The Pain Within
I do the occasional independent film as an actor and recently was cast as the Sergeant of a squad of US 10th Mountain Division Troopers fighting the Nazi scourge in Italy in 1945 for a film called "The Pain Within".

The story was great and the character, while a supporting role, was a solid character. (think Tom Sizemore's Sergeant Horvath in "Saving Private Ryan")

So in this one scene, it's Italy, 1945 and we are marching in combat column up a VERY steep dirt road through some woods and the lead character is rambling on about wanting to get some "Italian loving" from the girls in the village we had just gone through. My line, as scripted: "I say, when this whole thing is over, we head back there and knock up every Italian broad we can find."

The actual delivery was not so smooth. See, I was a big BIG fan of "Band of Brothers" (still am now that I think about it) and "Saving Private Ryan" and a great bit, all in fact of "Private Ryan" and about 1/3 of Band of Brothers, took place in France.

I respond to his line with "I say, when this is all over, we go back there and knock up every French broad we find."

"CUT! RESET TO ONE!" cried the Director over the muffled chuckles of my fellow cast members. We trudged back down that LONG, STEEP hill...turning about halfway down to begin the climb again...their chuckles didnt last long. It was August and the humidity was up near 80%. And some dim-wit back in the 1940's made those uniforms of WOOL.

It was funny the first time, trust me. But it got old after the second and third takes. By the fourth take, I ALMOST got it right, and I wasnt so concerned with the irritated Director but the thought that all those armed extras were REALLY getting tired of marching up that hill.

Several had machine guns. And I am happy with the present and God-given number of holes in my body.

Fortunately, my jokes were good in between takes so they let me live to shoot another day!

Cheers!
( Citadel Because the world needs less morons, Fri 2 Dec 2005, 21:05, Reply)