Meeting Catherine Bell
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0448dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B>My impressions of meeting Catherine Bell on the set of JAG in July, 2000.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0ebb1840.jpg" border=0 width="177" height="132" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>To go to the Behind The Scenes Photo Page, click </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Behind the Scene Photos"><U><B>here</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Main Menu Options:</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="All About Mac"><U>All About Mac</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Harm Mac"><U>Harm & Mac</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MACnopsis"><U>MACnopsis</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JAG Timeline"><U>JAG Timeline</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photos/Articles/Interviews"><U>Photos/Articles/Interviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Catherine Bell "><U>Catherine Bell </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Insider Info"><U>Insider Info</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News/Gossip"><U>News/Gossip</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Episode Information"><U>Episode Information</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trial Stats"><U>Trial Stats</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fan Mail/Email Owner"><U>Fan Mail/E-mail Owner</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id363.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JAG DVD Petition"><U>JAG DVD Petition</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Updates"><U>Site Updates</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=92 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0458dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#336666" FACE="Arial" ><B>Mac on JAG</B></FONT><B> </B><B>|</B><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mac on JAG"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Messages from CB"><U>Messages from CB</U></A> | <A HREF="id151.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biography"><U>Biography</U></A> | <A HREF="id342.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Filmography"><U>Filmography</U></A> | <B>Meeting Catherine Bell</B> | <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CB Screen savers"><U>CB Screen savers</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=388 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0458dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>Meeting Catherine Bell</I></div> <div> <B>On the Set of JAG…</B></div> <div> It was one of those unbelievable surreal experiences where I had to keep pinching myself to see if I was really on the set of JAG or not! Through a series of various circumstances, a fellow JAGnik and I were invited to spend the day on the set of JAG! We were fortunate enough to meet Catherine (Mac), Chuck (Tiner), John (A.J.), Karri (Harriet), Steven (Webb), and Rex (Mark Falcon); and we were able to see Patrick (Bud) working from afar. Everyone was super friendly and made me glad that I was a fan of a show such as JAG! The cast and crew that we met are a group of hardworking, professional, and extremely nice people whom deserve every bit of success that they have. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="206" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 126 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="084c9680.jpg" border=0 width="201" height="104" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>Me and Harriet</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> The day before going to the set we stopped by the offices at Paramount Studios and met some of the friendliest writers and staff on TV today! While getting the grand tour from the JAG Audience Liaison, the "original" Harriet, we talked to several of the writers and producers. Michael Bellisario ("Mikey Roberts") stopped by as well while we were in the offices. David Bellisario was especially interested in my experience living in the former Soviet Union. I live in Kiev and at the time we visited the set, JAG was filming the 2-part season opener "Legacy", which takes place partly in Russia! </div> <bR> <div> <B>Scene 1 (Mac and Bud)</B></div> <div> In the morning as we walked onto the studio parking lot going to the building to meet our escort, an extremely tall, thin, beautiful woman with short dark hair starts walking right beside me. I had to do a few double takes before I realized that it was Catherine Bell! They were filming outside in the parking lot that morning and she was on her way to rehearse her scene. After meeting some of the staff, we were taken to where Catherine</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="309" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 197 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0c02caf0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="175" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>CB preparing to rehearse</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> and Patrick were filming. It was an extremely hot California morning, so the crew, actors and extras are all huddled together under the one shade tree near the scene. Just as we sat down Catherine walked by, immediately smiled and said, "hi" as she walked by. After what seemed like just a few minutes of rehearsal, Catherine left to change into her uniform.</div> <bR> <div> A short while later, she returned and they rehearsed the scene a few more times making sure all camera angles were right and all extras knew when</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="147" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 203 WIDTH="141"><div> <IMG SRC="0878aa40.jpg" border=0 width="138" height="164" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>Chuck stops by on his day off</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> and where to walk and that all of the salutes were done correctly. As many people have mentioned, it takes much time to film just one short scene. There was a lot of waiting around and just chatting while members of their crew did their different tasks waiting for it all to come together. Chuck Carrington (Tiner) showed up on his day off to introduce some of his family that had come into town to visit. He was easy to talk to and seemed like a really great guy. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="167" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 181 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="24e998e0.jpg" border=0 width="153" height="142" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="172" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <I> CB and mother, Mina</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></I></div> <bR> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> As we were sitting there chatting with the crew and some of the extras, another tall, thin, beautiful dark-haired woman with a large smile approached and sat right across from us. I just knew that had to be Catherine's mom! She was extremely friendly and we chatted some waiting on Catherine to get a break. As soon as Catherine saw her mother she smiled and winked at her. When there was a break in rehearsing, Catherine came over and gave her mother a big hug. After they talked for a few minutes, her mother introduced Catherine to my friend and I. She was very friendly and we sat there and talked until Catherine was called back to rehearse the scene again. In between takes, Catherine would come back to that same spot. She gladly gave me her autograph and allowed me to take a picture with her. Because of the last edition of the CB newsletter, I knew that Catherine's birthday was coming up. So I gave her a few souvenirs from Ukraine as a present. She was so sweet, thanked me and gave me a big hug. </div> <bR> <div> I was surprised at a couple of things during shooting. One is that Catherine doesn't really wear a uniform shirt under her jacket. She had on a sleeveless summer top (remember it was over 90 degrees outside!). When it came time to wear her uniform, her shirt is really a dickey that fits around her neck and has only the top 3-4 buttons. When her jacket is on, it looks like a complete shirt, but isn't as hot as a real shirt would be. Also, I <IMG SRC="40635310.jpg" border=0 width="53" height="49" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">was finally able to see what Catherine's ankle tattoo looked like. It was a very cute black heart with the letters, "L - O - V - E" written in the middle in different colors. It wasn't going to be shown in the scene she was shooting, so they didn't have to cover it up while she filmed that day.</div> <bR> <div> I think the two things that will strike me the most was how friendly Catherine was and how well her and her mother got along. You could see that they truly cared about each other and are both very proud of each other. Right after Catherine left us one time to go shoot the scene again, her mother looks at us and says with much joy and pride in her eyes, "She is such a good girl!" Yes, Mina, I have to agree…I think Catherine is great!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Scene 2 (Webb and Sokol)</B></div> <div> After the exciting outdoor scene (in which a car was blown up…you just HAVE to watch this episode!), the crew moved inside to film the next scene. For me, it was exciting because I walked on the set and saw Rex Linn (Mark Falcon) rehearsing his Russian lines with Alexander Kuznetsov (the "good" Russian officer in "Cowboys and Cossacks" and who will be appearing again in this episode! Alex is a famous actor in the former Soviet Union). Steven Culp (Clayton Webb) walked up and started</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="166" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 142 WIDTH="160"><div> <IMG SRC="0899f680.jpg" border=0 width="159" height="104" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>Rex Linn, Alex, me, and Steven Culp</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> talking to them as well. Rex was nervous because he had to speak a few lines in Russian in the upcoming scene. Alex was doing a great job of teaching both Rex and Steven the few Russian words that they were going to say on screen. On a side note, during one of my many conversations with Alex, he commented on how well Catherine learns her Russian lines. He said that he usually only has to go over the lines a couple of times and she would easily get it and had the best accent! </div> <bR> <div> <B>Scene 3 (The Admiral and Harriet)</B></div> <div> By now, filming is about 8 hours behind schedule. But being the professionals they are, the cast and crew kept plugging along with great attitudes. Karri walked by and was stunningly beautiful and has one of the best smiles I've seen. Even after sitting in her trailer for 8 hours waiting for her scene to come up, she came out smiling and ready to go. It's close to 8pm by this time and getting dark outside. </div> <bR> <div> The set of JAG is really actually very small and there wasn't room on that particular stage set for anyone other than the actors and camera operators. Even the director and others were outside of the set using monitors to see what has happening inside. Both John M. Jackson and Karri Turner were very friendly and signed autographs and took pictures as well. I must admit, </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="273" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 214 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="08b09bf0.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="191" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>JMJ and I</I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> I was having trouble separating John M. Jackson from his character, Admiral Chegwidden. I had felt very free talking to all of the other actors, but for some reason, I was too intimidated to talk to John. It was a good thing that my friend was with me, because she freely walked right up to him and introduced us to him. He turned out to be extremely friendly and seemed more like a big teddy bear. He has a great sense of humor and made me laugh with some of the comments he made.</div> <bR> <div> It was after 9pm and the crew was packing up their trucks to film the final scene of the day at an off-set location near the studios. We were getting tired and heard that it was likely the crew would be filming until midnight. Wow! What a dedicated, hardworking group of people! So we bid our farewells to everyone and drove home feeling like many dreams had come true on this practically perfect day!</div> <bR> <div> Written by Becky L.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="08f49150.jpg" border=0 width="329" height="277" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>Script signed by John M. Jackson, Ed Zuckerman, Catherine Bell, Chuck Carrington, and Karri Turner</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>To go to the Behind The Scenes Photo Page, click </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Behind the Scene Photos"><U><B>here</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>