Why Can’t My Life Be a Rom-Com?

formerly known as: Why Can’t I Be Molly Ringwald?

Ooooohh life!!! Thank you for bringing me a movie where I can give props to all the movies I loved as a teen growing up, and first and foremost, they quote BTTF. AND most John Hughes films. Who says no to that!?! NO ONE!!! I grew up watching movies with my family, and my older brother would chose movies like Night of the Living Dead, Halloween, Evil Dead. And my Mom would scream then I would scream, it wasn’t fun fun. *as a writer I digress* When it came to making my choices of movies to watch, I loved The Outsiders, Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys, Stand By Me, Pretty in Pink, Big, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future! Oh man, you know I can go on and on about the top 80’s movies and I lived in these to avoid the Evil Dead my brother would play out after. Yes, that happened for me.

So here I am, living my life, and my mentor, my friend, my family, Ken Shapkin calls. He has a conundrum, he has this movie and he has that movie and he wants both but…where I come in. He sends me the script and I think I may have thought, I’d frikken do this for free! But what I got was: a mentorship with Ken Shakpin, which by the way, I was FLOORED when he did his first initial meeting and bing bang boom, he closed the meeting in less than 12 minutes. I should have recorded it.

Then came the wandering around stores, online, and just finding the pieces, Ken and I had fun, we pushed it, and made the closest PACKED with options to have fun, AND FUN I HAD!!!

Ken led me thru the initial prep, and then, he let go and went off to work his other show, knowing I’d be ok.

In the middle of fitting schedule I had to go off and walk the red carpet for the opening of Bones of Crows at TIFF!

Day One!!! It was so fun! I had a good conversation with Charlotte, my BG Costumer and let her know, WE HAVE TO REPRESENT: Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, Ferris Beuller’s Day off, Back to the Future any way possible. If we can put a vest on someone to mimic Ferris on the float, or the red vest from BTTF, or the the plastic earrings of Ringwald in all her 80’s movies – we HAAAAAAVVVEE TOOOOOO!!!! And we did.

Then I had a conversation with my Set Supervisor, Shayna. Part of what I think disconnects reality from movies, is the perfection layers. No wrinkles, no mistakes, no trip, no oops, no bra strap showing…audience comments, I comment. So I didn’t hate the bra strap showing, its real. I love that the necklace got all twisted, that happens, and our friends fix it for us. I wanted to fix it when watching and I wonder if anyone else wanted to. I like that.

And, I think I absolutely love the hidden Indigenous that I will always as an artist squish into anything I work on. And I vividly recall, talking with Byron who played Doug’s dad, David Zane, and I wanted to put my Dad’s carved bracelet he made his Grandmother, my GREAT Grandmother on David Zane. When I watch the scene at the end, Byron purposely shows off the bracelet. Most won’t catch it, but Indigenous might. I do. I love that. Thank you Byron.

I love that Wern Lee got a Leo nomination, his work is stellar. And we had FUN with his costumes. I love that I got to create a nod to Bender costume! I had to! This team of actors were amazing to work with, we had fun taking care of each other. Tleko tleko Ken for the mentorship and trust.

Working with Em Haine – I absolutely love her! I am so proud of the lessons her and I had in this, learning how to take care of a human who crosses thru heart emotions to safety emotions of how long she was in the freezing pacific ocean and she made it thru and to hear her tell me months later that her work in sound editing in the ocean scene, she was chattering the entire time and we talked about how I COULD improve and help her do her work – A-MAZE-ING!

the powerful, Em Haine pushing through several takes and doing it!!! Rockstar Em, Rockstar.