In last week’s blog I told you all about my process of learning all there was to know about my most recently filmed role as “Elsa Sharpless” in the “film-noir” thriller, “Day for Night.” In this week’s second installment of the blog I’m going to tell you all about my and Elsa’s experience on set!
After knowing Elsa so well from the intricate backstory I created, the research I had done and my other methods like sometimes living my life as her, I was so excited to bring her to life once and for all on the movie set! After months of preparation and hard work, Elsa was ready to take on Hollywood at full force!
As with all roles I film, I follow my acting coach, Susan Batson’s, advice and stay in character as much as possible while on set. When playing dark, complicated and “stuck up” characters, this doesn’t exactly make me the most approachable person! But that’s fine. Elsa isn’t one to waste her time making small talk, anyways.
For a typical day of filming, I would show up to the movie set as JamieLee. I would go and say my hellos, introduce myself to cast and crew members who I had not yet met and use the first hour or so to talk to people so they got to know “JamieLee.” Once I got into hair and makeup, however, as my physical appearance began to transform into Elsa, so did the rest of me. The friendly and social JamieLee quickly became the unapproachable, intimidating Elsa Sharpless as I felt myself slipping away and Elsa creeping through me.
When hair and makeup was complete, I would put my headphones in and listen to the music that I had chosen to help further inspire the Elsa in me to take over. By hearing these songs that I had so carefully chosen, I was able to inspire different emotions to take me over based on which scene I was filming next. Each scene I was in had different music chosen to evoke memories from the prior life that I had so meticulously created for Elsa. I would sit by myself and just people watch as Elsa while memories of her past were brought to life in my mind to inspire whatever feelings would bring out the truth needed for the scene I was about to film. *DaRKNESS
Because Elsa Sharpless had a “holier than though” attitude, people on set were very careful not to approach me when I was in character. I appeared to them to be a “Jekyll and Hyde” type of person because JamieLee’s and Elsa’s personalities were so extremely different!
When it was finally time to film my scenes for “Day for Night,” I was so ready. I was already in character and Elsa was ready to make her big Hollywood debut. Being so familiar with my character made filming my scenes a breeze. When the writer and director decided last minute to make some changes, I didn’t have to worry because I knew how Elsa would authentically handle any situation from living as her and the thorough character building exercises I had been doing.
Since Elsa is a very intimidating, all-knowing casting director – I had to really bring the fierceness to each line. One of my fondest memories was after I had to address a group of the actresses (who were playing actresses!) and they all freaked out after the director called “CUT!” because they themselves were so personally intimidated and freaked out by how severely fierce I was! That was such a huge compliment and I was so thrilled that I was able to bring that much ferocity to the point where the actresses felt authentically intimidated! That was exactly what their characters were supposed to be feeling, so the fact that I helped inspire truth in their reactions to me was what I felt to be such an accomplishment!
The cast and crew on this project were so talented and such an absolute joy to work with. I so thoroughly enjoyed being part of such a creative and dynamic team and feel so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet such great people! The director, Michael Chrisoulakis, was so amazing in his way of bringing his vision of the script to life and making sure that everyone on the set was on the same page and knew what was going on! He also had a very calming effect and an amazingly peaceful energy that rubbed off on everyone and seemed to help the whole team of “Day for Night” feel united. The writer, Guy J Jackson, who was also an actor in the movie, was so talented on so many levels! Not only is he artistic, but he was such a team player and happy to help anyone on set with anything they needed a hand with! It is all thanks to this incredible writer that this dynamic and forceful character was initially brought to life. I am so thankful that I was the actress that was chosen to play her and the fact that he was so overwhelmed and thrilled with how well I portrayed Elsa was the biggest compliment!
The woman in charge of hair and makeup, Cindy Cee, was so incredibly talented and we had such a great time bringing my visions for Elsa to life! Because I was also acting as the stylist for Elsa for this film and have a hairstyling background myself, I had very detailed visions of exactly what her hair and makeup should be from knowing her so well. I was extremely particular with every single detail because I knew Elsa inside out as living as her and I wasn’t willing to accept anything less than my vision. I was very nervous that my visions would not be translated properly, but Cindy Cee was absolutely amazing! She listened to my vision and was able to execute it phenomenally!
I can’t say enough about the talent of the “Day for Night” cast. I was truly blown away with how great they all were to work with! Arielle Brachfeld who played “Priscilla” was such a pleasure to work with and I loved our working dynamic and how much fun we had staying in character and challenging each other. She was an awesome leading lady that I am proud to have worked with!
I finally got to meet one of the producers I had been corresponding with when I arrived on the set, Kate Reese Davis, who was even more amazing in person! She is from my side of the pond and I really admire how she is climbing the ladder in LA, being involved in so many projects! She is truly an inspiration! From the cinematographer to the cast and the rest of the crew, there are just so many people I could mention and be proud to brag about working with but I’d be here forever!
Even though filming is finished, I really believe that Elsa Sharpless will be a part of me forever. I know her so well and she was such a big part of my life that I know I will never forget. I am taking so much away from this amazing experience and this Elsa Sharpless character will always have a big place in my heart! To all of the “Day for Night” team, I thank you for allowing me to be a part of this spectacular, creative and collaborative team! I can’t wait for the world to see the magic that we all created and I look forward to its longevity!