About a week ago we shot episode 2 of “The Roommate” at a local gym/recreation center. What’s it about? Well, Racquetball of course. The way we end each episode is how we start the next, so naturally when John slaps Mike across the face, yet still wonders if they are playing racquetball, indeed they are. The episode is brilliantly written by Dave and I feel immensely sorry for Eric that he has to make sense of everything we shot. It’s fast paced, loud, and the perfect follow-up to the first one.
I for one was sweating like Dom Deluise out there. (Knocked Up reference). Perhaps I’m a little outta shape, perhaps I was a little too into my “stunts” but two skinned knees and a really sore hip later the episode should be available soon.
We get to the “Southland Leisure Center” as it is so called, pay our admission and get into the racquetball courts which are thankfully empty at the time. As we start shooting, we start to hear children playing in a room just down the hall. Of course when you are surrounded by nothing but walls that echo and echo and echo and echo and echo….this poses a bit of a challenge. What’s worse is thee fact that my character John gets, oh, a little angry in the scene and I can only imagine the children and instructor must have wondered what on earth is happening in that court because some guy is getting angry the SAME WAY over and over.
The shoot goes well, no real problems, but good laughs as per usual. So we’re done! We think, “Hey! Let’s go for a swim!” Great idea, I say, and we walk into the locker room, put our fancy trunks on, pre-shower and walk out to the “Wave Pool” where we spent so much of our childhood. Bam! We are met, literally three steps into the area, not the water no no, by a female lifeguard who is clearly on a mission. She says, “You can’t be here” and we say…”Uhhhhh…why not?”
She responds, “It’s 17 and under only”.
“Uhhhhh….Oh.” We reply. “I didn’t see a sign?”
“It’s right out front as you walk in.”
Awkwardly we leave. Feeling as though the world is watching us, embarrassment strewn all over our faces. Of course it is then, much later, when you think…”Oh I should have said that! Why didn’t I say that!?” But you don’t and you feel two feet tall.
Oh and the sign, yeaaaaaahhhh, it was about as big as a small car.
Check bag for the second installment of “The Roommate” soon!
Ryan Northcott
for FuddyTV
