#john shrapnel

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May 2, 1999 Sunday

I really am in no mood to write some big piece of literature. Oliver Reed just died and I found out not even five minutes ago. I saw him yesterday. He was a really nice guy. I just did a scene right after him on Friday. He was the actor who played Bill Sykes in the movie Oliver, and he's a really famous actor. I think he might have even been knighted in England but I'm not sure.

I worked a little with Nick and Andreas on my swordmanship and on a new routine for my sword-fighting scene with Joaquin.

I think Russell wanted to liven things up for me so he decided to be my tutor for the day. He started off with math. He told Marjorie he felt the best way to really appreciate numbers is by playing blackjack! Next came tutoring in LA2. Russell began by teaching me a poem and a limerick.

Poem: The boy stood on the burning deck His pockets full of crackers. One fell down between his legs And blew of both his knackers.

Limerick: There was a young man from Australia He painted his arse like a dahlia The color was fine Likewise the design The aroma, alas, was a failure.

Russell had me recite them to Ridley who chuckled and gave me a big pat on the back. Later on that day, Russell and I were waiting for a scene to get set up and we decided to change places. I put on his helmet and strutted about and he hunched down in front of Joaquin (I stand in front of Joaquin in the scene). It was pretty goofy and the audience, who was bored was quite amused.

We got back to filming and every one was about ready for a nap (lunch was incredibly good) but we were given no mercy. At least most of the filming was of the gladiators and not of the imperial dudes.

Djimon was keeping a keen eye on me when I was around the cookies that he had claimed. I snatched one and he gave me the most intimidating look I've ever seen. He would not stop that convincing stare that I'd made a mistake for about a minute until he ran after me and I scurried off.

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May 6, 1999 Thursday

A letter from Russell was slid under my door inviting us to a "Crowe XI v. Melita Cricket Club" match on Sunday. Russell's family is coming to Malta and he has two cousins (or maybe it's one cousin and his brother) that were Captains of the New Zealand Cricket Teams. It goes from 11:00 AM 'til 8:00 PM. There is the match, a BBQ and a DJ with a string quartet. It sounds like fun. Russell's Dad has his senior year at our hometown's high school. Small world!

Oh, one more thing. Russell plays hockey! (He says he's really bad but he just did a hockey movie called Mystery Alaska).

Anyway, while Marjorie and Mom talked, I worked on my limericks for Russell.

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May 8, 1999 Saturday

I went to base camp at 7:00 AM and was ready to go at 8:00 AM, or so. I was called to the set a little later and started rehearsing the scene. My character's mom, Lucilla comes back from Germania with the Emperor Commodus and I have to greet them in front of the Palace with the Senators. The scene should look quite spectacular on the big screen. The palace entrance was dressed with flowers and smoke from the incense and had a Praetorian Guard Unit surrounding the Senators and Royalty. On numerous shots they had to put up a blue screen where the crowd will be superimposed.

It was a very bright day and I had difficulty keeping my eyes open during the scene. Sandra had to help me a bit on saying the word gods" in an English accent. In between takes I sat in the shade, reading a book and enjoyed the coolness as well as I could, because during the scene I had to stand on the palace steps, in the blazing sun with six layers of clothing on. After lunch I was released and could go home. At the hotel I went swimming and drank ice tea by the pool.

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May 9, 1999 Sunday

The best art of today was going to Russell's cricket game at 3:30 PM after finishing homework. It was bright and sunny - a perfect day. Russell's brother, Terry, his uncle and dad, his mate, (this means good friend in Australian, not something weird) Mark, and two cousins came from New Zealand and Australia. The "Crowe" team all wore matching monogrammed sweater vests and hands and had white long pants.

Cricket's a pretty formal game. Long and interesting if you're into it like golf. I guess I must be into it because I sure enjoyed learning the game. It's pretty hard to explain without a pen and paper except for saying it's like baseball with one base and a different system of striking out. You could be up at bat seventy times before striking out. And often times the batter is up at bat that long, sometimes even longer. The Crowe team played and lost to the local Maltese team.

There was a big barbecue and a string quartet. They had burgers, chicken, hotdogs, steak, and coleslaw. The whole nine yards. After the match, a DJ came and played rock music.

When Russell first saw me he came up and said he was sorry to miss Arlington Road but he had a rehearsal. I sat with him for a while and at a perfect moment (when all his "mates" were around) I told him my two limericks:

There once was a cricketeer Crowe From New Zealand and lands down below In his fridge one would find Leg of lamb oh so fine With love bites from thigh down to toe In Australia and New Zealand, too Where girls are incredibly few Russell Crowe has no doubt That he'll never strike out With a sheep or a stray kangaroo

It was pretty hilarious- not necessarily the limericks but Russell's reaction. He's really funny.

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May 11, 1999 Tuesday

I slept in late because it was pretty late when I went to bed last night. I went to the set after breakfast and went through the normal preparations that I have to do before going on. Like wardrobe, hair and make-up. Then I threw a lacrosse ball against the wall. Not too much time later I was called to the palace to film the first scene of the day. The palace usually has no roof and no wall on one side. So it is open to the outside. Today they covered that space with black sheets that blocked out all the light.

The scene we filmed was great, because I was asleep the whole time. The Romans had very bouncy comfortable beds. The room I was in had silk cloth hanging from the ceiling and candles in every corner. One of the guys behind the camera had a laser pointer that you could point at an object and it would tell you the distance between you and the object.

I walked along the natural salt flats for a while then headed back to base camp where I changed wardrobe and prepared for the next scene. A few minutes later I was called to the palace for the second time. The set had been re-dressed and the light was a little darker. This scene was of a slave and me sword fighting until Commodus (my evil uncle Joaquin) comes over, takes the sword from the slave and carries on a conversation with me while we sword fight. At the end of the scene Joaquin has to kneel down on one knee with him leaning on his sword. When he put his weight on the sword it slid out and he went with it. He kept a straight face and continued on with the scene like nothing had happened. Such a pro. Joaquin is so intense. I love working with him.

Around 9:30 PM, Nicky Gregory, the nurse showed me her private collection of candy. She gave me the Mars bar I selected which was just what I needed. The scene was hard because the slave was French and barely spoke English. He had learned the sword routine earlier that morning.

It was a really fun scene though with a lot to think about like landing my mark, remembering the sword routine, and using a correct English accent. We wrapped around 11:30 PM. I'm ready for bed.

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May 14, 1999 Friday

I had a late call time to the set so I figured they would film pretty late. At base camp the second unit was having lunch, so I ate late since I had missed breakfast. The second unit shoots special effects, stunts and establishing shots. We were going to work in the palace with Ridley, the director, because we had scenes with dialogue. The unit had the Colosseum where they had extras in the stands and they were doing more detailed special effects: the demise of one of the female gladiators.

Today I got into wardrobe and relaxed in the burning sun. One of the SFX guys estimated a good two days would have to be spent on making the remote control car that Joaquin gave me. I need a few tools like pliers so I think I'll wait 'til I get home and Dad can give me a hand.

Today's scene in the palace is between Lucilla, Commodus and me. It's a really good scene where Joaquin and Connie both got to show what they could do acting wise. They are very good! Because it was filmed outside, the 108° outside temperature didn't effect the room as much, but it was still pretty warm. We set up some chairs in front of some fans and talked with anyone who wasn't setting up the shot. Connie and I had a lot of laughs. She's from New York but also lives in Italy.

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May 22, 1999 Saturday

I went down to breakfast and learned from Ralf he was leaving on Monday. I'll miss him a lot. I gobbled down an omelet and then did school work (surprise, surprise).

Around 6:00 Joaquin invited me to his room to hang. I listened to music and watch the "Tele" in his living room and then we went downstairs to find something better to do. He invited me to dinner with Tomas and Djimon and I accepted. We took a taxi to a restaurant called the Barracuda. It was very nice and the food was super. We talked of LA, Puerto Rico, and Paris and whatever else came to mind. We scarfed down our food letting the comments on the food be expressed by not talking at all but by eating. I was not all that hungry but the food was delicious. The three guys are really fun to be around. Funny. Nice. We all jammed in the taxi on the way back and were silent as we had all had a long day.

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May 23, 1999 Sunday

I did school until 2:00 PM mainly on the same stuff as yesterday (book reports and an Egyptian report). Then Joaquin, Tommy, Sammy, Bruno, Tomas, and I piled in a mini van while Sandra, Mom, and Marjorie got in to a car and we set off to Benjamin's (the General Manager of the hotel) house for a barbecue.

When I arrived I met about ten girls aged 10 to 12. About half, sorry to say, I can't remember their names. Brawny was the General Manager's daughter. I sank my teeth into a burger and a dish of calamari and pasta as Sonny from the hotel bartended bar.

After getting hot I jumped in the pool in my khaki shorts and then got thrown in a few times by Joaquin, Tommy, and Djimon. The house had a great view of two mountain plateaus which I started to climb with a long line of girls trailing behind. (I wasn't complaining). We went up to a cave that had one huge cavern and small grottos inside it. The cave in the cliff side had two entrances. We found two jawbones of an animal neither the grown ups nor I could identify. Too big for a fox, cat, or rabbit and too small for a dog. It was pretty neat. I have three teeth with me. As I left the girls asked for my autograph. The funny thing was, they wanted me to sign it on their sneakers (or "trainers" as the British say).

Back at the hotel, Ralf introduced me to his good friend Arnold Schwarzenegger who had come to visit Ralf for the weekend. He's a nice guy. Not as tall as Ralf but has the same big muscles. All the girls at the reception desk were excited that he was staying at the hotel.

Ralf has finished his scenes and leaves tomorrow. I'm going to miss him. We had a lot of laughs and he's a really great person. Kind and considerate as can be. He's really smart too, and like most of the cast can speak several languages.

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May 26, 1999 Wednesday

I went to set and got my spiffy toga and britches and happily took to the couch for a rest. Marjorie abruptly ruined it and we started doing Spanish.

The set was incredibly dressed. I'm so anxious to tell everything but in case this is read by anyone before the film comes out, I'll let the details be a pretty neat surprise. I won't ruin the film by telling anything except that Connie and Joaquin looked incredible in their costumes.

Joaquin and Russell had to do this tremendously hard, long sword fight that was fast paced and required much mental and physical co-operation. Both Russell and Joaquin are athletic and they practiced a lot. It looked great. Connie and I were baffled from our seats in the Colosseum. There were thousands of extras that will be hoarse tomorrow from all the cheering they did. There was a lot of energy on the set today.

Ridley is designing his house in California. He sends plans back by fax. Ridley had gone to art school for a long time - no wonder he is such a good director. We talked about how I am always drawing house plans and he said he would give me the architectural designs for the Colosseum! I'm dying to see the plans and see how they figured the whole Colosseum out. It's such an amazing place that it's easy to forget you are on a set.

After lunch they did close-ups of Connie and me reacting to the final fight. How we react kind of needs to be seen on screen because it would take me ten pages to describe.

Russell gave me his baseball cap from the cricket match. It has Crowe XI (the number of people in a cricket match) and Malta 1999 on it. He also gave me tons of great candy (Pollywaffles - a marshmallow covered in an ice cream cone waffle, then covered with chocolate, and some real cherry bars) that he gets from Australia. He also gave me a photo of him with me. And then, Sandra gave me the U2 double album - one of my favorites. It felt like my birthday.

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May 28, 1999 Friday

I had a breakfast of OJ and that was it. I went to the set and did wardrobe, hair, etc. I went to the set when ready instead of what I usually do which is wait at base-camp hours on end. I was in the royal box the first half of the day with Connie watching a fight. I wish I could write what the fight was, but that would spoil it. It was really neat though, definitely a highlight of the movie. I spent most of the time with my head up against the side of my chair in the royal box. I dozed between scenes.

Connie showed me a few of her CD's, which I listened to on a portable CD player. She has a good sense for music.

Because she wears her hair all pulled up in tight curls for the film and her role is pretty formal, I guess I at first expected Connie to be pretty uptight and I never expected her to love rap and be so funny. Now I know that she is as laid back as Joaquin. She is definitely cool.

I went to lunch and ate a nice filling meal of BBQ chicken kabobs and French-fries. I listened to music in my trailer for the majority of the lunch break and then went down with Mom to the natural salt flats near the sea and the set. It was really beautiful.

I was called back to set and started filming my favorite scene of the ovie. I won't say a word about it though. I was down in the arena area of he Colosseum. I'm so anxious to tell everything but I'm not going to spoil the surprises in the film. At one point though, the ex-president of Malta who had resigned three weeks ago, came to visit the set. Branko, the producer, walked him our to the center of the Colosseum and the crowd went nuts.

Obviously, he was pretty popular. Then he picked up a sword and mocked fought with Russell. The crowd went even crazier. It was pretty funny.

Back at the hotel, I was banned to the desk to do math. I finished around nine forty-five.

I was at the reception desk when this total stranger comes up to me and gives me a hug and started talking to me. She was gorgeous so, as you would imagine, I made no attempt to stop her. Finally I figured out from her voice that she was Connie. I hadn't recognized her in her bell-bottoms and with straight hair. She looks great with straight hair. Now I could completely see her listening to rap.

Mom started to pack. We had to get two extra bags to lug back all the stuff we're bringing home.

May 29, 1999 Saturday

I went to the set at eight o'clock. I started filming right when I was ready in wardrobe. I went to the set believing that I was going to do a really difficult scene but instead Connie and I were up in "the royal prison" (the royal box) as a reference for Russell. We weren't even on camera. We talked about anything that we could. In the middle of the scene everything was dead quiet and then all of a sudden a boat out in the harbor behind the set blew a foghorn. The extras laughed yet Russell wasn't pleased. He tried to continue with his scene but the extras didn't realize that the noise could be edited out and then Russell had to do the whole scene over again. He was pretty good-natured about it even though it was an emotional scene and required a lot of concentration. The audience understood when they had to start from the beginning and they were better behaved the next take.

Gordon Campbell Smith (who plays a gladiator) is an incredible artist. He showed me his work. He makes the most complex comics I've ever seen. He has created a whole race and culture in an illustrated book about the clans from Scotland. He also designed a lot of the gladiator tee shirts. Gordon has a great Scottish accent. He didn't do Braveheart because he was competing for Scotland in the shot put for the World Games. He's got very long hair. Ridley said, "Who would have known that such a barbarian has such talent!"

We went back for lunch. I enjoyed the meal and then went back to the set. A few of the gladiators were in the bowels watching a tribute to Oliver Reed, with clips of the film done to "I Did It My Way". I missed the first part but the end looked great. This film is going to look incredible when it's finished.

They started filming close ups of Connie and Russell. They are both so good at what they do. It was a really intense scene for the two of them and they played it extremely well. The next scene I was used. It was Connie and me up in the royal box again. The camera was too far away to see the expressions on our faces but it was still important for us to be there. They were also filming some second unit scenes from the tiger fight and another funny scene involving snakes. I got to hold them. They had about fifty snakes and a couple of snake handlers. It freaked mom out but the snakes were pretty amazing. The scene they used them in is hilarious.

They wrapped Joaquin, Connie, and me but I decided to stay to see the next scene. Branko Lustig, the producer gave me a sword from the armory that I can't wait to mount on my bedroom wall. It is really neat.

The crew moved the cameras to the gladiator camp where they started filming the gladiators practicing and a noisy crowd outside the camp. It was really neat to see the camera pass through tons of fighting gladiators. At one point in the scene Russell talks to Tommy on the other side of the closed gate. There was a full moon coming up to top off a beautiful sunset and the light at the set was very interesting. Maybe it was because it was the last night or that I usually wasn't at the set at that hour but it was kinda eerie.

At the end Ridley gave me not one but ALL the blueprints for the Colosseum! I'm so excited! Even though he's so busy he still remembered to give them to me. That's the kind of guy Ridley is. He also gave me a book on Frank Lloyd Wright's designs to further wet my likes for architecture. It was really cool. I can't wait until I get a chance to look through the blueprints at home and to look at the book on the plane back home tomorrow.

As I was getting to leave, Russell was being driven home but stopped to say goodbye. He wasn't sure if he was going to the wrap party. I said I won't forget his "Pollywaffles" and he said "Oh, you mean these Pollywaffles?" Then he held out a dozen Pollywaffles that he had in his lap waiting to give to me. It was pretty funny. Talk about going out of your way to make someone's day! He had made this film a lot of fun for me.

They wrapped and Mom and I went to the hotel to pack for our journey home tomorrow.

Around 11:30 Tomas, Mom, and I left for the wrap party in a taxi. The party was at a fancy outside nightclub with a garden and pool. Ridley and Mr. Lustig were there to greet everyone as they entered, which was really nice. I mingled through the crowd saying my final good-byes and occasionally snacking on a shrimp hors d'ouvre. I danced with more than a few people. Milly and I had a good few dances and so did Connie and I. The dance floor was covered in rose petals- to remind us of a scene from the film. The DJ had an interesting choice of music. A few people went swimming but I had no interest in getting wet at one in the morning. Towards the end of the party for me Joaquin leaned over the pool and dunked his head under the water. I guess I just couldn't resist dunking my head in too. Then Tommy came over and held me by my feet over the pool and slowly brought my head closer and closer to the water and dunked it all the way under. Connie, being the good person she is, let me dry off my head with her sweater. Finally around 2:00 AM we left after saying goodbye to everyone. This film has meant so much to me. It gave me a lot of good memories and introduced me to a lot of great people. Ridley is a wonderful director and Mr. Lustig a great producer. The cast has been very professional and kind. Hopefully I'll see them all again. A few of the people live nearby like Connie and Rob Harris. And others I'll have to hope I see them on another set!