Time of My Life

At a certain point in this "extras" career, you stop being 'starstruck'. You go to work, you stand on your feet, and it's like you just realize that all actors are just like us. But today, on the set of The Beast, I couldn't help it. Patrick Swayze was that dancer from the 80's. The one that I watched as a pimply thirteen year old. My first 'rated R' movie. My mom brought it to me. "You should watch this. You would really like it." I felt weird that it was called Dirty Dancing. Why was my mom telling me to watch it. But then, after I did, I was so in love with the story, and especially Patrick Swayze. Then in the basement of our house, when my friends would come over, we'd imitate scenes. We would run and leep across the couch and land on pillows and laugh "Nobody puts baby in a corner! Nobody!" That was then.

And now, today actually, he is 56 years old (it was his birthday). But to me, it's 20 year old Johnny Castle singing "She's Like the Wind" as I stand there waiting to ride onto set. They asked me to be a biker in one of his scenes today. So just as he leeps over a wall I ride in front of him. They say to me "hey, just don't hit Patrick." Oh god, how could I live with myself! I was very careful. And as we crossed paths I silently said to him "I've had the time of my life!"

And I have. As I thought about it today. I've really had quite the time of my life so far. 30 isn't looking so grim. I must say, I'm excited for this new time of my life.