone from Charlie Wilson's War. He wants to confirm that Damien is able to go to rehearsal on Monday. Then he tells me how Damien will be paid for today (cancelled day) and also full pay on Monday if it gets cancelled again! Wow! That's a lot of money! Especially for sitting at home! How nice is that? I wonder if this is the standard. We've never had a film be postponed before. Guess they are concerned about the wind warning for Sunday night.

Damien works with Nancy again. What a small world.

Damien did a little scene in a movie that was shot at a school. It's called "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry". Starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. They used tons of kids on this movie so chances of Damien being seen are slim to none. He had a late call. Homebase was held in a parking lot but so close to the school we walked to the set. They did offer bus rides but many just found it easy to walk. We were excited to see Nancy on the set though our kids ended up in different groups.

I took Damien to wardrobe where they approved his own dark maroon shirt. They said most of the boys were in blue so that was a great choice of color. Maybe we can spot him in this film by his shirt. Most of the kids also wore backpacks. We were all asked to bring our own. I had to run out and buy him one, which he has now put to good use. As we were walking back to the holding area (a huge tent) we passed some men playing basketball. I didn't give it much thought till later when I was told that Adam Sandler was one of the men playing basketball! Whoops! I walked right by him and didn't know it.

The holding tent.

We sat at tables with lots of other Moms, kids and adult actors. School was in an attached tent next to us. Damien played his Nintendo DS while waiting to be called. A mom sitting at the table showed me photos on her digital camera of her daughter with Adam Sandler. Apparently he was very nice and met with the kids and parents who had arrived earlier. Some of these kids were dressed in baseball uniforms, and an adult actor sitting next to me was dressed as a baseball coach. Later I heard as each group of kids filmed, Adam would come out just to meet the kids.

Lunch

Damien had lunch before he was called in to film. He was probably in a group of 20-30 kids. They let the parents go into the library and watch the kids on a monitor. The kids went down the hall for their scene. I couldn't really see much but from what Damien tells me, two men get in a fight in the hallway. One is Kevin James. He grabs a school science project and bats the other man over the head with it. The kids are all shouting, "Fight, fight, fight" and laughing hysterically! Damien said that Kevin James is the funniest guy around. Adam Sandler entered the room to talk to the crew but since Damien was with the last group of kids to film, I suppose Mr. Sandler had a long day and was tired. At least Damien got to see him and I just love Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore!

Going indoors to shoot.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry will be in theaters in July 2007. I hear that trailors are being shown in the theater already. We've gone to the show this past week but didn't see it. Everyone is saying it looks like a winner. I hope we can see Damien in the hallway scene so we can scream in the theater! ha ha! It will be our first time seeing him on the BIG screen.

Charlie Wilson's War and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Today we were suppose to be at rehearsal for Charlie Wilson's War. Last night I went out and filled the car with gas, bought snacks for my son in case he didn't want to eat the food served at the set, got our clothes all ready, got the map book and printed out maps from mapquest...then we got the call. Cancelled due to high winds! Damien is rescheduled for rehearsal on Monday.

My oldest brother is good friends with a guy on the crew of Charlie Wilson's War. So today, my brother calls to tell me that his friend mentioned how two of the tents blew down yesterday! That's some strong winds. Now we will call the hotline on Sunday night to get the time to be on set on Monday.

Nancy and Damien

This isn't the first cancellation of a job. About two weeks ago Damien's manager called with a job for Disney Wizards, a new TV show. We were both excited about this one because earlier in the day, Damien's friend Nancy had also been called for this job. This meant Damien and Nancy could work together and I could hang out with Nancy's Mom, Maggie. But later that night Damien's manager called back and asked what grade Damien was in. When I said 6th, they cancelled him. I called Maggie and found out Nancy had been cancelled too. At least with Charlie Wilson's War, it's not really a cancellation but a postponement.

Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm

About three weeks ago, Damien did a show called Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was just one of many boys playing on a soccer team. It took us much longer to get to basecamp than we expected. Apparently there was a car on fire by the side of the freeway that slowed things way down. We showed up right on time, along with quite a few others who had taken the same freeway. Basecamp was held in a park and school was in a half tent. I call it a half tent because it only had two sides and a cover. We checked in and filled out the paperwork, then Damien was off to school. The crew were especially nice on this set. They had muffins, cereal, donuts and more set out for the kids. Parents were allowed to be near there kids (some sets won't let the parents join the kids when they're schooling). One mom who homeschools, was allowed to teach her own child within the school. This set was just much more relaxed and friendlier than any we had been on before.

Damien in front of school tent at Basecamp

Then the boys were called over to a fitting. They were each given either a red or blue soccer uniform. The uniforms were too small for the boys! The shorts were so short that the tallest boy couldn't fit in the uniform and ended up standing on the sideline during filming, wearing his own clothes. Once the boys all changed, we were all taken by vans to the set. This was filming at a school in the field.

Walking from the van to the field

Never having seen the show, I was surprised at their set up. They had all of the cameras facing one way, but as the sun came up, they changed plans and moved the cameras around. They just seemed to have a "go with the flow" attitude. Later I would learn that everything done on this show is improvised. This means there is no script. Well, there must be a general script, but no specific lines. At one time, Larry David walked up to us parents (and I believe he was looking right at me) and said he was sorry for cussing in front of my son! lol I thought it was part of the script but I guess the cussing was improvised too!

They let the boys warm up by playing soccer and then put them in their positions. Damien was not placed on the field with the "teams" but put on a back field with about 4 other boys to practice shooting the ball in the net. Then the crew asked us parents to play "soccer parents". A few standing "parents" were actors, but some of us, mostly sitting were real parents. I happen to be standing. A crew member came along with tape and covered any logos we had on jackets or shirts.

This was the quickest shoot we'd ever been on. I would guess we were out on the field about an hour with filming only about half of that. By about noon we were on our way home! Even after checking out the crew asked if we'd like to stay for lunch! We didn't, in hopes of missing the evening traffic, but I wish we had. There are acting jobs posted online and I keep searching them in hopes that Damien and maybe even myself, would get cast for Curb Your Enthusiasm again.

Entourage HBO

Since Entourage seems to be the most popular show that Damien has worked on, I thought I'd name this blog after this job! Not only did Damien work on it, but I did as well. Getting this phone call was so exciting because I knew it was my friend, Charles', favorite show. Or at least one of his favorites. Now he'll be able to see Damien on TV.

This show is filmed far from our house so we had to leave early in the morning. We left about 4am for a long drive through Los Angeles and about an hour north of it. I was shocked to see the dirt road that we needed to turn down. We almost needed four wheel drive. Luckily I was following another car or else I probably would have gotten lost or turned back, thinking this couldn't possibly be the right way. But after a while we came to a grouping of trailers and lots of parked cars and we knew we found the location.

Homebase way out in nowhere land.

It was cold in the mountains, I do mean freezing cold with a slight breeze which made it even colder. We both wore our jackets and Damien was starting to cough and sneeze. We went inside the holding area which was a large tent. At the sign in table the young lady looked at Damien and said she has picture selected him. This means she looked at pictures of boys and girls and said, Thats the one we want! At least that's what I've been told. I hear being picture selected is a good thing. By the way, Damien was also picture selected for Charlie Wilson's War.

We filled out all the necessary paperwork and then off to the large table lined with food. Wow, they had all sorts of breakfast goodies, from muffins and cereal to eggs and sausage. Damien ate a little and we waited to be called. They sent him off to wardrobe where they handed him three outfits. He was to play a poor Columbian child. His clothes were faded and worn and seemed to be a size or two too small. Luckily the really short shorts were too small and he didn't have to wear them in the freezing cold weather. His first outfit was a faded red shirt and his own jeans and shoes.

Soccer scene.

While getting his outfits a car pulled up and I could hear people whispering, "There's Adrian." Okay, never having watched the show before, I wondered if this could be the "star" and sure enough, it was. A very very tall and handsome man got out of his car wearing a long black coat. He had curly black hair and a gorgeous smile that I won't forget. I know better than to talk to the main actors but geesh, we were about 6 feet away from him. At least I got a good look!

Then Damien was sent off to school where all acting children need to go for at least 3 hours of tutoring. Meanwhile, I met another boy's Mom and we decided to sit inside the tent together. The crew was really nice (I'd love to work this job again) and they asked us if we could help them out by being extras in the show. We both agreed and filled out our own papers then we were sent off to wardrobe. Okay, here's the tricky part. I had no idea that you "must" wear whatever they tell you to wear. Ugh! I was given three outfits to wear. Most of course were too small. Okay, it's not that I'm huge but if you ever see a breakdown, you'll notice they tend to think a woman's average size is a 4. Ha Ha! I was given a button down blue shirt for the first scene. We then had to go on set with our boys. I was surprised to walk up the hill a short ways and find a whole Columbian village. Roads, churches, chickens, donkey's and lots of background actors.

Damien and the other boy were given a soccer ball and told to kick it around the street. A wardrobe lady came around with a small black nylon bag full of some sort of dirt and patted myself and my son with it to make us appear dirty. Our jeans and shoes needed some extra cleaning that night!While the boys kicked a ball around, the other Mom and I chatted while we walked down the dirt road and around the corner. When a tank and other vehicles pulled up the boys were to run over and hold the soccer ball while they looked at the cars. In the second scene the other Mom and I were to cross the street, right between the camera and the tank, followed by the car which Adrian and the other actors were getting out of. It was funny to hear our directions.."First goes the donkey, then you two, then the man pushing the ice cream cart".

Orange and white stripes.

The boys were then in another scene where they steal fruit. Damien's outfit for this one was a tight orange and white striped shirt. He wore his jacket between scenes and we even tried to stay warm inside of the Columbian Church for a while. This scene was our favorite. It made us Mom's laugh as they ran over to take bananas and sometimes potoatoes from the stand. It was filmed quite a few times and we have no idea which take will be used, but in one take Damien slips and falls, and in another a man catches him by the waist when he's trying to get away. Hopefully the scene will make it to the tv screen. The boys run right past the Entourage crew so we're hopeful.

Stealing fruit! The "Entourage" is to the right.

One thing we weren't told about this job is the cussing that is used on set. I now understand it's part of the HBO show, but at the time, I had no clue. Damien seemed to handle it well, though he told me afterwards, "Wow, did you hear them?" After lunch the other Mom and I were told to change wardrobe. Ewww..I was given a sleeveless horizontal striped tank top to wear that was again two sizes too small. They also put me in lace up orange shoes. The other Mom was in a short skirt, matching top and scarf and flip-flop shoes. We went back to the Columbian Village but they filmed without us. I have to admit, we had a great time and it was even better when my check arrived at my house. Talk about easy money! Plus we were fed lunch too.

A service man from the tank.

As we signed out for the day, they told us they might call us back the next day. They did. They wanted Damien back for 5 days total. Unfortunately, he ended up with bronchitis and we spent the next day at the doctors. The other boy couldn't return either so other kids were hired. This show hasn't aired yet, so we have high hopes that they make the cut!

Everybody Hates Chris

If you enjoy sitcoms, you might like this show! My teenagers get a kick out of the childhood of Chris Rock. That is one funny guy! Damien has been in several Everybody Hates Chris (EHC) shows. I like to think of him as a regular on the show, but he's not. We do have hope for next season though. Our first time to this set on Paramount was quite different than his job at Warner Brothers. First, we had a hard time getting past the check point. They didn't have our names on their list. While we waited more kids started showing up and also weren't on the waiting list. So the uniformed guards called our managers and got a confirmation that we could enter the studio.

Paramount Studios

Once inside we had a long walk to the studio. We waited in a waiting area that had seating but was also a pass through for a hallway. Signs were up on the wall pointing to the office of Charlie Wilson's War. It was filming in the studio right next door to Everybody Hates Chris. My fingers were crossed that I might get a peek at Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts.



Working on Everybody Hates Chris was quite an experience. Damien made a friend on this job, Nancy, and I became friends with her mother, Maggie. We stay in touch and spent Valentine's together this year. Even though EHC doesn't feed the background actors or parents, we actually enjoy walking to their small outdoor food court and eating among other actors there. We've met some very nice people there including other actors and crew. It's a long day on this set but we love it.

Since parents are allowed to be within eyeshot of their acting child, I always hang around the set. Other parents will go to the holding area, which has been in different places on the studio grounds. The first time on this job we were held in an old theater far from where the kids were shooting. The next few times we were held in an empty studio, which is basically a big empty building.

Parents holding area.

One time while sitting just outside the door of the holding area, we saw Chris Rock standing across from us. I started to take his picture with my cell phone when another Mom covered my phone. She said we weren't allowed to take photos. Darn! A lost opportunity. I just wanted it for my son's scrapbook. The next day when we entered Paramount Studios we were given a map that also mentioned, no cameras allowed. Yikes! I had no idea. Another time on the set, also sitting outside the doorway again, I watched as Tom Hanks and his wife rode by on their bikes. Later I would see them again but I didn't say Hi or stare, just casually walked on by. I know that they need their privacy and they must get bombarded with fans on the streets and don't need that while on the set. I was curious about Charlie Wilson's War since they were taking parts of an airplane onto their set, but I didn't want to take a chance and enter a set where I didn't belong.


Watching EHC film was amazing. I had no idea how easily the walls can be moved around. I actually thought the show was filmed in a real school but it isn't. It's a built set. Damien has played the part of an Italian student attending Corelone Jr high School. Coreleone is "Chris's" school. He did nothing but walk in the halls for two days. Another time he played a student at Dolemite Elementary School, which is where Chris's little sister attends. Damien is in a library where they're having a book sale. After shooting all day, you can only get a glimpse of him as he walks past a doorway.

On the EHC set.

We both enjoy this job because everyone is so nice there. The wardrobe lady goes out of her way to make sure everyone is dressed just right (1980's show) and the hair/make-up lady was so proud of Damien for growing his hair to donate. At the time of filming EHC, Damien had hair to his waist and the hair/make-up lady would tie it back into a braid and tuck it down Damien's shirt. Even the crew were nice and would make sure we got a good view of our kids while shooting. We have our fingers crossed that he gets recalled as a regular on this show!

Hair and Make-up. Damien having his hair braided.

Happy Easter!

Haircuts

My son has grown his hair long to donate to Locks Of Love two times so far. He recently had his hair cut a third time and we are waiting to hear back from a casting director that wants him to donate his hair on a tv show. Of course, after much thought, we cut his hair to his shoulders and then two days later someone calls us asking if he will get his hair cut on tv to help a cancer patient. Ugh! I told them he just had it cut and they said they would see if they can work it out where Damien will walk on stage and actually hand his hair over to a little girl with leukemia. He would love to do this and offered to do it for free since his heart is really in helping people with cancer. So currently, his hair sits in a bag here on my computer desk, waiting for another phone call. The casting director also suggested we send this batch of hair to Wigs for Kids if he doesn't get to do the tv show.

Getting ready for a haircut

Donating his hair for the third time

Damien also paints and sells his paintings on greeting cards along with the painting by his best friend K.J. Together they raise money for cancer research. Both boys have had articles written about them in their local newspaper. K.J. gave acting a go for a while but is now busy in college (yes, he's only 12) but now his older sister Jessica may give it a try. She's an absolute beauty (spitting image of her Mom) and we know she'll have a great career as an actress.

Painting by KJ

Painting by Damien

Recently my daughter came for a visit and stayed with us for 10 days. Her and her husband are thinking of moviing back to California where they'd like me to get their 2 yr old daughter into the business. At age 2 it's not that easy. Most films use twins when it comes to the little ones. This helps with hours they are allowed to work. They get "double time" with twins. It's not easy to get work for single babies. Still, I think my granddaughter is just adorable! Any managers out there see the potential? lol

Harmony

Currently Damien is growing his hair again. So far, he's worked with hair down to his waist with no problem. They slick it back in a tight braid and tuck it inside his shirt. No one has complained and he usual gets compliments about helping cancer patients. His manager believes he would get more work if he cut his hair slightly shorter, but Damien is determined to grow it once again for donation and there's no talking him out of it.

How it all started

Damien attends a homeschool program in a nearby town one day a week. While we were there, we met another homeschool Mom who happens to make her own educational films. She met Damien and said she could use him in her next film. This is where it all began!

School Christmas Play

She told us what we needed to do to get him started in the business. I really lucked out when my dentist told me about her daughters manager. We met with her and liked her so much, we signed on with her that day. Damien has been working ever since. They tell me he has that unique look and can pass for several different nationalities. He's also small for his age, which is an added benefit. I really like that his manager calls us to ask if Damien would like to accept a job. She is very accomodating and knows that sometimes family stuff comes up and you just have to say no now and then. When Damien did Entourage, he worked only one day when really they wanted him for five. I did worry that he wouldn't get called any more, but his manager is so great, she just keeps on calling!

If you're thinking of starting your child in the acting biz, don't think you need to spend a fortune. I suggest starting your child as a background extra. This way they can see exactly how it all works, what is expected of them, and whether they really enjoy it or not. I knew that scenes would be repeatedly filmed but Damien didn't. Actually we both thought maybe a few takes, but it's sometimes much more than that. Then there are different camera angles. Most people are nice to the kids but some can be snappy and want those kids back to their original spot as quick as they can. The one thing that surprised me is how much time each scene takes. Someone told me that for every hour of filming is 5 minutes of TV time. Can this be true?

Everybody Hates Chris - take 8

A good headshot is important but if you're starting out as an extra, don't bother. Just use a photo taken against a blank wall and it will be fine. Damien got the job with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts from a photo I took against a wall in our house. I knew it was a war movie in Afghanistan, so I put him in old clothes and snapped away. The professional photos I did ended up costing me only $50. They have a simple white background and show Damien as he really is. Casting people often select from photos and want the child to look like the photo, so don't over dress them or tie their hair back. Let them look natural.

Photo taken at home

Once your child says they want to give acting a try, let them know that they can be on the set all day, going into school for only 20 minutes at a time and getting pulled back out for a costume change or to film a new scene. Kids need to be prepared for this disruption. My son loves being on the set and finds school is disrupting his acting! lol I like school on the set because he gets a lot of work done with the tutors provided.

Damien's manager will call us, almost any time of day. Almost every time its to work a job the following day. Once we agree that he'll do the job, we are given a call back number. This number will be called after a specific time to get details on the job. Ususally the recording will tell us what to bring, such as ID, work permits, bank information, etc and also what part he will play (school boy, bully, homeless child, etc). After this you'll get another number to call which gives specific details, such as, clothes to wear and bring with you, and directions to the basecamp. Basecamp is where you park your car and everyone meets up. Sometimes you are bussed from basecamp to the place where they will be filming.

Basecamp in downtown L.A.

Clothing is important. They may be very specific, such as "converse shoes" or it may be general, such as "wear winter clothing". You'll need a small suitcase, probably one with wheels to put several different changes of clothing in. Later on set, they will look through your outfits and tell you what to wear. Some jobs will provide specific clothing for you, so be sure to know your sizes and measurements. I found out the hard way that when they choose clothing for you, that's what you're wearing. You don't have a choice. Don't complain about it. I saw a man on one set getting so upset by the shirt they wanted him to wear, he stormed out. Of course I heard people talking about it and how they'd never invite him back to work on their set! So prepare your kids, you just never know. My son wasn't too thrilled with his very short soccer shorts but luckily he didn't feel too bad since the whole soccer team were wearing the same thing.

If you decide that this might be for your child, research the laws in your state. Get in touch with other parents of child actors online. There are some great forums for parents who are interested. We love it and I'm sure you will too!

All of Us

There was a rerun of "All of Us" on last Sunday night which was Damien's very first job. It was filmed at the Warner Brothers Studio. We had a great time there. The crew were nice and fed all of us, including the parents. They allowed us to sit in audience seating and watch the show as it taped. We saw Debbie Allen and others working on the show. The funniest thing is, while I was walking up the stairs to sit in the audience seats, a young man was walking down the stairs. We bumped shoulders just slightly and I turned to look at him. It was Stephon Fuller! An upcoming actor whose blog is online and I read faithfully! I felt like I knew him but of course he had no idea why I was staring at him! lol

A Fireside Kid

Damien was to play a "Fireside Kid" which is similar to a boy scout. They dressed some boys in red and others in yellow. Damien was in yellow with an Indian headdress. There were quite a few boys in this scene, including a set of triplets. Since this was the first taping we'd ever been to, it was interesting to see the final cut. They had Damien and a few other boys cheering on some sled racers, then they filmed Damien running over to push the sled. A couple of takes Damien helps to push the sled off screen and doesn't return! And at one time part of the set falls down. In the end there's a few seconds of Damien cheering but lots more of his back or side turned towards the camera. You can find him if you look for his very long black hair. This was before he cut it up to his shoulders. He grows his hair to donate it to "Locks of Love" to be made into wigs for kids with cancer. He's donated it three times already.

Damien's first headshot - long hair

The kids are all schooled for 3 hours. Damien made a friend there named Chris. We found out that Chris had filmed Santa Clause 3 and had a great time doing it. He has the same manager as Damien. His Mom and I decided that after filming we would walk to the Warner Brothers Museum. We passed a man with bright red hair coming out of the next studio. Some other mom's of young actors starting talking to him and seemed very excited to see him. I had no clue who it was because I've never watched E.R. I suppose all of you know exactly who it is. I'm clueless. I need to watch more TV. In the museum they had a large display of Harry Potter's actual movie props and outfits. It was amazing to see the actual clothing and props used in the film. The boys had a good time looking around the two floors of the museum but unfortunately no cameras were allowed.

"All of Us"

It was a great first job for my son and lots of fun for me!

Introduction

I've decided to start a blog about my son's acting career since I have so many people asking me to fill them in on his jobs. Instead of writing emails all day, I will just post here and my family members and online friends can learn all the latest news about Damien's acting career.

For those that don't know me well, I'm married and have four kids. They range in age from 12 to 28 years. The oldest is a girl, the other three are boys. My actor is the youngest and is homeschooled. I'm not homeschooling by choice, it just seems to be necessary. Also, I'm not homeschooling because of his acting career but because he's gifted and the school really didn't have a very good plan for him. We just recently found a remarkable private Christian homeschool program that suits him well. They allow him to work at his own level while taking classes with other students his age.

Damien's headshot

This past weekend I received a phone call from Paramount Studios. This was a first and apparently it's unusual. They told me they had found Damien's photo online and were interested in using him in a movie called Charlie Wilson's War. This movie is starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. He would play the part of an Afghan Refugee. My son is usually called by his manager, who arranges any work for him so this took us by surprise. They told me that Damien would need to go to a fitting in Hollywood on Monday, which was two days ago. The basic rule when you are a parent of a child actor is only ONE parent may attend an acting job but since this was just a fitting and not attached to our manager, I decided to ask my husband to tag along. This was his first time he saw what goes on behind the scenes. Besides that, my husband can drive those one way Hollywood streets much better and faster than I can.

We had never been to a fitting and we weren't really sure what to expect, but I must say that the crew for Charlie Wilson's War was very organized and everyone was as nice as can be. We signed in and they took my son's measurements while I filled out paperwork. A crew member seemed to be assigned to my son and went on a hunt for shoes for Damien. He had the hardest time finding shoes that fit. Damien is small for 12 years old, at only 4 feet 7 inches tall, he wears a size 5 shoe. He tried on about 3 or 4 pairs and finally they led us back to a dressing room to try on his outfit while his assigned crew member went to find more shoes. His outfit was amazing! Red hat, beaded shirt and string-tied pants. Finally they found some shoes that were just slightly big so they punched some holes so the straps could tighten up.

(I will post a photo here after the film is released.)

The crew were so nice, even though only one parent was allowed to go in the dressing room (of course I went), they told Damien to go out in his costume and show his Dad. After Damien's whole outfit was approved by two crew men, he was sent to hair and makeup. The hairdresser told me not to cut his long black hair and not to color it. She suggested we don't wash it (yikes!) and then he was sent to makeup. We were told to get him chapstick and a sunscreen for the days they would film since it would be hot out and they would be filming on a mesa.

Damien's outfit was placed in a bag and he was given a number to claim them on rehearsal day. We filled out more papers and were given a map and other directions concerning rehearsal day. It was a fun day and we are totally excited about this film. We've seen Tom Hanks twice on another set but of course we never bother him. This will just be amazing to be a part of this historic film. I believe it will be in theaters in December 2007.