Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538122
44 • THE ARTISAN FALL 2025 say how we used this brand and that brand for make-up and this wig, etc. I could even talk about the way we made it work the days that the trailers got rained out … but everyone hears those stories and knows them. I wanted to write about the stuff you don't read about; relationships and the situations that happen. One of the first things I learned from working with our lead actress was that she had an absolute love of fart humor … instant friends! She even showed me her Tesla whoopie cushion. She introduced me to an app called iFart and I secretly got a fart machine. There is a scene in the film where the husband and wife are talking in the minivan and the fart machine was under her seat. In between setups it would randomly go off and she would crack up! One of our other actors I had met on her first film (we became fast friends), then again on Fear the Walking Dead. She played our badass military-trained ninja warrior. We always had inside jokes and inappropriate things to say to each other… WE SURVIVED MEXICO! We earned it! Then came Neal McDonough, the man, the myth, the legend. He sat in my chair and before I started on him I said, "I just wanted to say thank you for Ravenous" to which he replied, "You mean the greatest movie ever made?!?!" and I replied, "FINALLY!!! Someone else who loves the movie as much as I do!" Now, it is, obviously not the greatest movie ever made but it IS up there, in my eyes. Ironically, the next project I did in Georgia, Neal walked on set. I said, "Are you following me?" Next came the day that Christopher Lloyd came into work. He walked on set and almost everyone had the same feeling of shock and amazement. He walked into the trailer and sat in my chair. Before I could get started, I had to tell him, from my heart, "Sir, it is an honor to have you in my chair, I have grown up on Back to the Future and such and I think I speak for everyone in this trailer when I say, 'Thank you for adding so much enjoyment to our growing up!' (everyone was nodding in agreement)." There was not a dry eye in the trailer, not even his. For me, it is not about getting pictures or memorabilia from actors I admire … it is about saying, "Thank you for helping to shape the life of someone you have never met!" It was an amazing project for many reasons. The title was great, the story was fun, the people were fantastic. The director was a great guy who was very open to collaborating on the best way to shoot things. The producers were great people who really had the crew in mind when they made their decisions. The actors were all wonderful and humble and fun. My crew was dedicated, fun, and professional. • Gabrielle Ruiz and Jackson Dunn Marine Galstyan with Mark Feuerstein and Cherie Jimenez (below) Alex Noble with Feuerstein L-R: Feuerstein and Neal McDonough as Mayor Donovan Kirk