The Last Day

It occurs to me that in six weeks, I have never, ever, EVER seen a freshly paved street in Mexico City. Until now. It’s the last day of shooting, and I’m with Jieho and some other folks, including Associate Producer Paul Bernard, and we’re ambling by our location, on the way to our trailer, when we all stop, slack-jawed, as we gaze at the street where we will be shooting tonight…and it’s freshly-paved. Meaning, that for some reason, JUST THIS MORNING, someone chose to pave this street, and ONLY this street. The street we need, the street that now we can’t use because it’s covered with molten tar.

While Paul gets on his walkie-talkie and starts dealing with the problem, the rest of us head to the trailer…which is locked, the guy with the key NOWHERE to be found. Yes, it’s our last day of shooting, and things could be going better. After finally getting into the trailer, we head off to eat. The day’s problems don’t affect my appetite as I scarf down five cactus tacos with fried pork skin and avocado. Hey, it’s the last day, and for better or worse, we might as well enjoy it.

Luckily, things get better. We shoot the clothing-shop scenes with Brendan and Emile, the only cast members left. It involves a run-in with the Clothing Shop Woman, played by a local actress named Norma. It’s far and away the funniest scene in the movie. Norma is ridiculously good and she plays off Brendan and Emile like a pro. Is it a coincidence that for a movie with so many heavy days, we were treated to a light, fun scene on our last day? Whether by chance or design, it makes for a great shooting day.

Our trailers are parked pretty far from location today, so there’s lots of walking back and forth. I take my time, stopping at street vendors along the way. I don’t buy anything, but I’m just soaking it in, enjoying the city as much as I can as our time here fades away.

After the clothing shop, we move to the street scenes. The new pavement’s dry enough for us to drive on it, and though we can’t wet it down, we make due. We shoot some quick walk-and-talks with Brendan and Emile and before I know it, Emile is wrapped. I wish him well on his next film, and wonder to myself when next I’ll see this deeply talented young man. Such a future ahead of him, as he ambles off into the night...

I’m noticing that there’s a buzz growing among the crew. It’s harder to concentrate, as the end of the film looms close. People are taking lots of pictures. It’s like the last day of school, that last class, when the teacher’s still lecturing, and all you can think is, “Man, let us OUT of here.”

The last shot comes and it’s so simple, so perfect. Brendan, as Pleasure, walks down the sidewalk, making his rounds, as all around him the denizens of the night go about their business. So much of this movie is right there in Brendan’s face, the loneliness, the longing, the need for a better life, or just a second chance. It’s a movie about becoming who you’re supposed to be. And I will never look at Brendan again without seeing him as Pleasure, a character he was born to play.

Jieho calls, “Cut!” The crew waits breathlessly as the camera gate is checked. The A.D. calls out that the gate is clean, and THE AIR I BREATHE is wrapped. The crew just explodes, everyone cheering and hugging. A Mariachi band appears out of nowhere, starts rocking out. Someone pushes a beer in my hand, and I take a long, cold drink. I hug lots of people, faces a blur. Everyone seems so happy. Getting this movie made has been a war and we all survived it. I’m told later that film wraps are rarely as joyous as this one.

At one point, Brendan throws his arms around me, thanks me for co-writing an amazing script. We share some kind words. It’s only a bit later that Christopher tells me that my dream just came true. I ask him what he means. Christopher’s been my manager since the moment I arrived in L.A. nearly five years ago and he reminds me of something I told him in the very beginning. I have vague memories of this, but basically, I told Christopher that my dream was to have a big movie star hug me at the end of a movie and thank me for writing him an amazing script.

Which is exactly what has just happened.

Because of Brendan, and Jieho, our producers, and everyone in this amazing cast and crew…my dream has come true…right here, on the freshly paved streets of Mexico City.

Big Exits

I knew this moment would come. You see, I’m always about a week behind on my blogs. This is a result of the time it takes to actually find a spare moment to get behind the computer, mixed with a desire to keep the comings and goings of our cast a secret (for obvious reasons). But at this point, being a week behind has led to the inevitable: there’s more to blog about, but the movie has wrapped. Yes, everyone’s gone home. I’m writing this blog from my apartment, bleary eyed from lack of sleep, yet buzzed from drinking too much coffee at my favorite diner. Production on THE AIR I BREATHE is over. But there are still a few stories to tell. I’ve spoken of the last days of Kevin Bacon and Forest Whittaker. As our final days approached, there were more big exits to come…

I first met Andy Garcia at a group dinner at my favorite restaurant in our hotel. We talked about picadillo, a remarkable Cuban dish. We marveled at the restaurant’s gift of a large chocolate monkey bearing a gift box of designer chocolates. And then I got to watch the man work. He wears a suit better than anyone I’ve ever met. He enters the set with a hushed charisma that’ll make you a little nervous…until he loudly cracks a joke that makes everyone laugh, instantly putting the crew at ease. He’s often posing for pictures with fans, even when stopped between his trailer and the sound stage. And he never stops trying to make the scene he’s acting in as interesting and spontaneous as possible. Due to scheduling reasons, Andy shot all of his scenes pretty much back to back. Two weeks after I met him, Andy shot his final scene, one of the most intense in the entire film, posed for a couple of pictures with members of the crew, and then left Mexico City later that afternoon.

For Sarah Michelle Gellar’s final scene, she looked through a medicine cabinet. It was just a few seconds of film really. It’s funny the way movies are made, because Sarah has so many powerful scenes, so many unforgettable moments, and after six intense weeks, that’s all we needed, maybe two takes of Sarah and the medicine cabinet. It was very late when we wrapped her. Exhausted, we all took turns saying goodbye. I told her it was great working with her, that we should do it again soon. She said, “Let’s rest first.” I thought that was it. But the next afternoon, as some of us waited for the vans that would take us to set, we again crossed paths with Sarah, on her way to the airport. She seemed completely energized, excited to be getting back home. Another round of goodbyes. This time, as she hugged me, she said, warmly, “Have fun.”

Advice to live by, don’t you think?