Living through coronavirus: Read personal essays from actors, crew members and others in Variety's continuing series CoronaChronicles
My family loves to ski. We always get together for a big ski trip once a year, and this time we decided to go to Aspen. I had no idea I’d come back from my first trip to the Colorado resort town with coronavirus.
After that, I found an article online about a coronavirus outbreak in Aspen and it noted that one of the resorts where my brother and I ate dinner two nights in a row, the Little Nell, had been identified as a site where two guests had tested positive. Also, the article said Aspen had the largest cluster outbreak of the virus in Colorado with 9 people testing a resumed positive.
At the same time, being under quarantine wasn’t so bad for me because I have a lot of hobbies. I finished learning a new song on the piano and I set up a golf mat in my apartment to keep my swing in shape. So what to do in the meantime? Most importantly of course – stay home. And I find myself surprisingly busy there. Fact is, most of the time at work, you actually spend a fair bit of the day staring dully at a trailer wall.
Then came the rumblings of something called the coronavirus. At first, like many others, I didn’t think much of it. We had seen stuff like this before. No worries, full-steam ahead with all the great plans laid out! “Calm down,” I told myself, “my next tour is in June.” Things should be better by then. Right? Well, this seems unlikely with what we know now. What about September? October? What about NEVER?! OK, deep breath. Not never. This will be better at some point. I think. The uncertainty is what makes this so stressful.
Thankfully, we were able to finish out the day and even have a small gathering that night, but then it was off to home. It’s all just been very surreal. I live in New York City, the epicenter of the virus in America, where there’s now over 20,000 cases. How can I develop my relationships with loved ones? What projects have I been dying to work on? What games have I been wanting to play? How can I grow closer to God? What recipes would be fun? How can I introduce more people to my music?
We shot for one week before shutting down. My boss, who is justly notorious for being a strong, generous and pragmatic leader, made the announcement toward the end of the week that we’d be going on hiatus maybe for a week, maybe for two. Of course now it seems it will be much longer. Speaking to friends on FaceTime I’ve discovered I’m not alone. There’s a general sense that we should all be “making the most” of social isolation. We should be learning languages, writing scripts, getting fit. It’s exhausting — but not as exhausting as looking at the news.
A few days later, it’s almost time for my third appointment. By now, the world has fundamentally changed. I’ve stocked up on spaghetti and sardines . Since I’m already working from home, things don’t change much on that front, except at the beginning of every conference call there are obligatory check ins and uneasy joking about the crisis. It all becomes real when I get the call from my dermatologist’s office to confirm my appointment for the next day… the third blast.
In the last 10 to 15 years, the industry has changed. Back then, if you shot a photo and it ended up on a cover of Us or People Magazine, you’d make $2,000 to $3,000 after the agency took their cut, which is normally 50/50. Today, if you get a cover, your cut may be $600 to $700. I get paid per job, so when I cover an event, I make a set rate. Other photographers operate on spec, meaning they go out to an event on their own and shoot, the image sells and they get a percentage.
We were filming in Livingstone, Montana and kept updated on the news so we knew we would eventually have to make a decision sooner or later. At that point, last Wednesday, it wasn’t clear if we had to close production. But as other productions were shut down, we realized that for the safety and well-being of everyone on set from actors, to the crew members, to the locals who were providing us with services, we had to close down the set.
Sometimes challenges like this can enhance our creativity in ways we don’t anticipate and sometimes it does not. We all remain optimistic.There was no imagining months ago that we would have our lives turned upside down by a pandemic. My heart goes out to all the people who are suffering directly or indirectly from this outbreak.
Still, the uncertainty is stressful. We don’t know when this will end. Will my job come back? Will my kids be able to graduate to their next grade levels? What is life going to be like a few months from now? I miss going places, seeing theatre, visiting friends. I know life will go back to normal someday, but today that feels pretty far away. For now, we’ll keep doing our part to help stop the spread of this thing and try to create some good stuff while we’re at it.
Some but not all of the arrangements I had made for SXSW were refundable. I ended up being able to salvage some of the money, not enough to provide any relief in terms of income, though, by any means. I like so many others now find myself “hunkering down,” not just for safety reasons but because it’s all I can afford to do.
My booking agent had already been receiving cancellations from nearly all my upcoming appearances before I arrived back in the states. I canceled the remaining few as I can’t in good conscience bring groups of people together right now, even if the venues are still open. My mother is 76 and I will be 50 next year; there is no room for error. I am currently offering personalized messages on CAMEO and posting content on social media to help maintain a positive and creative connection with people.
The photo sparked memories of a fantastic shoot and it had me shifting my thoughts away from the ubiquitous virus and over to the scents and sights of exhilarating Morocco. But once we landed in Miami and reached the connecting gate, President Trump was addressing the nation. Having caught the tail end of it, my mind wandered back to questioning whether or not heading to Morocco was a good idea. That’s when I received a text from my sister letting me know European flights were being suspended.
I am now hunkered down at home with my husband, daughter, and dog with occasional visits from my sister and nephew. We are doing a lot of cooking, movie watching and board game playing. The other night I had a virtual happy hour with producer friends of mine. I’m grateful to be home and all is well for now – though we are running low on TP.None of us wanted to be covering a story like this.
And then the thing I most dreaded happened last Wednesday: the call came in that one of our staff members who works out of our office-side building had tested positive for Covid-19. We quickly notified the staff and crew and worked fast to finish taping and get everyone out of our offices and transitioned to working from home. Our incredible technical team got Oz set-up with a home studio that we could all access remotely, so we got to work immediately, producing shows and booking guests.
While it’s a scary time due to the uncertainty, we’re trying to look on the bright side and are thankful that we are still able to work right now despite the disruptions.The WeAre Foundation uses the connective power of the arts to amplify voices that emphasize our shared humanity. It’s an art-based initiative.
Rather than just telling people to get out and work, we gather local organizations and we get them to talk about the local intersections of their work and how local and national politics can empower them in their work. We wrap it all in art-based activities with concerts and community festivals. It’s gathering crowds of people.
If you’ve got the Hamilton App, you can also click on the WeAre link and it will take you directly to Register to Vote.Amanda Lenker DoyleOur mornings begin as they have for the last year — 5 a.m. wake up to a wet diaper and hungry babe. It’s the rest of the last 14 or so days in self isolation that have been so disruptively different. My husband Devin and I had our first baby in October of 2018. We are both lucky enough to earn our living as craftspeople in the entertainment industry.
When I was younger, I hunted a good bit and, over the years, accumulated a pile of firearms and ammunition. I’m selling off what guns I don’t use, which is most of them, on the assumption that money will get you through times of no guns better than guns will get you through times of no money. I know many who disagree with me on that point, but it looks like a good time to sell, just the same. Americans are freaking out. Ammo shelves look like Castro’s Cuba.
I’m currently reading “The Night Circus,” a novel by Erin Morgenstern and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle; I highly recommend them both! I watch classic films like “Waiting to Exhale,” it’s some of Angela Bassett’s best early work. Every day, I wonder how long this quarantine will go on for. How will I pay my bills? Will my wedding date stay? Or will it be pushed? Will my loved ones be able to celebrate thisin addition to financial and physical well being.
Most importantly, I won’t let the media or outside influences dictate my fears, and I promised myself that I will take it one day at a time, and give Falkor so many extra pets. We’re all in thisPresident Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild A board member called and expressed he has handyman skills and offered help to a member that may need emergency repairs. Another said I have plenty of extra food and supplies if anyone is in need. Someone else offered to bring groceries and drop them off for members who are at risk and can’t leave their homes. Many are making phone calls just to check on each other’s welfare. I can go on and on. I have no doubt that other local leaders are experiencing the same.
The NFTS is a very hands-on school. Students “learn by doing” — making films, television shows and games to an exceptionally high standard in a real studio We set up almost 100 Zoom licences so that teaching departments could run classes online. By Wednesday, new teaching sessions were beginning to appear online.
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