Last week my daughter was chosen as an extra for the Dear Eleanor film. It is a coming of age story about two girls in 1962 driving cross-country to meet Eleanor Roosevelt. Recently, I had a
dream that I was still on set. We were on break and I
was ordering a burrito for lunch with the crew (it looked very tasty by the way).
Obviously, I’m still processing my experience of being a stage mom from last week.
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| My star eating a late lunch at the Denver Diner after a long day of filming |
Having my daughter act as an extra was a great experience and one I will not soon forget. The best way to describe being on set is that it's similar to the organized chaos of
camping: packing up,
unpacking, piles of equipment everywhere, people gingerly stepping over each
other, eating late, things not always going as planned, meeting people, changing
in a bathroom stall, making do with what you’ve got, hot, dusty and often a wet
environment while trying to stay clean, eating off of paper plates, quiet
hours, curious and sometimes obnoxious onlookers/neighbors.
Spending time with
the cast and crew was fun, friendly, professional, at times stressful, serious and very bonding.
My daughter of course, loved it. Having to shoot a scene repeatedly from the back, then again from the front while staying in
character and looking fabulous just isn’t my thing. I will stick with writing. But I
understand and have a great respect for people who are willing to put in the
incredibly hard work and dedication it takes to follow their dream and help
tell a good story no matter the medium. As a novelist, THAT is something I will always
support and get on board with!
If you want to read
more about the Dear Eleanor film follow the tweets here.
