Jerusalem Hotel 2230

Today was the busiest day on set there ever will be. We shot a large sequence with the entire cast and, as far as I could tell, the entire crew. We closed down the entire top floor of a hotel. It was easily the most expensive day of production. It was nothing by Hollywood $100 million blockbuster standards, but for a tiny little movie in a tiny little country, this was a pretty big day.

From an acting point of view, I had it easy. Other characters are always the stars. My character was mostly in the background. I was an extra with a few lines of dialogue. And I loved watching every minute of it. I got to watch everyone perform without worrying about my character.

Most days on set are a lot of sitting around and waiting. Today, we had a tight schedule, so everyone moved at full speed. There were fewer breaks since the director had everyone divided into teams. While some of the crew was setting up the next shot over there, the rest of the crew was shooting over here. Instead of waiting around for the next shot, the actors had to rush from one set to the next. It was almost like working on stage. I loved it. Some of the movie actors were not as happy. They are used to a slower pace.

My big scene of the day was complaining about how stuffy and traditional people are in Jerusalem. My character, an American, wants to party and have a good time, but can't find any action. I find it more than a little amusing that I am playing a loud American who just wants to get laid.

The great thing is that there are no sex scenes anywhere in this movie. When I read the script, I was amazed that there was nothing about anybody taking off any clothes. There are several actresses from whom the studio would require at least partial nudity if this were an American production. If this were HBO, everyone would get naked. But this is a small independent movie very far from Hollywood. They care more about the story than using naked women to sell tickets.