He put away the machine and sat back down and picked up another magazine. I sat down too talking to Exy, Dorothy, and Willie who, by now I was more comfortable talking to. I was still very much intimidated by Jackie – every time I was around him I’d freeze up. He exerted this aura of greatness that made me seem so miniscule, so…insignificant, I was honored just to be in his presence! At any rate security soon came to escort us to the gate. I giggled to myself as I noticed the name of the airline we were taking “Aer Lingus” – I thought it sounded like some sort of fungus that grew in between your toes! It was our connecting Irish flight from London to Dublin. The flight would take just over an hour and then…and then…well I didn’t know what to expect!
We boarded the plane last as usual, and I, expecting to sit in first class again, was surprised to see that this was a much smaller plane with only one main seating area for all the passengers. We filed in slowly and quickly took our seats in the front row. I was surprised that nobody on the plane noticed that this was JACKIE CHAN sitting down right here in front of them! The next time I fly I got to be sure to keep a keen eye out for celebrities!
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(Willie Chan – Jackie’s former agent and me at the Airport in Ireland just after we landed!)
The flight was short. This time we were the first ones off the plane. As soon as we got off the plane Dorothy was already on the phone figuring out our next move I imagine. We were escorted to baggage claim where we got our bags and then went outside where a plump Caucasian gentleman (I’m guessing he was Irish) help up a sign that said “Dorothy” – I guess that was less conspicuous than a sign saying “JACKIE CHAN! I’M GOING TO BE DRIVING JACKIE CHAN!” He escorted us outside to two minivans – unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. They seemed a little smaller than the ones in North American and they were more boxy. Jackie, Dorothy, and Willie climbed into the first car and Solon, Exy, and myself in the second. I immediately noticed that the steering wheel was on the wrong side of the car! Of course I knew that in England and in the Commonwealth countries they drove on the opposite side of the road, but I guess in all of the excitement, you know of meeting Jackie Chan and all, it kinda slipped my mind. I’d only seen it in the movies, but to experience it in real life was another story! Every now and then when my mind would drift and then my eyes would get back to the road and I started freaking out! “Wrong side! Wrong side!” I wanted to yell out! But then I remembered where I was.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We are going to the production office,” Solon said plainly from the front seat.
“Oh,” I turned to Exy and whispered, “what’s a production office?”
“It’s where they do all the business stuff for the movie,”
“Ohhhh,” I guess I never thought about movies having offices. I’d always thought that movies just involved a camera shooting the various scenes of the movie – I never realized that each movie had its own office for all the “business stuff” as Exy so eloquently put it. Later on I learned that everything from location contracts, to booking extras and actors, to accounting and payroll are all done in the production office. I was starting to see all of the behind the scenes work that was involved in making a movie!
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