Title: Leatherheads, feature film
Cast: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger
Extra: Lisa Marie Molenda
Producers: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Casey Silver
Director: George Clooney
Script: George Clooney, Stephen Schiff, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly
Name: Lisa Marie Molenda
Role: Dancer/Flapper
Where: Winston Salem, Millenium Center
Your hometown: Winston Salem
Occupation: Student online at Ashford University and Runner at The Russell Agency- www.russellagency.com
Family: I live with my mother, who is also an actress, and two sisters, Melinda and Renee and I have two house rabbits, Froda Grace and Big Dog.
Describe when you decided to appear at the casting call and your reaction to being selected. Did you dress up for a particular part?
I missed the call in Winston Salem for dancers but heard there was another one in Statesville the next day so I went with my sister. I have a great deal of dance experience and training. I’m not super-skilled at dancing the Charleston but I’ve done it before and because of my ballet training I pick up most dances easily. We waited in line and were stressed because we were trying to get together our pictures in the car and were not used to Statesville but we made it there. I don’t think I dressed in anything special. Finally we spoke to the casting assistants and left. The process was rather short just an interview about dance experience and other training then we left.
I wasn’t cast right away. I had to go to a dance audition in Statesville. There were a lot of people there, close to 200 I think. I prayed it would go better than my audition for Step up where I had been punched in the neck and passed out. We learned the Charleston and then had to dance with a partner for the casting directors and one of the producers. Then they made us dance freestyle. Fortunately I had studied the Charleston a bit from youtube videos and rewatched “Singin’ in the Rain” (for the 50th time) which has a nice Charleston dance in it so I was comfortable with that. It did however, seem to go on forever! At the end of all the dancing we stood in a long line while the casting directors, looked us all up and down. It seemed to last an eternity. I felt like I was in a beauty pageant or something.
Who was your first call to and what was the conversation when you learned you were going to be in a George Clooney produced movie with the No. 1 male box office star?
I didn’t hear anything for a long time and had given up that I would be in the movie. Then, I got the call to come to a fitting and get my hair chopped off. I was really calm when they were telling me all the info over the phone. Then it hit me and I got really excited I think I screamed. I am very laid back so I don’t usually act like that. I ran up and down the stairs and all around my house. Then I called my mom. Sh was excited and really happy for me. We were both sad for my sister though who certainly had enough training to have been called to audition.
What was your first experience like on the movie set? Was it what you expected?
I walked into the Millenium Center early in the morning. I was with a group of extras who had been shuttled there from the parking deck. Then people started walking through looking at everyone. A red-headed girl, Kelly, introduced herself to me and said I have beautiful skin. She pulled me out of the line and had me fill out my paperwork then she said I need to ask a PA to take me to the main trailer once I was finished. The wardrobe people made me put on a large mens shirt and my tights before I could go to makeup. Then, a security person escorted me to the main trailer across the street. Kelly did my makeup. I felt special that I got my makeup done by the same people who did John Krasinski’s makeup and George Clooney’s makeup.
What was the role(s) you were cast and describe what you did? Include how wardrobe dressed you?
I was cast as a dancer/ flapper in a speakeasy scene. After breakfast they started calling the names of the dancers who had been cast. They called me and 9 other girls and 10 guys. Then we had to go and rehearse with Jack, the choreographer/ dance blocker. We were paired off and practiced the Fox Trot and Charleston. It was so hard to dance in my costume but I worked hard because they were videotaping us. I was wishing we had rehearsed more in our wardrobe because it was really tough to dance in. My dress was beautiful but weighed about 50 pounds. Or at least it felt like it. It was a very heavily beaded flapper dress. I could barely sit in it because I was always losing beads and when I did a turn, the dress kept going because it was so heavy. I was also uncomfortable because I couldn’t wear a bra. Maybe that’s why they called them flappers. Anyway, I really can’t complain. It was a beautiful dress. The back of it had a really low V with sheer material filling it in. I also wore a thick headband with a giant flower to match the giant flower that they stuck on my shoulder.
Did you do anything to maneuver yourself closer to the camera or into a scene?
I didn’t have to. After watching our rehearsal, they picked two couples to dance in the scene since there wasn’t a lot of space. I was half of one of those couples. I was in the first shot of the Speakeasy scene they wanted to have some dancers moving across the floor in front of the band that was playing. It was the Christian Scott band, the singer was Ledici. She was just nominated for 2 or 3 grammys.
How close did you get to George Clooney? Renee Zellwegger or other actors?
My partner, Trey, and I were some of the first people to walk on set. George walked up and was like “hi guys” and he kept walking. It was very natural. He didn’t act like he knew he was something special.
Later, when we were getting ready to set up the scene, George came and told me he wanted us to slow dance. Then he grabbed my hand and put his other hand on my waist and slow danced with me. It was not what I was expecting at all. I’ve never been star struck. I always just thought that movie stars are just people with famous names and a lot of money. I do have to say I was excited. Then Kelly came up to fix my lip gloss. I couldn’t stop smiling. She said “I know you just danced with George Clooney but try to relax.” Then I took a big breath and was fine. In another take, my partner and I were in close proximity to George and Renee then the cops came in and we were supposed to run in all different directions. In one take I ran right into George. That was the last take. Then we tried the scene another way and my partner and I ran out a door and down a corridor. We turned to the right and there was a door but there was apparently enough space to cram four couples two cops and George and Renee. They were the last to come in. George sort of flung Renee around the corner into everyone, she was just like “Oh, hi.” We were very close to George and Renee then.
Most of the time while we were waiting to shoot, I hung out with the band and Ledici. She told me she auditioned 9 times for Dream girls, for the part that Jennifer Hudson got. She didn’t get it but then she got called to do Leatherheads. I was glad because I had a great time talking with her. I didn’t ever shoot with John Krasinski but got to meet him in Starbucks. I was in there quite often because my sister works there. I saw him in there a couple times and one day I gave him a drawing to give to Renee that I had done after being inspired by watching her do a scene with George. He was really nice. I was afraid to really chat with him though. That’s one thing I regret because I really like the Office. Anyway, he was like “Thanks. That is so awesome!” I was impressed that he was so down to Earth and was thinking of me. I was thinking “what did I do for you?”
What surprised you the most about how a movie was produced?
Nothing really, like I said I’ve been on other movie sets.
Outside from your participation: What is the best memory you take away from your experience.
All my memories are great so I will leave you with my most embarassing memory. While hanging out with the band and Ledici after a take, the musicians were saying how it felt weird to have to mime playing their instruments. I said I could help I was a mime and my mime team won 2nd place at a national fine arts festival. Later on set when George told them to pantomime, Christian told him that I was a mime and won a national competition. My face, had it not been covered in makeup would probaby have been bright red. George started laughing and said if he had been a mime he probably would get beat up. I could have died but it was funny to see his reaction.
What else have you been doing?
I got a part in another film called Children of the Hunt shortly after Leatherheads. It was in part because of the haircut I got from Leatherheads. They liked that I looked like Carrie Ann Moss in the Matrix.
George Clooney is noted for making movies with people he has worked with before. Would you work with Clooney again if his company called you?
Absolutely, I was told by some of the crew people, when I would chat with them in Starbucks, said that it’s nice working with George. They say that a group of them work on all his films and it’s kind of like a big family. I would definitely agree it felt like that.
What would your response be?
How much will you pay me? Just kidding.
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