The property was flanked by trailers housing everything from the makeup department to craft services. Even though the actors weren’t due on set until Monday, a lot of people were already hard at work, including a camera operator filming the ocean to capture some B-roll footage, the lighting crew that was carrying armloads of cords and equipment in through the front door, and a member of the set department who was sanding the white trim on the house’s wrap-around porch to make it look weathered.
A jolt of excitement shot through me as I stepped out of the SUV and took it all in. Meanwhile, Phoenix tried to be unobtrusive as he snapped photos of me with his phone. I hadn’t been given the all-clear yet to talk publicly about taking over for Trent Chambers, but my assistant wanted to be ready. Sylvia had called him a genius when it came to social media, so I just let him do his thing.
Our first stop was the wardrobe department, which filled a temporary building near the edge of the property. Fortunately, Trent and I were close to the same size, and the clothes mostly consisted of baggy 90s-era jeans, T-shirts, and flannel shirts, which were pretty forgiving. The only things that didn’t fit were the shoes and a vintage leather jacket. Its sleeves were way too short, which made me think Trent Chambers had T-Rex arms. After I tried on some stuff and the assistant costume designer took my measurements, she said, “Well, that could have been a lot worse. I’m just glad we didn’t have to start from scratch.” She thanked me for coming in, then immediately got on the phone to track down a replacement for the jacket.
Phoenix told us he’d be back in a little while and headed to the production office while Riley and I went to the makeup trailer. “The lead makeup artist won’t be here for another half hour,” Riley said, “but would you mind if I tried doing your makeup? I’d love a chance to show her what I can do.”
“Knock yourself out.”
He turned on a bank of lights while I got comfortable in a swiveling chair, and then he took a few photos of me without any makeup, so he could show his boss the before and after. He’d been lugging a big, silver case with him, which he set up on the table beside me. After I slipped on a headband to hold back my hair, he dabbed some foundation on my cheekbone. As he stepped back to assess the color, he said, “I haven’t read the book this movie is based on. What’s it about?”
“Well, it’s about five people who’ve been friends since childhood, four guys and a girl,” I said. “The main part of the story takes place just after Christmas. Earlier that year, four of the friends graduated from college, and all five are spending a long weekend at a beach house they’ve visited every year since they were kids. It belongs to the family of a character named Liam, who’s the richest and most successful of the group. He’s being played by Harper Royce.”
Riley murmured, “Oh, he’s cute.”
“Liam just got engaged to Emily at Christmas. She’s played by Emma Rosen. So, this get-together is partly to celebrate their engagement, but it’s also a chance for the five friends to spend time together one last time before two of them move away. They all grew up in San Francisco, but now Liam’s gotten a job in London, and he’s taking Emily with him.”
“So far, this sounds like a nice story,” Riley said, as he wiped off the makeup on my cheekbone and tried a different color. “But I was under the impression it’s actually pretty dark.”
“I don’t know if it’s dark, but it’s definitely emotional. It’s basically the story of the end of these relationships. My character, Alex, dropped out of college and has been lost ever since. He’s gotten into drugs and alcohol and he’s starting to spiral out of control, but he’s trying to make his friends believe he’s fine.”
Riley met my gaze, then quickly looked away. I continued, “Alex ends up sleeping with both Liam and Emily, and right after that, he dies. It’s not clear in the book whether his death is suicide or an accident, but he falls off the cliff behind the house, and his friends discover his body the next morning. The rest of the story is basically a psychological study about the four remaining friends trying to cope with the couple’s infidelity and the aftermath of their friend’s death.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely dark,” Riley muttered, as he dabbed some makeup across my forehead.
“I guess so, but it’s also fascinating,” I said. “The book is extremely well-written and really makes you care about each of these characters, especially Alex. He could so easily seem like an asshole for trying to break up Liam and Emily, but the author makes you understand that this guy’s scared and alone, and he wants so desperately to hang on to these people. That’s not just because he’s been in love with Liam for most of his life, it’s also because this group of friends is the only real family he’s ever known.”