"The Days of Rage" had been a long-gestating film project in tinsel town. The spy thriller had gone through numerous writers, directors and actresses. It was originally envisioned as a project for Angelina Jolie, but she'd dropped out, saying she was tired of playing the gun-toting chick in film after film. Then Penelope Cruz signed on, and then dropped out. Somebody at the studio must've realized that putting a Spanish girl in a film set in London about American spy activity just didn't work. Kate Hudson now seemed a perfect fit for the film. And she'd expressed her excitement when we met at John McDonald's house not long ago. But now she dropped out after accepting a chance to work with her mom in a different film.
Now word came from Hollywood Pictures that "Days" was back on schedule. John McDonald would still be directing, but the new star would be Jennifer Aniston. When I heard that, I thought "interesting choice". Filming would be in London, and it had been quite awhile since we'd been there. And we'd be there for 2 months of principal photography, not a bad gig. It had been quite awhile since I'd seen Jennifer, but I doubted she'd recognize me anyway. Chris would be with me for this gig for a change, we were both suckers for big trips like this. London had been very good for both of us and we hoped that magic would be there again.
In "The Days of Rage", Jennifer played an American lawyer sent to London to settle the estate of her estranged father, a former Military intelligence officer who has made her the sole heir to his estate. When his death is ruled a murder, she starts her own investigation, which leads her down several dark alleys of danger. It sounded pretty average as far as spy thrillers go (I was a Bond man, myself) but hey, London is London.
We arrived in London amidst a steady drizzle. A normal director would've cursed the elements, but John was ecstatic. He was hoping that he'd have a murky atmosphere to match the story and he was getting it. I only wished I could've brought a better raincoat than what I had, which was nothing. The first few days would be exterior shots mostly designed for atmosphere, and Jennifer wasn't due to arrive for her scenes for another day or two as she was shooting a guest spot on "30 Rock" back in the states.
We spent the better part of two days filming exterior scenes with other actors outside of different London landmarks. The sound would be looped in later. Chris and I got some good "behind the scenes" shots amidst this. Remembering how John had chewed him out on "Dreamer", he kept his distance from John and his cameras out of sight.
Finally we got word that Jennifer had arrived and we'd be shooting her scenes the next day. Jennifer had a cute assistant named Beth working with her whom she'd known since she filmed episodes of "Friends" there and she was a lowly "gofer" for the production company. Beth was a London girl and got on the studios good side by offering to share her London flat with Jen, thus saving them money on hotels. And she got on my good side when we met. She was a perky blonde I could tell had great legs, even when clad in denim jeans and a wool pea coat.
We were gathering our gear for the day's shoot when we saw her.
"Morning!" she said with a perky tone "I'm Beth, Jennifer's assistant. You must be the photographers?"
"Yes, how ya doin' love?" Chris said in his fast talking style "I'm Chris, that's Jim, East Coast Image, that's us."
(Always the consummate salesman, he could've sold used cars this way too)
"Pleasure, Jennifer's eager to see your work. She heard about your work on other films." She replied.
"Well, we do our best, right Hollywood?" he said turning to me.
(Uh-oh, there's that name again)
"Oh, yes! Absolutely" I quickly replied.
"Wonderful, I'll tell Jen you're here." She said as she walked away, then turned around.
"Did he call you Hollywood?" she said looking confused.
Chris looked at me with a smirk.
"Uh, yes, it's a long story" I said trying to wave off any further questioning.
"I'd love to hear it." Beth said as she walked away.
Once she was out of sight, Chris turned to me.
"I'd love to hear it...did he call you Hollywood?" He said mocking Beth's voice
"Aw, knock it off, man."
"You never seem to embrace that name do you? Face it man, you're a star."
"Well, if we're stars, how come we're dashing after the crew van that's leaving without us." I said as we dashed off to get seats on the van going to the shooting location.
This days' shooting would take place at a country estate called Quarterdeck that was owned by a former British Navy Admiral. It looked very classy, and perfect for the home of a naval officer Jennifer was meeting in the film. As the cameras rolled, Jennifer made her entrance driving her character's classic green Jaguar XKE. There were small clusters of fans looking to catch a glimpse of the "Friends" star. Chris went to meet with one of the crane operators about some overhead shots and I headed for the coffee trucks. I heard Beth's voice and someone else's.
"Oh! Jim, glad I found you I wanted to introduce you to Jennifer..."
"Hi, I'm Jen...Wait a minute! I remember you!" she said with a finger slightly pointed for emphasis.
"Yes, I think we met in New York." I replied to her.
Jennifer looked great in her character's stone gray trench coat that was belted tightly at the waist. Black slacks were seen below.
"Yes, Mr. Hot shot!" She said with a big smile.
Beth looked at her with a quizzical expression.
"So what're you doing out here? Working?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, can't turn down a great chance like this."
Jennifer was called away by a production assistant to meet with John.
"Hey, we gotta catch up soon!" she said as she walked away.
"So you've met before?" Beth asked.
"Yeah, we did the photos for Rhianna's tour and I got her tickets." I said, trying not to brag.
"Give her anything else?" Beth now asked.
"Huh?" I was confused.
"Oh, just a thought. See you later Mr. Hollywood." And she walked away.
Oh brother, what's happening here?
Once we wrapped, we were all exhausted as we dragged ourselves to the crew van. Chris had disappeared with some studio honchos and I was stuck carrying the bulk of our gear and hoping I could get a decent seat with enough space for me as well. Then I heard Beth's voice calling to me.
"Jim! Jim! Come ride with me!" she said as she dashed up to me.
"Oh, uh, that's OK. The van will be fine." I said
"Aw, come on Jim, go with her!" I heard one of the crew guys say, noticing how much better Beth would be as a traveling companion.
"Guess that settles it. Lead on, Beth." I said.
Beth's car was a sleek, black Range Rover.
"Wow, nice wheels!" I said as I loaded my bags into the back.
"Hey, hot shot." I heard as I slid into the back seat.
Jennifer was riding up front with Beth.
"Oh my, um, great to see you again." I said, feeling pretty dumb.
"We didn't get to talk all day. It's been a long time." Jennifer said with a big smile as we headed onto the highway towards London.
Jennifer eagerly listened as I told her about the Triple Threat Tour, but I could tell she was thinking about the fun we'd had in her hotel room. Her eyes told the real story.
"Hey, you wanna hit a pub, Jen?" Beth said.
"Oh! Great idea! What's a good one, Beth?" she said excitedly.
"There's one that's like a block away from my flat."
"Perfect, we can have a few pints." She said with a cockney accent that made Beth laugh. "And if we got loaded we don't have far to stumble, do we mate?"
Rosie Ryan's was a great pub in town that Beth knew well. It was suitably dim in just the right areas and light in others. The owners' knew Beth's client and quietly shuttled us to a private part of the bar where we wouldn't be disturbed by fans. But Jen was eager to mix with the locals for a bit. We talked and drank several pints of Guinness. It had been a long time since I'd had British beer and it really hit me fast. Beth seemed to be an expert and Jen was no slouch either. Soon I was getting a little unsteady in my movements. Beth and Jen were giggling like schoolgirls at my condition. I was chuckling too.
"I think someone's a little tipsy." Beth said with a smile.
"Hey, easier to take advantage of." Jen said with a smirk, making us laugh all the more.
