Hollywood on Fairmount? Actress Gena Rowlands Filming in Town

Actress Gena Rowlands, who has won three Emmys and two Golden Globes and twice been nominated for Oscars, sat quietly on a bench on upper Fairmont Avenue with her husband Robert Forrest late Wednesday morning, largely unnoticed by passers-by.

Earlier Rowlands, 81, graciously posed for photographs with members of a small crowd gathered outside , where she was filming a scene for an upcoming independent film. The crowd was largely composed of people connected with RabbitEars, including owner Judy Hardin, employees and volunteers, as well owner Marge Stevens, and a few cast and crew members.

RabbitEars employees and its young volunteers were serving as extras in the scene being filmed, which involves Rowlands’ character making a purchase in a pet store. The producer of the film asked not to be identified and declined to give details of the movie, saying he wants to wait until production is a couple more months along before talking about it.

With the film crew and equipment inside, there were few outward signs that a famous actress and movie production ensemble were in town.

The crew began setting up before 8 a.m. When not needed on the set,  the actors playing the clerk and another customer, the extras, and various crew members hung out next door at the beauty parlor.

The salon proved to be the ideal place for makeup artist Jihyun Kim of Berkeley to work on Uzette Salazar, who was to play a customer in line, and Diane Amos, a comedian and actress best known for 18 years of Pine Sol commercials, who had the role of cashier.

Lorie Howard, a pet-sitter and dog-walker from El Dorado Hills,  alternated between waiting in the salon and walking her dog, Bubba, who was scheduled to appear in the film.

Plans originally called for Bubba to be in the pet store, but that made the rabbits skittish. Instead, Howard’s 16-year-old son, Landon Nagao, who had done some acting when he was younger, was to walk the dog in a scene outside the shop. It was Howard’s second foray into supplying pet actors after work on Hemingway and Gellhorn gave her the opportunity to hand cats to Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen.

Meryl Rafferty, whose Kensington home was used for filming for six days, waited at nearby until she was needed as an extra. Rafferty said the film folks were wonderful people who invited her to share their catered lunch, cleaned up after themselves, and even made sure to use the compost container when appropriate. Still, 18 people were in her home, using every room but the bedroom and her husband Larry’s office.

“It was like having a small, considerate army in your house,” said Rafferty, whose home was chosen because its layout allowed for a shot where one actor is in the living room and another can be seen working in the kitchen.

The crew took pictures of everything in the house to make sure they put things back the way they were and were gone in the evenings, though one evening Rafferty came home to find a sign in her kitchen saying, “Hot set, do not touch!”

When she had trouble finding an item or two like a spray bottle after the crew left, she simply called location manager Victoria Lewis and and learned right where it was. It was because of Lewis, who knows El Cerrito perfumer , that the crew ended up in the El Cerrito/Kensington area. Stern’s home in the El Cerrito hills was also used for filming.

Both Rafferty and Stern said they are big fans of Rowlands, whose films include The Notebook (2004), Gloria (1980) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).

Stern called the experience “crazy fun” and said she enjoyed seeing how things work behind the scenes. She said another actor in the film, John Scurti from TV’s Rescue Me and in fact the whole crew are major cat lovers, a boon for her pet Sweet Pea.

Fairmount Beauty Salon proprietor Stevens said it was an honor to have her salon used for filming. The crew was so taken with her that there was talk of adding a scene of her giving Rowlands a manicure.

Lewis said she was thrilled to work with the Fairmount Avenue businesses and wouldn’t hesitate to come back to the area again.

RabbitEars’ Hardin is hopeful that publicity from the movie will help the animals in her care find homes, and she was excited to watch the movie-making process. But as noon approached, she was anxious to get back to attending to her charges’ comfort by cleaning cages and filling food bowls.

Employee Ali Bock, who held a rabbit named Dog in a scene, said having the crew in town was exciting. “It’s different than what we usually do.”

Another employee, Sophie Gorjance, who was still awaiting her assignment as an extra, agreed it was a lot of fun.

Amber Noland, who also works at RabbitEars and held Pumpkin the rabbit during filming, said what’s important is that it was good for the bunnies.