Remember the Alamo-Part 12

April 7-11

I'm nearing the end of my work on the Alamo film, and I feel that nostalgic sense of tummy-aching dread that comes with saying goodbye to a dear friend. *sigh*

I was dead quite a bit this week. Really. I was a corpse. Playing dead is usually easy work. But sometimes it can be annoying, especially when I'm placed in an awkward position (like slumped over a cannon or twisted sideways on top of a burlap sack). And it's never fun when my back hurts, my allergies are in full force, and the Texas sun is baking everything in sight. But, it was all for a good cause and I would do it all again if given the chance. We filmed the "aftermath" of the final siege, which of course showed lots of dead bodies (some of which were artificial, as in mannequins). I helped with a shot of a small "alley" between the southwest battery (location of the 18-pounder cannon and the Tejano defenders) and Travis' quarters. This is not where I died (in my "close-up death") so I was arranged so that my face didn't show. My friend Greg was also in the scene, and since he didn't really die here either, he was arranged in a similar fashion, except that he was slightly above me, slumped face down over a large wooden barrel. To further hide our identities, we traded hats. Here's the funny part: the set dressers took his hat off (the one I traded for his) and placed it on the ground, which just happened to be next to my head. I was wearing his hat, which has a large circular brim that sufficiently hid my face. So our little inside joke (which doesn't really affect the scene one way or the other) is that I must have died first, fell to the ground and my hat fell off. When Greg died, he landed on the barrel and his hat fell off, landing on my head. Well, WE thought it was pretty funny. I guess you had to be there. If John Lee uses that shot, and if you pay very close attention, you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. The first time you see The Alamo (you ain't gonna watch it only ONCE, are ya?) you won't notice some of these mundane details, so don't worry. I don't think there will be anything silly enough to "take you out of the movie." On subsequent viewings, you'll pick up more details (that's the way it always is when I watch movies) and you'll probably see me a bit more.

I met Emilio Echevarria (Gen. Santa Anna) for a brief moment. He was quite nice and everyone seemed to enjoy his company. Between takes, he usually would either stay on his mark, or wander to a shaded area nearby, which was a few feet from where I was "dead" in the scene. He always smiled and nodded when he walked by. Invariably, he was surrounded by friends and actors who conversed with him in Spanish. I speak very little Spanish. I assumed Señor Echevarria speaks English as well, but I really didn't want to put him on the spot, just in case. (Actually, Emilio's English is probably better than mine.) Anyway, I ended up running into him elsewhere on the set between shots and I put out my hand and just said, "Sir, I think you're doing a wonderful job." He paused for a brief moment, shook my hand and said, "Thank you sir." I was dying to tell him that I loved his performance in "Amores Perros" but we're really not supposed to talk to the actors about other roles. Many actors prefer to concentrate solely on the part they will play that day, and discussions about previous roles could be distracting, and I can dig that. So I decided to not risk bothering him. One other notable tidbit is that I overheard someone asking him about why his character is often referred to as Santanna (one word) instead of Santa Anna. He said he thought it was because of the name "Anna" which is a woman's name, and the possibility that the Mexican general probably didn't like being referred to via a female name. (Can't you just hear Crockett saying something like "Lighten up, Anna!")

Speaking of Crockett, they shot the scene that shows the Alamo writers' interpretation of his end. It is plenty plausible, extremely moving and downright phenomenal. I can't say what happened. I can only say that I love the scene and Billy Bob was in top form.

We also worked on the beginning of the exodus from Bexar. (I described the end of this scene in Remember the Alamo, Part 3.) I still find it strange to shoot scenes out of order. There were lots of local Bexar Tejanos in the Bexar plaza all responding to Daniel Cloud's alert of the Mexican army being spotted nearby. I started in one corner of the plaza and made my way around, warning and pointing. For the first rehearsal, I was standing with a group of 5 other guys (Mike, a stand-in; Kevin Page; Billy Bob; and 2 stuntmen) and my back was to the camera. We were talking and I heard KC getting ready for a rehearsal, so I thought about how I would act and tried to get "into the moment." I don't think the other guys heard him. When I heard "ACTION," I patted Kevin on the shoulder and loudly whispered,"Let's get the f**k out of here!," then quickly turned and proceeded carrying out my frantic action. When the rehearsal was cut, I returned to my first position to find the guys chatting. Kevin stopped in mid-sentence and put a hand on my shoulder. He said that I did a great job, that my action was great and very effective, and to NEVER do that again. He said I scared the shit out of all of them. Sorry guys! There was a herd of cattle just behind them, so they may have had fears of stampede. I don't know. I thought it was kind of funny and they thought it was hilarious, of course, after they realized they got scared over nothing. Maybe I'm just a brilliant actor. ;-) I guess that's another one that was funnier if you had been there. Anyway, as I got about halfway around the plaza, I found Travis on horseback and was supposed to say something to him to get his attention. He was supposed to say something to me to (I guess) show a hint of being in command. It didn't matter what either of us said, as I don't think they will use the audio. Patrick was so good that I reacted to his command every time. Basically, I just called his name, he looked down from his horse, pointed and said something like "that way!" It was a little different each time, but what his face said was "go that way, Dumbass...what do you think we're supposed to do?!" Each time he said it, I felt a little embarrassed. He was right. And I didn't really need to be told to evacuate to the Alamo. There was a lot of stuff going on all around us, so I think our little "dialog" was just supposed to break the scene up a bit. The point is that he was great as usual. As I ran around his horse, I helped a family of Tejanos and grabbed a liquor bottle near the camera (as instructed) as I exit screen right. There I was, a Bowie guy, thinkin' about getting drunk amid all the chaos. Kind of quirky. I spoke with Patrick a few minutes after the scene and complimented his work so far (especially the cantina fandango scene). He asked about Austin, what brought me here, and eventually what was my major at UT. I said Art, showed him my Alamo sketches, and gave him a copy of "Funked Up Christmas." Patrick is always a class act.

There were a few other shots that showed various aspects of this Bexar exodus, all with lots of extras and ample urgency. I think the overall scene will be quite exciting and complex. It may be one of those scenes I'll have to watch 2 or 3 times just to see everything that's going on, but that's OK.

I want to thank the Alamo crew (assuming that any of you actually read my drivel!), especially Anna, Janice and Brenda (in Wardrobe); Diane Hardin (who did my makeup when I was the double for Robert Prentiss) and Marlene (in Makeup...I'm her "people"); Terry (a like-minded Lisa Tingle friend/fan and also in the Hair dept.); the cool PA's and the great actors. Thanks for making this a fantastic experience for me and the rest of the Defenders.

FYI: I am playing a solo acoustic gig at a restaurant called Summer Moon on Saturday, April 19, 7-9pm. The establishment is run by the family of an Alamo Defender. It is located just off Highway 290: 5.1 miles from the Y in Oak Hill, toward Dripping Springs, and take a left on Spring Valley Road. I don't want to sound vain, but this will be the greatest show in central Texas on Saturday night. ;-)

Lastly, I want to mention that I just purchased a CD entitled "Private Radio" by Billy Bob Thornton. It's great. The music is a little country (a la Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash) but is also influenced by rock and blues, with a touch of psychedelic rock thrown in. The stories are amazing: some happy and some are dark. Billy Bob is actually a great singer. Each song is sung a little differently, almost like he's doing vocal impersonations. I mean that in a good way. He doesn't exaggerate any particular style. In other words, he's NOT impersonating Elvis on one tune and Cher on the next. Each song definitely sounds like Billy Bob, but I hear variations. He pulls it off and it's a nice variety. That talent is not surprising to those of us who know Billy Bob can do great impersonations, dialects and accents when he's speaking. I'd love to hear him wail on some straight blues (which you won't hear on this CD). Maybe on his next CD project...