Tale of Hoffman

Flashback: Fri Oct 19th

‘Hi Rob! It’s Sarah at Casting. Are you free to film next Tuesday?’

‘No problem.’

‘Great. You’ll be playing a train traveller on a film called LAST CHANCE HARVEY. Filming takes place at Paddington Station and on board the Heathrow Express.’

‘I’ll be there.’

Tues Oct 23rd

Got to the station at 8am - missed breakfast (damn!). Had to make do with a bowl of cornflakes. Sat on crew bus - couldn’t remember name of film. Found a callsheet - film called LAST CHANCE HARVEY. First actor called to shoot today: Emma Thompson. Oh my God. Emma Thompson. Yes. Suddenly remembered reading an article in the newspaper whilst I was shooting THE DUCHESS a few weekends ago. An accompanying picture of Emma with….no, it couldn’t be….

I check the callsheet again. Second actor called today: it’s only Hoffman! Dustin bloody Hoffman. Benjamin Braddock. Ratso Rizzo. Marathon Man. Rain Man. The man I saw playing Shylock on stage in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE in 1987.

The Hoff-meister.

Dustin.

Hoffman.

I can’t believe it. I’m going to be making a film with Dustin Hoffman.

10.25am - I’m standing in a train carriage with several extras of various sizes, waiting to emerge as part of a ‘morning rush hour’ scenario.

And in the middle of us all are Emma Thompson & Dustin Hoffman.

I’m attempting to act blase, as though this sort of thing happens all the time. I make no attempt to look at them directly. In reality I’m screaming inside.

Now you might think, ‘Get a grip, Rob - they’re just two human beings.’

No - they are not. They are living gods. And one of them is Dustin Hoffman.

We do the scene over and over again, each time emerging in a different formation. I’ve been instructed to have my mobile clamped to my ear, pretending to shout into it (all the extras have to be silent so that the director and sound engineer can hear E & D’s dialogue). And thus the morning passes.

11.30am - E & D are filming a scene of the two of them taking a taxi away from the station. However, this means that they have to do it in the middle of the general public, and there are problems with various star-struck(!) people trying to watch or take photos. They eventually manage to shoot the required shots, and the techies start to dismantle the lighting rigging. D. nips off sharpish to the base unit round the corner, bodyguard in tow; it seems that the public are nervous about approaching him for autographs, but they have no such qualms with E. She signs left and right, poses for photos, etc. for a good five minutes before following Dustin. A good egg. My estimation of her goes up enormously.

1.30pm - after lunch, we head back to the station concourse. Time to board the Hogwart’s Heathrow Express. We have two carriages all to ourselves, and we’ll be making two round-trips whilst we film another scene with E. and D.

One of the assistant directors seats us all (40+ in total) in the main carriage. As luck would have it, I’m placed in a window seat, facing the back of train. I’ll therefore be hidden from view when the cameras are turning. Damn, damn, damn.

But the director’s not happy. The camera has to be placed further back than first thought. He needs the extras brought down the carriage more, and the AD asks us to move accordingly. I don’t need telling twice. I’m up from my allotted seat and hare down the carriage to the seat nearest the camera. Sorted. That’s better.

The scene involves E. standing in one compartment, and D. in another. He spots her at the other end of the crowded carriage, and makes his way through the standing passengers to reach her, talking at her while he does so.

The first shot is the scene from E’s POV. ‘We need a few people to stand in the aisleway,’ says the director, and the AD selects them at random. ‘You, sir…you, madam…you, madam….you, sir…..and you.’ A hand taps me on the shoulder. Blimey.

I’m told to stand in the aisle with my arm outstretched, holding on to the luggage rail over the opposite bank of seats. D. is standing at the other end of the carriage, calling out suggestions as to various shots. He then makes his way down the aisle, and comes to rest in front of me. ‘Why don’t we do the take with me trying to peer over and then under this guy’s arm? Hi! What’s your name?’

‘Rob.’

‘Hi Rob. Pleased to meet you.’ He shakes my hand.

I can’t believe this is happening!

We do the shot several times, each time with D. struggling to get past me to reach E. At the end of the shot, D. comes up to me and shakes my hand. ‘Thanks, Rob. Good working with you.’

‘My pleasure.’

Blase on the outside - screaming inside.

By this time, we’ve arrived back at Paddington, and several people get off, including many of the extras. However, I stay on - how could I not?

The crew then have to turn the camera around and re-film the shot, this time from D’s POV. Whilst this happens, I’m sat down in a compartment at the end of the carriage - opposite Emma. We discuss various things - the shooting schedule, her dress - and share in a plate of biscuits that one of the ADs is passing round. Then she gets the call to pose for the camera, and she’s off.

So the scene is re-shot, with the emphasis now on Emma. However, D. still needs to deliver his lines as before, to give her someone to focus on - but this time behind the camera. Another big guy is called upon to stand in front of D., and I appear to have been forgotten. Ah well…that’s show biz.

However, Emma pipes up. ‘The original chap is still with us.’ She calls back to me. ‘Rob?’ 

I’ll love her for ever and ever.

So once again I’m called upon to bar D’s way, in order to give his voice an ‘authentic’ sound. Several takes, and that’s that. I take my seat amongst the other extras as we head back to Paddington.

As we’re all talking, I notice D. edging towards me. ‘Scuse me….’scuse me’. He’s standing in front of me, grinning. ‘Thanks again, Rob.’ His hand is stuck out towards me. I take it and shake it again. ‘No problem, Dustin.’

And that’s that. My day of glory has finished. Filming with Emma and Dustin. Don’t know if my scenes will end up in the finished movie, but it doesn’t matter. I know I filmed them.

I can now die a happy man…..

This entry was posted on 03/02/2008 at 11:45 am and is filed under Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.