Ours not to reason why / Ours but to do and die

A few weeks ago, one of the guys at the movie shoot argued with me when I sad that actors were on the lowest echelons of the production ladder. Like many people he mistakenly believed that an "actor" and a "celebrity" were one and the same. Trust me, they are not.

You see, celebrities are quite often famous people who either put up a shit load of money to make the production and hence are also the big bosses known as executive producers; or they are so famous that the movie will make millions of dollars simply because they are in it, and therefore everyone on the production wants to keep them happy.

Now, while actors aren't merely automatons of the "sit there and look pretty variety," they are expected to just know their lines, shut up, and sit there until they are told otherwise.

I was reminded of this the hard way on Saturday. You see, it seems I was having a little trouble with the "shut up" part. And being the consummate professional that I would like to think I am, I should have known better. You see, after 13 hour day, everyone was being a little testy. Even more so because we are horribly behind schedule and were taking about 5 hours to shoot a 4 page scene. People were getting really tired of repeating the same damn scene and I know I didn't understand why we were doing it again from the same angle we had just completed 4 hours before.

Ah! But actors are not meant to understand anything! Sit there! Shut up! Speak when you are told to! Stop using exclamation marks!

I don't want to get into it, but I got a lecture. A pretty mean one at that. I do take comfort in the fact though, as some of the other actors let me know after, that on previous shoot days, they had also been given some ferocious talking to. I guess Saturday was just my day. Unfortunately.

Well, I learned my lesson, hard as it may have been to learn. Nobody likes to be lectured. Especially when the lecturer has had very little rest, is frustrated, and would like nothing more than to bash you over the head with his Oscar had he only won one at that point.

I'm not taking it personally though. Some people just get that way under pressure. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go shut up.