I arrived 8ish Tuesday night. Jess picked me up from LAX and arranged for Char to meet us at a vegan restaurant in between both their houses.
I was tired from hanging around an airport all day - however - as you (whoever you are) can tell, I did get some decent writing done.
The restaurant was full of hipsters and babes. Our waiter you could tell was what they call here a 'resting actor' ie - not working. He was hilarious. All 'Honey, you have Got to try to clean green juice. It is the epitome of anti-oxidant.' The food was incredible, so much so that I couldn't eat it all.... I know! Me! (tempeh and vegetables with peanut sauce made a great breakfast the next day.)
After the lovely catchup, Char and I were hybrid bound to her house. We passed the sunset strip, Chateau Marmont, lights flaring, palm trees swaying and up up up by the Hollywood hills to her apartment. I got in the mood for, basically, a really good clean. As I am staying here for a while, I gave it a damn good hoon all over as soon as she'd left in the morning. Bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, living room. SPOTLESS!
Honey her dog is neurotic, so a two hour long walk and poochy was tired out and I got to see all of Warner Bros studios (the outside of) and peered into dry bushes, heard snakes, tried to find a Starbucks, then did some grocery shopping. All very mundane, but still interesting.
A trip to the MacStore. I have a wee problem with my 4 year old computer - I have to trade it in. It sucks, it'll cost a bit, but I use the thing everyday so... an investment... I guess.
Char picked me up at lunchtime and took me down to the Kodak Theatre, where I looked at the Hollywood walk of fame in wonder - thrilled to see Groucho Marx and Scorcese among the 'A-Listers' We sipped fresh juice smoothies and I thought 'Could I live here?' Time will tell. A photo against the pillars of the Kodak with the Hollywood sign in the background and we were ready to go.
Char had arranged for me to observe a voice class at Stella Adler.
I get the tour of the very New Yorky looking studios, all black and white and green. And into the little studio where Char and her four classmates begin to warmup.
Saleem and Jimmy are practicising their scene, they are methodically going through the space, naming things, and being wonderfully specific.
J: Is it a bedside table?
S: No, no. It's a coffee table, a small dark one.
J: Ok. Up here is a little triangle shaped skylight.
S: This is the kitchen
J: That small?!
S: Well, obviously it's a kitchenette. Jug, small fridge.
I really liked it, it added such fabric to what they were doing. Charlotte explained to me later that Adler's technique is all about imagination, not experience. Explains a lot. But I definitely want to embark on this when I next create a character. Think more about creating the space!
When the teacher Heidi came in, she invited me to join in for the first half of class. I was so grateful. It was all Linklater technique which I learnt (some of) at Toi Whakaari. It was so good to get the muscle going again. And I was interested to see the difference levels of participation from the students in the class. I was probably going harder than all of them, strangely enough.
New things I learnt:
The Soft Palate 'Kuhkuh' on a out breath you can do on an in-breath as well. This expands the ribs and releases the jaw.
When breathing in, make sure the belly is released while staying in posture. Quite a hard thing to do actually. What helped me was when we lay down and gave our belly a gentle shake and move around, to ensure the muscles are relaxed. (So you can use them more obviously and accessibly when you need to)
Afterwards, Charlotte said she had a surprise for me. Off we went on the highway to the valley.
Massage! Oh wow! Intense deep tissue massage with a funny little man who apologised in a funny little way everytime he thought it might be hurting me! It was amazing, and I felt like I had smoked something once the hour was up, such a daze I was in!
The Grove was the next stop, to meet Jessa. An absolutely gorgeous area that has been orchestrated so that you feel like you're walking into a big budget Italian movie. Fountains lit up, a carriage taking you from one end to the other, gorgeous restaurants and shops. And then the farmers market. Where we spent several hours wandering these markets, laden with food and happy looking people. I felt overcome with joy.
After the gals had Brazilian BBQ and I gobbled GadoGado salad, we shopped. Me considering some hilarious shorts and a skirt. I did not buy them. I've got acting classes and NYC to think about. But oh, I did consider.
Los Angeles is gorgeous at night, all lit up - I could see why they call it the city of dreams.
Off I tootle now, to pursue my dream. But first. I'll walk the dog (it'll be good for me too!)
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