Rick Farris wrote:Faye Dunaway . . .
A few years ago, when I returned to work in the film business, a cinematographer friend of mine asked me if I'd do him a favor and help him shoot a pilot for a TV series he hoped to sell as a series. He was using his own money (well, most of it would come from his mother-in-law, actress Connie Stevens). My friend was married to Connie's daughter Jolie Fisher.
I was just restablishing myself in town, and happily took the job, which would be a two week shoot.
I would learn that Faye Dunaway (Bonnie & Clyde) would be in the cast.
I haven't time to finish this story now, as I must leave for work, but when I return I'm going to share a funny story (funny for me) relating to the actress. What a 24K PAIN-IN-THE-ASS!!!!
-Rick Farris
The name of the project was "The Cougar Club", and it was about a bunch of old broads that seduce younger men. I actually would see it on a cable station the following year. I've worked on great films and some losers. This was a loser, the worst waste of film I've ever been associated with. Typical youth raunch of today, such as the "American Pie" films.
On the first shooting day, we report to a location in the San Fernando Valley. As I'm walking thru our camp of trucks in the morning I go to the caterer and order my breakfast. While eating my breakfast, a nervous assistant director walks up to me and tells me that Faye Dunaway wants to see me immediatly. I tell the A.D. I'll see her in a few minutes, after I've finished eating. "No, no . . . she said she wants to see you now." I tell the shakey young man I'll see her when I finish breakfast. I'm working at a lower rate than usual, as a favor to the director/producer, so I tell the AD, I'll see her after I eat. He tells me she's in the make-up trailer, and he warns me, "She's very aggitated." Aggitated?
You see I worked with this woman before, while she was still a shadow of the Academy Award winner she once was ("Chionatown"). She had an industry wide rep as a bitch, and it was will earned. When she was doing big time films in the 70's, she pulled a lot of weight. Now she has been reduced to the lowest budget crap on film, and on a project that would never sell to become a series. I was taking less money to help my friend his pilot. The actress would have to wait for me.
When I finally get to the make-up trailer she was no longer there. She was in her dressing room trailer. As I approach the trailer, I hear a woman shouting, and see pieces of clothing flying out the door and into the street. "What the hell?" I thought.
"I wont wear this sh*t!", she screamed at a young wardrobe attendent. I step up into the room and see the red faced actress throwing a tantrum. I said, "Excuse me, I'm the lighting gaffer, my name is Rick." I put my hand out to shake hers but she doesn't shake my hand. She steps right into my face, looks into my eyes and says, "How to plan on lighting me."
You see, despite the woman's foul nature, she was once a big star. And like Barbara Streisand, she knew she needed special lighting. I remember her in "Bonnie & Clyde", "Chinatown" and the one where she had portrayed Joan Crawford in, "Mommie Dearest". At this moment, she was recreating her Joan Crawford "bitch" role, but we were not acting.
When I say "Special lighting", I mean that her face has major flaws. For one thing, years of drug and alcohol abuse had left deep lines in her face. Only so much could be plastered over with make-up, she need me to hide her inperfections in very soft light and shadows. This is my specialty, I have a rep for being able to light women.
In answer to her question, I calmly said that I planned on lighting her face with the softest source available, a "China Ball". A china ball is simply one of those inexpensive paper lamps that you buy in Chinatown. A simple light bulb mounted inside the paper lamp emits the softest light source on earth, and the light wraps nicely around an actors face, filling the wrinkles instead of shadowing them as a hard light source would do. Of all the expensive high tech lighting units available to me, for a beautiful female close-up, I use a $10 item made in China.
She really proved to me that she knew lighting when I saw her face suddenly relax, after hearing my plan. "I'll light you flat with a china ball and then give your hair a nice back light edge. I'll light you, capture the image on the monitor, and then I'll show you how you look." Her entire mood changed, "Thank God somebody knows what they're doing!" she said. She put her arms around me and said, "We're going to get along just fine." Of course we are, I thought, because if we don't I'm outta here.
As I turn to leave, her face returns to that of a witch as she continued to rag on the poor wardrobe girl.
A couple days later I'm sitting at lunch and her make-up artist approaches me. "I need your help" she tells me.
I say, "OK, what's up?"
"I have to tell her something about her make-up, but I'm afraid, could you tell her for me?", she asks.
"Why me?" I reply.
"Because she hates everybody but you, you are her new best friend." I had to laugh.
I told the make-up artist that she'd have to handle her own problem, to just look in her eyes and speak firmly and honestly and things would be OK. I gave her a pep talk and sent her on her way. A little later, I see the make-up artist sobbing during lunch.
I ask her, "Well, how did things go when you stood up to her?"
The girl glared at me and said, "She told me to go Fu*k myself. Thanks for the help."
About a week into the shoot, Faye Dunaway was sent away, fired from a low budget piece of crap.
How things change in this town. Faye Dunaway was one of the biggest of her era, along with Jane Fonda,etc.
Now she's finished in Hollywood.
-Rick Farris
(And I never again used a bow & arrow).
