So yesterday Ashley got to experience something that most babies don't. She got to meet/talk to a famous actress (Elizabeth Banks), AND she and I got to be in a movie!!!! How exciting!!! A few years ago, my friend Beth Pistolis had gotten into acting and also doing these "extras" roles, and so she had heard about an upcoming movie called "What to Expect When You're Expecting". They were filming in Atlanta, GA and they were looking for babies and pregnant women. So, since everyone's always saying how cute Ashley is and how I should submit her pictures to things, I figured I'd send hers in for the heck of it. I didn't hear anything for almost 2 months, and figured they had already filled the spot.
Well, a few days ago I received an e-mail from the Christopher Gray Casting company saying that they may want to use Ashley for a filming on Friday. So I sent in my paperwork to them, and asked a couple of questions (one being where it was located so I could get a hotel room nearby, another important one about some of the paperwork), and didn't hear anything back. So once again, I thought maybe they had filled the spot or weren't interested since it took me a few hours to respond back to them, and had figured we'd missed our chance. Well, 7:30 pm the night before, I get a call from the company telling me they wanted us there for an 11:30 appointment for a pool scene. They also asked if I'd like to be in it as well. Soooo, had to throw a bunch of things together (they give you a hotline # to call with wardrobe info and other important instructions, but it wasn't provided until late at night, so had to pack a few things in case), book a hotel room, and drive to Atlanta at the very last minute. It was a late night by the time we got to bed, and Ashley woke up a little earlier than normal.
The day of worked out great. I sometimes have a hard time making it to things on time with all the things I need to pack with me and take, but I was actually early for once. Lol. We got there (in our bathing suits for pool scene), hair and makeup done--I was at the hotel getting ready while Ashley napped, so I had to be quiet and didn't have long so I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Once we were there, we were rushed right onto the set. We got a chance to say hi and briefly chat with Elizabeth Banks (basically just introducing ourselves, and she commented on how cute Ashley was and how she couldn't wait to see her baby).
Basically, Ashley and I were in the background playing together in the pool. The main actress (Elizabeth Banks) just found out she was pregnant, is so excited that she runs along the pool and jumps in to tell her husband the news. There was one guy "swimming laps" next to them, and then we were further back in the pool playing. I didn't know if I would be in a crowd of people or not, but it was just us.
They really didn't give me much instruction, I just played with Ashley the whole time. With the actress shouting and jumping in, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pretend I didn't hear it and just continue playing, or if I should turn and look...So I did a little of both with the takes, so we'll see what they use. It was funny, Ashley always makes her happy squealing noises--well on one take, when Elizabeth comes running and shouting her news, Ashley starts squealing along in the background. Haha. Too cute.
Sooooo, we'll probably be in movie for like 2 seconds in the background where you're not noticed, but it was still lots of fun and a cool story to tell. I joked and said that we're famous now.
Even though we'll probably be in the movie for like 2 seconds, we had to stay on set for like 5.5-6 hours, because they had to do "practice runs" without the actress jumping in, then she had to actually jump in once or twice and we would have to wait for them to dry her off and redo her hair and make up.
I felt bad because there were two other babies/parents. They came shortly after we did, and they waited and waited all these hours for their scene, and they never really got one. They did one scene where they recorded Ashley's feet kicking around underwater, and then the other two babies did the same, and then that was it. You never know what role you're going to get (or if they're even going to use you at all) until you get there I guess. So I was glad we got a bigger role since I had driven 2.5 hours there.
Ashley always amazes me and makes me so proud. She was SUCH a good baby and good sport. We did the drive, went to bed late, and then she went hours without a nap, and she was still happy the whole time. I think we got lucky with such a fun role, where she got to play and enjoy herself. But there was also a lot of sitting around, and she just had fun with toys and the other babies and staff. It wasn't until we were all done and getting ready to leave that she had had enough. Poor girl looked exhausted and was fussy. We were invited to stay for this elaborate meal which would have been nice and a great way to network, but poor Ashley was done and her needs were more important.
It was a fun experience and would do it once in a blue moon, but after seeing what's involved, I would never subject my child to real acting. It's kind of selfish--long, tiring days for kids.
The staff there was awesome. They made it a "fun" environment for Ashley, and if I didn't know any different, you'd think we were one of the main stars. They didn't treat you like "just an extra"--they kept checking in on us to make sure we were comfortable in the water, they offered us drinks, food, warm towels, etc. Very nice people.
So, the movie will come out sometime in 2012, can't wait to watch! We'll be owning a copy of the movie for sure. I can't wait to tell Ashley about it when she's old enough to understand.
