Florence’s
Film Career
You may have read
about Ermintrude’s role in Dancing On The Edge (BBC2 2013).
It was Florence’s
turn next and in late 2013 she set off from Rendlesham for Hackney, in East London,
where she was needed for a few days as part of a film set depicting a disused
bus garage. The location was bounded by
a canal, the gasworks, a railway line and a series of derelict buildings. I remember thinking ‘We’ve made the big-time
here!’ as I parked Florence where directed then caught a train back to Wickham Market.
All I knew at this stage was that she would
not need to be driven while at the location and I waited for a call to come and take her away. I assumed the shoot was for a
commercial or a promotional video.
A few days later I
was told that I could collect her the next morning and I set off by train back to
Hackney. Trains were running late and I
missed my connection at Ipswich. I was
late on set and I knew I had missed the opportunity to move Florence off the set at the expected time.
.
On arrival I was
puzzled to see press photographers positioned to take shots of the set which
was now screened off from public view.
Shooting was taking place and I had great difficulty persuading
the security people that I needed to get on the set. I then discovered that it was not a
commercial I was involved in but scenes from Johhny Depp’s latest full-length
feature, entitled ‘Mortdecai’. It also
stars Gwynneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor.
And No! I didn’t see any of them but I did see Johnny
Depp’s trailer, and watched his stunt-double hit by a Rolls-Royce and flung
into the air before crashing through the windscreen. Three times!
At 4.45pm I was finally
allowed to drive off into the London rush-hour traffic and make my way home. Tragically, a cyclist had been killed in a
collision with a lorry in Bow and all traffic was being delayed and diverted
making it a very long and slow journey.
After several hours Florence and I both heaved a sigh of relief as we
reached Suffolk and the calm of Rendlesham.
