Iron Jawed Angels

I am the one on the left.

The Autumn of 2003 I worked as  "continuity background" on the film, "Iron Jawed Angels". Katja von Garnier was the director. I had auditioned for one of the speaking roles, but our director could never make up her mind about me. So, I took the advice of Liz Marks who was doing the casting in Virginia and took the continuity BG gig.
The first day of shooting was October 7th. The set was in Jackson Ward (which was playing as Washington DC) It looked great. Seeing parts of your city dressed to look like it is 1913 and DC and that means all the folks dressed and only when you step around the corner or look over where the camera is that reality is back in view- it was so exciting! I saw our leading actors arrive to set. Hilary Swank was the lead playing Alice Paul and Frances O'Connor as Lucy Burn. A fun little scene finding space to set up a office the National Woman Suffrage Association in Washington D.C. I think the next scene took place later in the film and that was the scene I worked that day. I stood outside the office handing out pamphlets to my fellow actors dressed like me for 1913.
Working on a period film means long hours. Really long hours. All the Background have to arrive between 4-6 am each morning to be" worked through"  hair and make-up.  You don't want a shot lost because someone is wearing the modern piece be it a dress or watch. That is the classic story. I think it was "Ben Hur" and one of the Roman soldiers was wearing a wrist watch and they didn't have wrist watches in Roman times- oops!
So, the alarm goes off, all of us gals had arrive to set with our hair set with curlers. Fun. As the film progressed it got colder and colder. So, image standing out in field outside a big white tent which is the hair and make up land. All these women standing there with curlers in their hair, cups of hot coffee or diet coke waiting to be groomed and from there over the wardrobe tent which is also a big old tent with separation one side for the boys and the other side for the girls. Lots a talking and lots sleepy eyes.
This scenery I am sharing was the Tuckahoe Plantation. And the set up for the White house.
The White house is very important to the story of this film.  Why? If you were like me, I thought the history of women's right to vote was because Susan B. Anthony made a ton of speeches and wrote a ton of letters and magic. Women could vote! Right? Wrong. Very wrong.
Sadly, Susan B. Anthony did not live to see Women's Right to Vote a reality. She died in 1906 and the 19th Amendment passed in 1920. Of course, Anthony's role was very important but there were others who saw the process through. Especially, Alice Paul and Lucy Burn lead the battle cry and as I said this was the Suffrage story line this film was telling. And the journey to legalizing women's suffrage in the United States was not a pretty one. So, back to the set of the White house. The suffragists protested in front of the White House, and after about 9 months of protests, the President Wilson wanted them gone.  So they were arrested. And it wasn't pretty.  It was horrible.  Women were arrested, beaten, jailed, striped of their clothing, their Rights(the few that she had) and some died as a result of the treatment.
 I would like to point out a truth about America; anytime there is an issue of Human Rights, be it Slavery, Suffrage, Civil Rights and now Healthcare Reform, there is pain and suffering and even death, before justice prevails. 
I must say, I began this project just because I wanted to work on a film; but I learned so much more and for that I am so grateful. And I wasn't alone. As we sat in "holding" we gals would marvel at the fact that our history books in school said nothing about this part of our history. Somehow this part was missing?
 My other blog, www.beingwoman.blogspot.com or" What did women do in the olden days and how come we don't know about it?" I started this blog in 2006. And I can tell you women are really written out of history! It's crazy.
Well, I worked almost everyday on this film. If I wasn't doing a scene on "first unit", I felt I was the leading lady on "second unit". Our director's husband was the second unit director and he loved me! So throughout the film when you see the hands ironing, buttoning up something, printing the newspaper and so on. Well, that's me! I learned allot by doing this film and by watching some pretty cool actors. Swank and O'Connor but then Angelica Huston! Oh, yeah! Oh, and Julia Ormond's character dies in my arms! Cool.
That was the day I knew our director knew my name. I was standing in my place as "third suffragist from the left" and we listening to Ormond's character giving a speech and she collapses-So, we do a rehearsal and then just as Ormond's character is fainting I hear, "Bridget! Go to her, catch Julia!" Well! suddenly wardrobe is on me like butter on popcorn! Making sure my costume was perfect and hair and make-up was touched up all at the same time. My fellow actor in this scene was Erin Thomas. This was her first film and both of us had a blast.
During the filming of Iron Jawed Angels, I auditioned for another feature film, "Big Fish". On one of my days off I went to the first audition. Well, the last 8 days of filming IJA, I had to go to a callback for Big Fish for Tim Burton. It was a one liner, but I would be reading for Tim Burton himself. He did give me the role;but then the production found I would be "out of town." Which means too much money.
Now, back to Iron Jawed Angels. This film was an act of love and passion. Little did I know how much it would impact my life. On a very personal level. Changing my view of history, my rights and any woman's rights in the United States.   Alice Paul was a living woman who at a young age put her life on the line to help women gain a voice in our country. And until Katja von Garnier and HBO decided to make this film the only time there was a hint of the suffrage movement in film was..."Mary Poppins".   The mother, Mrs. Banks,of the children goes off suffrage rallies, which she refers to as the Cause and "we know how much the the Cause upsets father!" And then they do a musical number.  And no one gets the meaning or that its anything important. And are there any other films out there? No? Why? Well, in case you don't know, women's history is not consider compelling enough to make into movies.  Most films are about men, most of the roles are for men, and women are most of the time viewed as objects and most times sexual at that. And if a woman is intelligent she is portrayed as an mannish, not as beautiful. But the winds of change are blowing...UP! Oh, goody. 
One scene, in IJA it is evening and it is snowing and Vera Farmiga and myself are protesting outside the White house. It is a magical scene to watch and it felt the same filming it. Now, Farmiga is the main focus and I am of course standing behind her. But, it don't change the magic of the night. Or that film.  Thank you, Katja von Garnier and your lovely husband for liking my character face.  I hope you find my blog one day.
To learn more about the film "Iron Jawed Angels" go to their website http://iron-jawed-angels.com/