Hell and Back

There are many sides to Mexico City.

We saw a really beautiful side recently. It was a restaurant location, as nice or nicer than anything in Beverly Hills. The restaurant was elevated, with large stone steps leading up to opposite ends. The entire front of the place were floor to ceiling glass windows that we removed. On top of that, the whole thing overlooked a beautiful courtyard, and the weather was absolute perfection.

And…it was Kevin Bacon’s first day. He’s playing Love, a hard-working emergency-room doctor, and he’s every bit as charismatic and charming as you would expect. The day’s scene introduced his married best friends, Henry and Gina, played by the fantastic Clark Gregg and the truly luminous Julie Delpy. It’s one of the more straightforward scenes in the film, funny and comfortable, the way friends are. And Kevin, Clark, and Julie just played the hell out of it. It was a real pleasure to watch.

What a great day.

The next morning, I woke up and realized I was in Hell. They say don’t drink the water. I don’t drink the water. A couple smart people told me not to eat raw veggies, which are thoroughly washed in water. Two days ago, I forgot that simple advice and started eating salad. Good for me, right? Wrong. I was in H…E…L…L.

The first day of Hell was all about standing as little as possible. I spent hours (and I’m not exaggerating here) HOURS working up the nerve to walk to the gift shop to buy medicine. I was delirious, trying to come up with a different plan. I knew everyone staying in the hotel was on set, unable to help me, and it never occurred to just call and ask for someone on the crew to be sent back to give me a hand. No, in my delirious state, I kept thinking, “There’s gotta be SOMEONE still at the hotel who I could call to bring me medicine?”

The only person I could think of?

Kevin Bacon.

I decided it was best to just make the trip on my own. Which I did without incident.

Day 2 of Hell was much better. Standing was a little easier. Walking wasn’t too bad. Still no chance of making it to the set, but honestly, I was just happy to be alive.

By the next day, I was fine, in our van with one of the producers, fighting traffic on the way to the set. Mexico City was crowded and angry that day. From this, to the beautiful afternoon a few days before, to the dark recesses of my hotel room…so many sides to Mexico City. They will all be part of this story, the good and the bad. The ugly.

And the very, very beautiful.