STRICTLY ON BACKGROUND, PT. 62: "FEUD: CAPOTE VS. THE SWANS"

 Once in a while I hit the background jackpot, and brother this was one of
the jackpottiest -- working on three episodes of a highly- anticipated miniseries, directed by Gus Van Sant, and featuring a slam-bang cast in a juicy true story about the most famous author of his time and the cream of New York society. Just where I belonged! 

Waiting for my Jambon a la Creme
Au Porto and glass of Chateau
Mont Redon.

Adding cherries to the jubilee, the first scene was a period piece, giving me the chance to wear authentic 1970s polyester wardrobe and smoke (herbal) cigarettes on the set. My eyeglasses fit the style perfectly, as they did for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Never underestimate the power of a good pair of spectacles.

In November 2022, we filmed for two days at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. A soundstage was transformed to La Cote Basque, the restaurant favored by Capote and his swans. While I never had the chance to visit the real place, this set sure appeared to look authentic, right down to the menus on the tables. It gives me the chance, when asked if I ever dined at La Cote Basque, to reply, "Of course!" with a vague truthfulness.

My first scene in episode one featured Tom Hollander, Naiomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloe Sevigny, and Demi
Moore. If you've watch Feud, you'll know that Hollander's Capote was startingly on target, as he ever so slightly changed his delivery with each take. I'm in the rear left; this screenshot was my clearest of the scene, which is nothing to brag about. The woman sitting across from me had to leave early. I can't remember if they replaced her or I wound up talking to myself. Probably the latter, as usual.

The following day, we shot another scene on the same set, this time with just Lane and Watts. Still in the same suit, I was now at a better table (to the right) and closer to the primary actors. I made it onscreen four or five times, pretending to chat with my companions and fool around with the salad. Too bad La Cote Basque closed 20 years ago; I think you would've liked it. C'est la vie, pal.

The role I was born to play.

Two months later I was at the Plaza Hotel ballroom for episode three. This was my first time at the Plaza despite having been a New Yorker for 42 years. Why go to a hotel in New York when you already live there? At least that's the excuse I give.

On the right is my official wardrobe shot, which couldn't capture my personality any better. The eyeholes were draped with small owls, which kept falling off by the time of filming, so I was given a regular mask. The young dresser/photographer was impressed (or shocked) that I remembered the hype surrounding Capote's party in long-ago 1966. Time flies when you're becoming decrepit. 

The ballroom scene was filmed out of order and in black & white. The footage of the guests coming in were filmed on the second day. A colleague and I were placed together as a couple and instructed to greet Capote before entering the ballroom. This was one of those gigs where early call times and long hours of hanging around pay off, for my wide smile is no act. We shot this bit at least three times; with each take, Hollander ad-libbed different names for us when introducing us to Katherine Graham (Marin Ireland). If you look carefully, you can see I'm wearing my glasses over my mask, and am holding a reproduction of the original invitation. My wife says I look "patrician", which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as "old as the freaking hills."

When the scene cuts to the ball itself, we're back on the first day of shooting. Look at the balcony on the left, where I sit with chin on hand, watching Joe Montello sweep Naomi Watts off her feet, while the young woman with me wonders why she got stuck with an old goat. If you're wondering what happened to my "wife" in the previous photo, she probably found a younger, richer guy. While I was all over the ballroom, this seems to be the only area where I'm visible. (I cribbed this shot off the Hollywood Reporter site.)

I can stroll into any consulate in New York with this
before getting immediately thrown out.

The third day, a continuation of the ball, was filmed at the Polish Consulate on
Madison Avenue in midtown standing in for the Plaza. We were each issued a Feud ID sticker, which I put on the back of my phone case, where, worn and battered, it still resides, impressing absolutely nobody.

These scenes included Capote confronting Ann Woodward. I was standing to the left of Hollander at the time, just far enough to be invisible. In the next scene at the food line, I had slightly better luck, getting half my face onscreen while helping myself to mac & cheese. Or was it the chicken hash? 

The scene ends on the previous day's filming at the Plaza, where, in the ballroom's only color footage, Capote dances with his mother's ghost. I'm once again on the left in the balcony with my "date". This was my only time watching Jessica Lange. It was easy to hear her and Hollander speak their dialogue; all the ambient sound was added in post-production. The music was just loud enough to give them their cues.

Preparing to shake my paddle.

A month later, I returned for one evening of shooting for Feud's final scene. Seeing that it takes place at Julien's Auction House in Los Angeles, it's only natural that they filmed it at the Council of Foreign Relations on East 68th Street. To keep things authentic, we were all given copies of a Julien's catalog and an auction paddle. I wore another pair of glasses as the scene takes place in 2016. We were brought to the set around 4:30 p.m. and continued filming on and off until around 10:00, while the bright lights outside the window make it look like high noon.

I wasn't aware that [SPOILER ALERT!] the ghosts of the swans would be in attendance until hearing them speak their dialogue near the end of the evening. I'm in the dark blazer. I didn't get to purchase Truman Capote's possessions but basked in the memory of giving him the pleasure of my company for a few days. 

Hey! You know what I mean!

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