In a land far, far away…
Many Ridley Scott titles sit on my Favourite Films list, but I’ve never got around to watching Thelma and Louise…until now. It’s hard to believe this film is 33 years old – it’s an immaculate piece of work. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are electrifying in the title roles – performances now filed under: Do that kind of acting!
“When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact colour and shape.”
Claude Monet
“though this player’s going nowhere
there’s no giving in
I need an angel on my shoulder
Somebody watching over”
What I love about this one: the lyrics speak about the struggles of life and yet the vibe these artists deliver, to my ear, is distinctly uplifting – it’s super groovy and signals resilience and staying the course despite life’s challenges. Also loving the retro styling. Thanks Mamas Gun.
This was such a crazy audition: one day my agent sends over a casting invitation and I’m so chuffed to have an audition, as usual, until I notice the character is Henry VIII – the older, more familiar version. I’m a bit of a lanky beanpole and I just sit there thinking, well, this’ll be a waste of time.
However, I decide I’ve got nothing to lose and end up doing something a little outlandish – I fully dress up for the audition. I use cardboard and bubble-wrap to create American-football-style shoulder pads on top of a puffy jacket and dress it all up with curtains and sparkling fabrics – the volume is impressive. I even grab some elegant white leggings from Primarny and stuff cotton wool into my cheeks to fill out my face. To give a little more context, dressing up like this is generally not encouraged and is considered a little unprofessional. It can also look silly VERY easily. With regard to costume, best practice is to give a hint of the character and concentrate on the performance.
I think the casting director was a little confused when I asked if there was a changing room at the audition location; when I stepped into the room he was genuinely taken aback, but then grinned and said, “10 Out of 10 for preparation”.
To my delight, I was invited back for the recall. This time there was a whole crew of people in the room, including the director, Daniel Kleinman (creator of many superb James Bond title sequences and brillianty funny commercials). Again, I wore the full costume, but this time I entered in character and stayed that way, treating everyone in the room, who would be deciding my casting fate, with absolute contempt. It was simply delicious. Of course, I came back down to Earth once the acting part of the audition was over – I observed all the usual pleasantries and when my skirt (yep, my curtain-skirt) started slipping off, I quickly made my exit.
Long story short, I booked the job and had an excellent time in an amazing costume, riding horses, shooting arrows and meeting all sorts of fascinating filmy folk. An interesting bit of trivia: the cloak I’m wearing in this commercial was one of a series originally created for Eric Bana in The Other Boleyn Girl – because this one never appears in the film, we were allowed to use it.
Jeffrey Mundell 