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Memoirs
Leah's Tale
Going into the BTFL project there was no doubt in my mind that there were going to be several physical challenges, but what happened was definitely not what I was thinking. Becoming Laura Patton took me to a place inside myself that I didn’t know existed, and frankly it’s a place I hope to never visit in real life. When I got into character wardrobe and saw the look on Andy and Scott’s faces, small smile, and Andy nodded his head, I knew we were all ready.
The first day of filming went fairly easy, for me anyway. The weather wasn’t that bad and we were at a location where we could go warm up between takes. It started to get late and Andy and Scott thought they would need to postpone a certain scene until the next day, Sunday. That worried me. I knew Sunday was going to be much more physically demanding than this day had been and I expected that the scene they wanted to postpone was going to be physical enough for an entire day. I knew we had to get it done that day. Andy and Scott agreed to change back to the original plan and after finishing a few scenes with Bob (John Cobb), I headed in to change into a wet suit.
Bright, well not really bright, but definitely early Sunday morning I was up and making lunch to take on location. I took advantage of Scott’s vulnerability (sleeping), and chucked crumpled balls of tissue at his head. He got up. Soon everyone started rolling in and then it was time to head out. Since the scene the previous night was done, I felt pretty confident about handling this days trek through the woods. That was my first mistake. When Andy told me we were walking about a mile into the woods, I didn’t believe him, if you knew Andy you wouldn’t have believed him either. He is an incurable prankster. Not only was it about a mile into the woods, it was down the side of an extremely steep hill that I would venture to call a small mountain. I’m not liking Andy and Scott very much right then. I make it to the first location alive and it is beautiful…definitely worth the hike. We get straight to work.
The day brought many challenges, more than I would’ve guessed. When we break for lunch, I’m not really hungry. I have a sinus infection and the medicine I was on had made my stomach is a gurgling mess. It is freezing, the wind is howling and my feet are soaked because my boots sprung a leak. Thank God Bob Kane remembered an old army trick. I feel really stupid sitting on the ground with ice blocks that use to be feet on Bob’s stomach. I know I am taking up valuable time. Everyone is great and I get through it. On the short walk back to the first location the bottoms of my pants freeze, like I can clunk them together. The one thing I think keeps me going is my inability to stop being a smart-ass. We walk to the next location.
Laura is more real to me today than she has ever been. During certain takes, my vision is blurry and I have feel extremely helpless….and cold. The chemistry between John Cobb and Laura Patton is magnetic. I hear Andy say those beloved words, “okay people, that’s a wrap.”
Walking out of the woods I am strangely sad. It was one hell of a day, but part of me is sorry its over. I can’t get Laura out of my mind and I feel that I am leaving someone behind in the woods. We watch some footage of today and look at some from yesterday. I am a little worried when Andy & Scott have to turn away from the scene we shot the previous day (the one I felt we had to get) and Scott says he’s going to have nightmares. But it was a good thing. I am really taken by this project and sing my heart out to whatever is on the radio on the way home. Every time I look out from somewhere warm and see the snow, I think of Laura. She went through hell.
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