Worlds War Too

Still trying to rest up from the weekend, so I'll finish posting some of my War of the Worlds photos. It was a great chance to learn how a professional film production is done... I'm spoiled... first it was this, and then Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock.

My memories from War of the Worlds: working from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the set in Athens, New York, and then crashing at my Grandmother's across the river in Hudson; one night of real snow, the next courtesy of a snowblower; meeting director Steven Spielberg on the first day, and talking about Norman Rockwell, whose artwork he collects; acting next to Tom Cruise, and then his identical stunt double (LOL); Dakota Fanning's midget old lady double; pretending to watch a burning train run by the tracks; running to catch the ferry that was being attacked by aliens; recording scared voices up on one of the nearby streets; our rotating groups... it was all done like clockwork (we were Group C); and the checks... oh lord, that was good money (just in time for Christmas). Wonderful experience. You can even see me during the ferry scene, looking up at the sky in "terror"... good times. 

Photos ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Extra Points

Ouch. Sorry if that last post was a bit of a downer... although it was interesting to reflect on where I was during such a significant event (the L.A. riots), it also put me in a bit of a mood. Generally speaking, I think it's healthier to look forward, not backwards.

Well, don't feel too sorry for my stillborn Hollywood experiment... in the decade following USC, I had Hollywood coming to me! 

My first experience was in 2004 when I landed a role as an extra in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds. I worked a full-week, met Spielberg and "co-star" Tom Cruise, ran away from imaginary aliens, and made some pretty decent cash in the process. To top it off, I was also offered the chance to join the Screen Actor's Guild... how's that for glitz and glamour? 

It's much too late this evening to blog further, but I'll try and write down some of my memories of the shoot for a later post. Oh, it's interesting to point out that Mr. Spielberg also had trouble getting into USC"s film school... I think he did alright for himself!

Here's a goofy video I created back in 2005: an audition tape to be a presenter on the red carpet for the New York City premiere of The War of the Worlds. The contest asked us to pretend to interview one of the cast using an inanimate object and... uh... well... maybe the scientology thing was too touchy. It was fun anyway... I went back to where we shot the film in Athens, New York: