« Milan Lows | Main | Nowhere to go but up »

2005年05月09日

Interesting Day

The transit system here uses validated tickets. It is a cross between honour system and pay-for-entry. On the buses you are supposed to hold a valid ticket which you validate upon entrance at one of the on-board machines. The driver will not check you before you board. In fact, there are three sets of doors on the buses that all open at every stop.

On the subway, you need to validate your ticket to get through the turnstile or show your pass to the station attendant. The turnstiles, however, could care less whether you have validated your ticket for the first time or the seventh, and the attendant is often, contrary to the nomenclature, not in attendance.

Many of (perhaps all?) the models here regularly cheat the system. Besides perhaps the girls, few of which I have met, everyone I know sneaks in one way or another. I, however, diligently (unnecessarily?) purchase a weekly pass every Monday.

Today, being a Monday, I was due for a new pass. I realized this as I was waiting for the bus. I had never been on the bus without a valid pass. Considering I had never been checked either, I hopped on with the plan of purchasing a new pass after finishing my first casting of the day.

After finding my seat, I overheard the driver in discussion and looked up. To my horror, a uniformed transit official was aboard the vehicle and demanding "biglietti" from passengers!

He walked first down the opposite side of the bus asking people, it seemed, at random. I pretended to ignore him. He turned to face me and posed the dreaded question. Buying time, I looked confused and said "sorry?" He repeated himself and after feigning comprehension, I began fishing in my pockets for my expired pass whose location I knew precisely.

He continued his witch-hunt down the bus. Perhaps I had escaped!Judging from the heated arguments, the other passengers had predicaments of their own.

I retrieved the pass and held it in my hand resting on my lap. I was rehearsing my explanation as the officer continued his debate with the person behind me. Then I saw an opportunity! We were approaching the next stop.

Realizing I would look guilty to jump out of my seat and perch beside the door, I readied myself while seated, without drawing attention. My heart and mind racing, the bus continued. I saw the gray plastic outline and orange LED readout of the stop just across the street.

Any second now, I would simply get up, step off the bus, and walk away.

Then the light turned red. We were stranded. There was my exit, just across the intersection. My luck had just run out.

The official concluded his debate, walked forward, and turned to face me. I braced myself as I turned over my pass.

"Grazie" he said, and returned it.

I smiled and nodded. Either it was OK that I was using a pass that expired today, or he was just too busy with his job to notice! Either way, I breathed a sigh of relief and continued to my casting - for deodorant nevertheless.

The location was the same as one I had been to a few weeks ago. The waiting room, similar to that of a small train station, had wooden bench seats - the kind divided into individual seats with armrests. I signed up on the list and sat down to the hour long wait. A room full of beautiful people. Me, every now and then expecting the casting director to stop, point at me, and say "too young!" on one of her many trips between outside, the offices, and the studio.

Eventually she sent out a bunch of guys from the studio and read four names of the list, including mine. The four of us, two guys and two girls, all followed her into the studio.

An antiquated computer looking device sat on a table next to an old camera. The room was bright with the studio lights. Facing the desk and camera was the rest of the studio, typical, with white walls joining at curved edges to create a harmonious void space.

Nervous in anticipation of being on camera, I retrieved a composite and handed it over. The lady began speaking in Italian to the first man on the list. She directed him to the floor and through some actions. Then he began a long Italian speech which I presumed, through the odd word I understood, to be a summary of his acting experience.

Even more nervous, I pondered how I would explain to her that I do not speak Italian.

The man said thank you and left and, before leaving, the lady said "you and you, together" pointing at me and one of the two remaining girls.

The girl got on stage and I tentatively followed asking "she said together right?".

The girl said "yes" and then, reading my mind, "do you speak Italian??"

Smiling, I replied "no" and both of us were relieved.

The director had us stand together on a marked spot on the floor. She had me turn my head in both directions for my profile. Then she had me show my hands for the camera. She said, "first, the interview" and asked us both our names and where we were from.

The rest of the casting was a bit of a blur, beginning with "you are boyfriend and girlfriend".

I think some of the directions were "look at the camera, now look at each other" and "bring your hand up to her face" and "whisper into her ear, and then you laugh" and "now you fall in love". But the only direction I remember with complete lucidity was the next:

"And now the kiss!".

Boy were neither of us expecting that one! Well, actually, I was sort of expecting it about half way through the casting, but certainly not while I was sitting outside in the waiting room. There are few professions in this world where you can walk into a room like its any other day and be ordered to kiss a beautiful woman. A perk like that makes up for any number of days in a cockroach infested apartment.

Posted by William at 2005年05月09日 15:07

Comments

Posted by: Bhupesh at 2005年05月10日 05:28

Posted by: Jeff at 2005年05月10日 07:45