That Indie Movie Actor Life
Taking off the witch costume and saying ta-ta, for now...
The water picks up the merlot-colored grit of my work day as it snakes down my bare, tan legs. The murky colors join in a spiral dance with the bubbles pooling on my shower’s turquoise tile floor. The fake blood sprayed all over me, now making its way off of me, is made of chocolate and nuts. Sinister to my own immune system but conveniently tasty for my victims to spit up as I stabbed them.
stabby, stab, stab… boy that was fun…
I wrapped my work on set an hour ago, after spending 14 hours as a dead witch, risen to murder a dark coven in vehement vengeance. My sticky trap of sweet doom slowly unraveled as I let the warm water wash over me. It’s funny; the disassociation one employs when they are acting. I only partially allowed myself to notice how annoying being covered in sticky was. It is notable how claustrophobic sticky hair on a sticky neck can feel, especially after 6 hours. I took a deep breath, allowed my awareness to come fully back to me, and sighed it out.
ucchh. gross.
My thoughts emptied beautifully into the drain.
This stillness of 4 am feels familiar and my own. The film industry calls for extended work days and nights and enables being on a timeline unlike any other’s. Unlike even the people you share the same set with. This intensity, juxtaposed with isolation, mainly draws me away from a desire for the biz. It is a lonely component. But also, in this moment, a comfortably nostalgic one.
Closing my eyes, I give my face to the downpouring stream of my shower’s water, letting the fleshy pads of my fingers creep into the crevices of my closed lids, massaging away the hollow, dead aesthetic applied in makeup.
In that moment, I see her. Sybil. My character. Eyes entirely white, grey veins popping out of long-dead, charred skin. Spooky as all heck. She hovers before me, oozing violence. I fight to keep my eyes closed. I breathe into the scare. I give her my time and attention to let her go with intention.
Thank you, Sybil. Goodbye, Sybil. For now.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank my readers. And to apologize for not keeping up with my weekly publications this month. I appreciate your patience and understanding. I haven’t allowed myself such a slip before. And to be honest, I did allow it. I could have found a way to write to you while on vacation and did have the plan to do so, but while in it, I chose to instead be fully with my family and myself while I visited home for the first time in four years.
Stories of that to come…
So much story to come.
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Thank you heaps and leaps.
A hui ho,
Julia
You spooky.