Crystal - Thespian - Director's cut

Today I went to view the director's cut of my scene as Tiffany Maple, the lawyer who goes to the wrong house to deliver the wonderful news that she's won the case, in the film now called The Burden of Esteem (fka Rendition). Jim, the director, has been telling me all along how pleased he was with my performance, saying I'm cute -- it's an over-the-top comedic scene, so being told I'm cute and funny in it is a good thing. But I've been apprehensive, wondering if he's just saying that, but taking comfort in the fact that I have seemed to deliver what he was looking for. After all, think lawyer, lawyer talk, lots of dialogue, expository type of dialogue -- not the cute back and forth banter that is so much more easy to remember because you get a rhythm going. So you can see why I was apprehensive.

Now you have two types of actors... those who watch their own dailies and those that don't. And I understand both sides -- the little bit I've done before this I never want to see again, although others thought it was okay. You watch yourself and you can learn for next time. On the other hand you see all the choices you didn't make or could have made. And why did I do that?

The first thing I noticed were the personal negatives -- didn't like the way I looked, didn't like the way I talked, didn't like the way I dressed -- and thank God, I've lost weight since then. But then the good parts happened, and I found myself laughing along with Jim. It actually works. I could actually see the quirky character he was going for.

For as conscious as I was of all the dialogue I had to deliver, I had thought out how I wanted to deliver certain lines and the actions I wanted to perform while delivering them. I'm surprised at how much of what I planned for each piece of dialogue was actually there. And I was surprised by neat little nuances that I didn't know were there, had not planned, but which appeared organically. All in all, it looks good.

I can't wait to see the rest of director's cut. I didn't have time to sit through all of it, but hopefully he'll burn me a DVD soon. We still have a few scenes to finish, because he's added on, but it's exciting. Besides, I want it done and in the stores and on my IMDBpro page.

And then he has dangled another challenge for my lawyer alter ego, Tiffany Maple... telling me he wants to test my dramatic skills. Oh goody. I get to be mean and insensitive, then guilty and caring. Sounds like even more fun.