Postcards from the Edge Page #2

Whistling pines

Call out to me

Under the stars

You'll hear the trees

- She looks fabulous.

- Who do you think did her?

Dr. Klein. He does all of them.

I wonder what Allen does.

This is my new roommate, Aretha.

How do you do? How rude of me.

I was excited to see my daughter.

Aretha's an unusual name.

I know. I think my parents

were expecting someone black.

Are you black?

No.

It's very nice to meet you.

Suzanne has told me so much about you.

I think I'll go

weave a basket or something...

...and let the two of you visit.

- She seems very unusual.

- Yeah.

I'm glad you're making new friends.

Thanks, Mom!

Have you talked to Marty?

Not yet.

- You should.

- I know.

You're supposed

to start that new film.

- I'm not doing it.

- Don't do it. I'll tell you why.

I'm not going to do it.

First:
It is not a pivotal project

in your career.

Two:
You'll need time

to rest and explore.

And C:
You should change agents. I

don't like what they're doing for you.

Careers need planning. Your big

problem is, you're too impatient.

You only want instant gratification.

- Instant gratification takes too long.

- Don't think about that now.

I'll handle everything while

you're in here. No pressure.

I don't want anything

hanging over your head.

I want you to be absolutely clear.

I promised myself I would not

do this and look at me.

I didn't want you to see me get upset.

I hate getting upset.

I really hate that

you have to go through this.

I wish I could do it for you.

Ever since you were a little girl, I

had this feeling that I'd lose you...

...that you'd be taken from me early.

As opposed to later,

when it would be more convenient?

You are tough. You're just

like Grandma, always judging me.

- We don't need to go over this again.

- You never let me talk.

It's just that I feel like

I'm not talking to you sometimes.

It feels like I'm talking

to your drama coach.

You think you could try

not being so mad at me?

I'll rinse these.

I have Woolite in my purse.

- It's handy for the road.

- Leave it!

I'll have some clothes

brought by tomorrow...

...and your tape cassette thing

for your music and a quilt.

Sunday afternoon, Mary will bring

your video machine and some tapes...

...and a plant.

It's so blah in here.

I don't know how you stand it,

everything one colour.

Flowers for you, Suzanne.

Who died?

Both of us almost did, for a start.

Who are they from?

They're from the guy

who pumped my stomach.

Bullshit.

" Hope your stomach is better.

You seem to me to be

what my mother warned me about:

A beautiful and overly

sensitive person. "

He can tell from

the contents of your stomach.

I have to be sensitive to need dope.

I'm tempted to marry him

so I can tell people how we met.

Lowell Korshack's on the phone again.

Tell him I'm detoxing.

He's a director I was working with.

I don't want to talk to him.

I'm embarrassed.

I don't have to, do I?

You don't have to do anything

you don't want to.

Except never take drugs and go to AA

meetings for the rest of your life.

Oh, I feel so much better.

What can I say?

The upshot of the whole thing is

that your being in the clinic...

...made you a high risk to do a movie.

They want me to do it.

I talked to the director.

The director is not the problem.

It's the insurance company.

They won't cover you if you do drugs.

What can I say?

I'm not doing any drugs.

We know. These are businessmen...

...with no knowledge

of creative personalities.

Actors are not treated well.

And actresses are treated like...

...I hate to use the word, but, sh*t.

I remember when I was 15 years old.

Mr. Mayer called me in for a meeting.

He was on the toilet.

We had the meeting

with him on the toilet.

You can be sure he wouldn't have done

that to John Garfield. Correct.

She doesn't like me to talk.

Doris, you better let

Uncle Marty handle this.

She'll listen to you,

you're not her mother.

Suzy, what can I say?

Other actresses and actors...

...who have not come to work

due to a drug or alcohol problem...

...cost the insurance companies a lot

of money. Can you see their problem?

I do see. I'm being punished.

If you'll let me finish,

you'll see this is not all bad news.

Your Uncle Marty talked to

the insurance company this morning...

...and they'll cover you...

...if you stay with a " responsible

party" for the run of the film.

What am I supposed to do?

Go to a halfway house

for wayward SAG members?

If you calm down a bit,

you'll see it's not that bad.

They said they'd cover you if you stay

with one or both of your parents.

What can I say? I said

your father lives in New York.

- So, what about Doris?

- Excuse me?

She can't stay with her father.

He's worse than she is.

- Not that you're bad.

- Stay with my mother?

I'm not a teenager!

I lived with my parents until I was

Doris, please. Thank you.

Maybe it would be better to wait

a few months to go back to work.

- Go to your AA meetings...

- I want to do this film.

I can go to meetings and work.

I do better when I work.

She's exactly like me

when I was her age.

- I never stopped working.

- I feel I belong, I feel necessary.

It was good therapy after

my divorce and my miscarriages.

In those days,

the material was a lot better.

Doris. So you got it right?

These are the conditions

for doing this film.

For the run of the film,

you stay with your mother.

You can have your old room.

Great.

Okay, I'll stay with her. You.

You know what they say,

" No pain, no gain. "

Well, no wonder I'm so hefty.

Hefty?

If anything, you are too thin.

Now, me. My stomach, that's hefty.

Mom, I was kidding.

I don't get your generation's humour.

I don't have a generation.

Then I think you should get one.

I got it right here.

Morning, I'm Ted. Designed to make

your life a more annoying place to be.

I'm Suzanne, designed to be annoyed.

Then we'll get along just great.

- This, of course, is your...

- My hamster cage.

- Your resting place.

- My final resting place.

I dreamed it would end like this.

Alone in a tiny room with an AM radio.

It won't end like this,

it'll just middle.

It'll end in a larger room...

...with air conditioning

and an AM/FM radio.

I have news to cheer you up.

The producer's coming to see you.

One of them.

- How many are there?

- Three.

The Father, the Son

and the Holy Ghost.

Which one am I

endearing myself to today?

- Anybody home?

- Morning.

Hi. Joe Pierce.

Just came by to welcome you aboard.

- You ready for makeup?

- Soon.

Any more people in here,

we'll need a lubricant.

Ted, thanks.

We'll see you out there.

Rob, get the door, please.

Suzanne, this is my agent,

Rob Sonnenfeld.

He came by to make sure

that we're all A-OK.

Nice to see you.

We came by to say hi and make sure

everything's up to snuff.

Yeah, everything's great.

And we'll need a drug screen.

Excuse me?

It's not for us.

We're not worried about you at all.

The damn insurance company

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