I worked as a cameraman for this movie called "Youth," from Italian director Paolo Sorrentino. If you haven't heard of it, check it out. It's pretty good, if only because the casting director was evidently great at their job. Sir Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, and Paul Dano were all in this movie, along with Jane Fonda and a bunch of other actors in minor supporting roles.
But there was this one supporting actress who absolutely astonished me: a Romanian dish by the name of Madalina Ghenea
I had passing knowledge of her previous work - modeling, commercials, and a few minor acting roles I hear she did well. But I've been kicking myself for not knowing about her sooner because, holy crap, this woman is gorgeous.
It's kind of a shame she was only in the movie for three scenes, because those were my favorite parts of making the movie.
Her character's a Romanian woman who won the Miss Universe pageant, the prize for which was a trip to the health spa and resort where Sir Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, and all the other actors' characters were staying. I personally never bothered to do any research as to whether this was actually what the prize was for winning the Miss Universe pageant, but whatever. Oh, and her character also wants to pursue an acting career. I know, Madalina Ghenea playing a Romanian model who wants to get into acting. What's next? Tori Kelly playing a painfully shy singing competition contestant?
Anyway, her first scene was this sort of dream sequence. Sir Michael Caine would amble along a really narrow walkway in a dimly lit room, and coming from the other direction would be Madalina in her Miss Universe get-up, sash and all. I cannot applaud the costume designer enough for somehow convincing Madalina to wear an outfit that showed off as much skin as it did, because as I said, this woman is gorgeous. The scene involved Madalina and Sir Michael Caine crossing the walkway towards each other from opposite ends of this giant room, then they'd meet in the middle, shuffle past each other, and keep on walking. I had a friend in college who said their favorite subject was art because they could paint naked or otherwise scantily-clad women and get praise for it. That's the same reason I love this job. Getting that shot where they shuffle past each other was enjoyable for me because having Madalina try to walk past Sir Michael Caine on a narrow walkway was as good an excuse as any to get a close-up of her incredible rack. And in that shot where Madalina keeps walking after getting past Sir Michael Caine, the camera follows her from behind for a few seconds. See, on the first take I was so entranced by her ass as she put her modeling experience to good use that I just kept the camera rolling for as long as I could get away with before Sorrentino yelled "Cut!"
That turned out to be somewhere between 10 and 15 seconds, but it felt like forever because I kept wanting to zoom in on her ass (I'm an ass man, you see). The only reason I didn't was that I had to keep telling myself that the other people on set would definitely catch on. And when I say I had to keep telling myself that, I mean that I was repeatedly whispering to myself, "Don't zoom in on her ass. Don't zoom in on her ass." I tried to be quiet enough so the rest of the crew couldn't hear me, which was a little difficult since the room where the scene was set had the kind of acoustics that made it so noises could be very easily echoed. The good news is that the crew didn't hear me; the bad news is that Madalina did.
When we finished shooting that day, I was packing up my equipment. I had the Pixies playing from my MP3 player, which was connected to a speaker I put on a shelf that happened to be on the wall. My back was turned to the only entrance into the room when I heard from behind me a voice with a very strong European accent say, "Excuse me."
I was kneeling on the ground at the moment, so when I turned my head, I saw Madalina standing over me like a guardian angel.
I promptly stood up, turned off the music, and asked, "Hey, what's up?"
Maintaining eye contact with her was a bit strange for me. It wasn't that I was trying to look at her boobs without her noticing, although she does have an amazing rack. The thought didn't occur to me then to even consider it, because I didn't have any trouble with looking her in the eyes. The two beautiful, humbling, dark brown eyes that pulled me in like a dog leash.
"I just wanted to know if something went wrong earlier."
"No," I assured her. "Everything was fine. What makes you think something went wrong?"
"You were talking to yourself while you were operating the camera."
"You heard that?"
"I couldn't understand all that you were saying, but yes, I did hear you."
"I'm sorry," I said, putting on the best possible effort I could to make it look like I wasn't trying to ogle her with the camera. "It's something of a habit I have."
"It's fine. But you could have asked me first."
"Yeah, I know. I- uh, sorry?"
She then took a step closer to me, with a look on her face like she had just read my diary. I had heard people say she looks uncannily like Sophia Loren, and at that moment I realized they were absolutely right.
"You know I had a modeling career once, right? I can tell when I get a man's 'attention'."
"W-well," I sputtered nervously, "I-I'm sorry, but... can you, uh, really blame me?"
The corners of her mouth rose up, in an almost teasing manner.
"Actually, yes."
She spoke that phrase slowly, and as she continued speaking she placed her hand upon my stomach and rubbed it slowly against me. Now I'm sure she's teasing me.
"But only because you were impatient about it."
Madalina held my face in her other hand, then turned my head slightly to the side as she stood on her toes and reached her mouth to my ear. The texture of her skin reminded me of a security blanket like the one that kid from the Peanuts comic used: it was soft, and it probably felt great to have next to you while you're sleeping.
"I know you want me."
She whispered, and it took all the effort in the known universe to keep myself from getting hard right then and there.
Madalina continued, "If you could restrain yourself a little better, I'll make it worth your trouble."
She resumed standing in a normal posture.
"Deal?" she held out her hand to me, once again speaking at regular volume.
"Deal," I promptly grabbed her hand and shook on it.
At that point, she gave me a single nod before turning around and heading off, leaving me to reflect on how taking this job was the best decision I ever made.
In spite of the slip-up, Madalina and I actually got along pretty well during filming. Between takes, we'd sit and talk about nothing in particular. I wanted to take every opportunity I could to talk with her; I was absolutely smitten. I guess it helped that she was constantly trying to impress the other actors.
For example, there was a nighttime scene where all the lead actors - Sir Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, and Paul Dano - were sitting outside in this courtyard when Madalina's character walked up and started having a conversation with Paul Dano's character. It was technically supposed to just be a rehearsal, where they'd act out the scene a few times before we actually filmed it. After they had rehearsed the scene once or twice, I told Madalina I'd be filming the rest of the scene rehearsals. I stood with a handheld camera where the other actors wouldn't notice me.
So, in the scene, Paul Dano's character mocks the intelligence of Madalina's character. You know, because she's a model. She then promptly proceeds to tell him off in a way that left me both surprised and very impressed. Madalina had once said about the scene that she put in all the frustration accumulated over years of work as a model - mainly, the frustration of having everyone think she has nothing important or meaningful to say. Not me, though. I personally have the sense to not underestimate a model's intelligence, especially one who studied psychology and speaks 5 languages.
Seriously.
Eventually, Harvey Keitel told her that she was doing an amazing job, but that she should save it for when there were cameras around. She told him there was, and pointed right at me. Fortunately, the other actors took it in good taste, so I wasn't subjected to the wrath of Mr. White.
As for me, I was trying my best to keep my hands to myself, the key word being "trying." Our deal was, if I laid a hand on Madalina before we finished shooting all of her scenes, she would tell the director, Paolo Sorrentino, and I would be out of a job - pretty straightforward. But Madalina was such a tease that I think this deal was secretly her way of punishing me for ogling her in the walkway scene. Every morning, I would go up to each actor's trailer and review that day's schedule with them. Madalina was only in the movie for three scenes, but I still stopped by her trailer every morning. Every day after we shot the walkway scene, every time I would go up to Madalina's trailer, she'd be wearing something... different.
For perspective, Rachel Weisz always had on a dark red bathrobe when I greeted her every morning. Granted, I wouldn't have been ogling her on set, anyway. Don't get me wrong; even in her mid-40s, she's still beautiful. But knowing she's married to Daniel Craig is enough reason for me to keep my hands away from her. Madalina was single when she signed on to the movie, and over time, she seemed to have fewer qualms about revealing that to me through her wardrobe. She'd greet me at the door of her trailer, going from wearing standard nightgowns, to negligees I could half see through, to straight-up lingerie. Of course, the negligees were my favorite pieces from her wardrobe, if only because they were see-through and I could get a decent look at her incredible tits.
Anyway, the morning after that nighttime scene, I was outside the door of her trailer as usual. I had heard the shower in her trailer running as I walked by earlier, and so I figured enough time had passed between then and now for her to have dried off and put on enough clothing to answer the door once I started knocking. But having recognized the pattern of her increasingly, shall we say, minimalist morning attire, part of me still half-expected her to be wearing just a towel or bathrobe with nothing else on, except maybe a necklace like that blonde woman from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."
Madalina opened the door, and it turned out I was right the second time.
She had a light blue towel wrapped around her body and what I guess was a fashion magazine in her hand. Nothing was covering her hair, which was still luscious despite being dripping wet. Also, I'm about an inch taller than her, and the steps leading up to her trailer door are kinda small, so standing on the penultimate step, as I was, meant I was exactly at eye level with Madalina. And the more I got to have a clear look at her face, the more I wanted to keep looking at it.
Strands of her wet hair clung to her mesmeric skin, reaching down well past her rosé-colored lips. In my presence, the sides of her mouth turned up towards her eyes. Her dark brown irises were like two perfect circles of precious bronze, each placed against a contrasting bright white backdrop that made it easier to notice them, and therefore easier to get lost in them.
Bună dimineața, she greeted me in her native Romanian. Ce mai faceţi?
Madalina had been teaching me how to say some basic conversational phrases in Romanian, that being her native language and all. Granted, she knew Romanian, Italian, and English, and could speak all of them perfectly well. But as someone who has spent most of his life only speaking English, it would've been lazy and a little arrogant if I didn't at least try learning something to say in the language she grew up speaking.
Bine, I replied in as convincing an accent as I could manage, mulțumesc.
Madalina gave me a big, beautiful smile, showing her perfectly polished teeth that I'd swear could glow in the damn dark.
"You speak Romanian really well."
"Thank you," I said, feeling myself starting to blush.
She invited me to come in and have a seat. Next to the door, there was a black couch under a curtained window, so I sat there while she stood in front of me, leaning back against the wall.
