Sunday, November 29, 2015

Wrapping it all up

It is strange to be on a movie set. In the beginning everyone is sort of shy. Everyone is on their best behavior and tries to make a good impression. It’s a lot like the first day of school. Time seems to go very slowly and you feel like you have all the time in the world. Then it is as if you blink, and those people you were shy around before, are now just like your closest family members. You spend so much time with these people. You spend time in sometimes very stressful situations. You spend 10 hours a day working towards the same goal. Everyone is working towards the same goal; like a team. From the stand-ins to the grips to the sound guys to the hair and make-up to wardrobe to assistant directors and directors and cinematographers and actors and producers, all of you are working tirelessly for one goal… to make the best movie you can. Through that process, these people that were once your co- workers are now your family. That feels really safe and nice.

Then, in an instant, in a blink of an eye, it is over. You all go your separate ways and where it once felt like you had loads of time, it’s over.

The last week of shooting was probably the hardest time I have ever had as an actor. It was also the most rewarding. Our last few weeks we were shooting in the hospital. The scenes were all very emotional. My character begins to have a really hard time health wise. My heart even stops beating in a scene and they have to do CPR, difibrillators, and put me on a ventilator. All of this is very technical. I know it’s all making believe, but it is also very emotional. The producers brought a medical consultant on set to work with me to make sure everything I was doing was based in reality. He also worked with props, and he would hook me up to the IVs and he even played the part of a doctor that brings me back to life after I code. He explained to me what happens when my character’s heart stops beating. He explained how my body would feel and react when I was defibrillated.  

The last week, I also got to meet the actor who plays my doctor in the movie. His name is Anupam Kher and he is the most famous actor in India! He has almost 6 million followers on twitter!!!! This is kind of crazy because he posted a picture with me and the next day I was in newspapers in India. Anupam is also one of the nicest people I have ever met.  We got along instantly. He plays a very gentle man in the movie and in real life he is so kind and generous. It gave me a lot of confidence to get to know him and to talk to him about life. I want to visit him in India one day.


The last week was difficult too because Gerry had very emotional scenes as he says goodbye to my character as I am in a coma. I was supposed to lay still and not move. It seems like it would be easy, but it’s actually hard to still your entire body. It was also important to Gerry that even though I was in a coma, he wanted me to still “ be there spiritually “ for him. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant, so I just made sure I listened to him. I listened to every word. I heard him crying and I felt him hug me. It was very hard to not burst into tears myself. Every time they would yell cut, Gerry and I would hug and sob our eyes out.

I also had to do a scene where I know I am dying and I am scared. I can’t breathe and I am weak. The director wanted me to try and smile even though I was scared. I tried to smile, and I tried not to cry but I found the tears streaming down my face. In order to play the fear of dying, I actually had to understand what it was to lose everything and to die at such a young age. I used a blog called Superman Sam to research what it was like to battle Leukemia and to lose that battle. It was scary at times to really imagine, but I think I had to do that in order to get into character. Everyone in the room was crying. I guess it’s hard to do scenes like that and not become attached to people.

There was a lot of laughter the last week too. I got to meet The Green Goblin, Willem Dafoe and have dinner with him. It was awesome because we actually have a lot in common. He is a super nice guy. I also got to meet and hang out with another actor I really like named David Koechner. He is in one of my favorite movies of all time, Anchorman. He plays the guy who says “Whammy”. We had a big cast dinner with Anupam, Gerry, Gretchen, Willem and David. It was awesome.

But before long, it was time for me to wrap my scenes in Toronto. I could feel the sadness creeping in as the day came closer to finish. I knew I would have to say goodbye to people that had become like family to me. I guess that’s part of the job.

This experience taught me an incredible amount about life, and work, and even education. I learned that not all lessons can be learned in the classroom. Some lessons happen in the smallest moments everyday, like talking to an amazing man from another culture and learning that we all really want the same things. I learned that hard work pays off. The harder you work and the more focused you are, the more you can actually accomplish. I also learned that it’s important to enjoy what you do. Some of the best parts about this experience were just getting to know people and what their process is. I learned that kindness can go a long way. The boy who played my photo double was so shy. Sometimes it didn’t seem like he really wanted to be there at all. He also had to shave his head!!!! It was a big sacrifice for him because his face will never be seen on camera. I discovered that once I shared ideas and conversations with him, he really opened up. He shared with me how he had been teased at school for shaving his head and his teacher gave him a courage award because he had shown such bravery in shaving his head. I learned that I have a powerful voice even though I am just a kid. If you look people in the eye and state your opinions thoughtfully, people really listen and want to share with you. I also learned that you couldn’t do it all! I fell behind in my studies that last week and my teacher and my mom kept saying not to stress…. I had a harder time listening to that especially as I get closer to returning to school. Most importantly, I learned not to be afraid of cancer. I think I had always looked the other way when I saw sick kids. Now I don’t look away. I want to get to know them and know their story because we are all just kids.

This experience changed my perspective on so many things. I used to think that acting was not such an important job, but this movie can hopefully really make a difference. Maybe it will give someone hope as they struggle to beat cancer. Maybe it will help people realize what the important priorities in life are. I know I will never forget this experience and I am so grateful to have had such a meaningful time in Toronto.

I still have a week of shooting in Chicago. It will be interesting to shoot these scenes. It will be interesting to pick up the character after being back at school and in my real home.













No comments:

Post a Comment