We were filming our movie outside all day in the blistering, bleaching, burning sun of southern Texas. It was also the day one of the stars was only three years old, and another was a dog. The dog got binned early on, but the three year old girl was integral to the story and her scenes could not be cut.
Would she stand still while we reversed a car into her for the accident scene? Not even remotely. She would act all sweet as pie until the director shouted, “Action!” and then turn to the other actors and start telling them not to say their lines, and wander off in the wrong direction. By the seventh take of the scene, I wanted to suggest that we just drugged her, covered her in pig’s blood and dumped her by the back wheel of the car for a kind of “fait accompli road accident” shot. Everyone else still thought she was cute though, so I held my tongue for a few more takes.
Everyone kept telling her how good she was, and that she was going to get presents after she did the scene. While the crew frazzled to a crisp in the midday sun. What she really needed was for someone to give her a good kicking. Or maybe for someone to give her mother a good kicking for exploiting her recalcitrant daughter.