I was overcome with curiosity by my fellow PA’s statement yesterday, “You don’t know who I know. I could make your life a living hell.” (Seriously, though, he’s a nice guy. This is waaay out of context.)
I knew he had been hired because the coordinator was told she had to hire him. So today, I asked her who, specifically, instructed her to do so.
She responded, “I’ll tell you if you tell me what happened yesterday.” (Of course, I hadn’t told her about our discussion, despite the fact that, I’m told, my face was as pink as the third draft of a script immediately afterward.)
So, I told her my colleague felt that I was condescending to him, and issuing orders when we are, in fact, on the same level. “So, who told you to hire him?”
“It was a political hire.”
“I know that. A political hire from who?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
…
I felt like a cartoon character, suddenly realizing the Warner siblings were in front of me, and no longer behind me.
“Wha- but… I just told you.”
Finally, she admitted the higher up works at the production company overseeing our show, but she declined to name names.
That’ll teach me to trust her.
This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten a bad feeling from her. On my first or second day, she was telling us PAs that we’re going to have to keep the kitchen clean. “Keep it neat, like you would your own- Well, not your kitchen. You’re guys. But keep it clean.”
Haha, very funny, whatever. I don’t mind. In any case, she’s right.
Seconds later, literally, as she was going on about cleaning stuff, I joked, “We’re going to need a girl PA.”
My boss stared at me like I just ran over her puppy. “We do not need a girl PA. Don’t ever talk like that in my office again.”
I failed to utilize the “you started it” defense.
And the weird, confusing politics goes on.
Several accountants have started this week, and I don’t yet know all of their names. I was trying to tell my boss that one of them wanted something. She asked which one, and I said, “Oh, shoot. I forget her name. The Asian one.”
Again, her jaw dropped to the floor, like I’d just said, “You know, the slant-eyed gook, sneaky jap, oriental one.”
Come on! It was an immediately accessible, clear, obvious characteristic. She knew who I meant. “The short one with the dark hair” wouldn’t have worked, because we also have a Middle Eastern accountant. Or possibly Hispanic. I’m not sure.
See, this is why I couldn’t be a racist. I can’t tell if I’m hating the wetbacks or the camel jockeys. Hell, I can’t even tell Jews from white people half the time, and what kind of racist doesn’t hate the Jews?
5 Responses
Oh, man, I hate locking up. Someone should blog about that…
That’s hysterical.
On my first show as a P.A. in NY (1986), we had a political hire in the department. The 2nd A.D. made no bones about everyone knowing the “David” was on his first job and only because his uncle was a big shot at A & M Records.
He was put in charge of getting the actors their breakfast. So, on day one, we’re shooting somewhere up in the Bronx and he goes to an actress and asked her what she’d like. (I forget who she was, but if you picture Lovey Howell from Gilligan’s Island you’re on the right track.)
She ordered Banana Nut Bread and an Evian. He looked at her and, in the worst New Joisey accent you can imagine, said, “I’ll give it a whack, lady, but in this neighborhood, I’m pretty sure you’re shit out of luck.”
By lunch he was giving cuts and rolls to the grips so they’d stop sawing.