It’s the start of a brutally hot day in Southern California and a makeup professional is spritzing actor Carter Harvey’s hair to mimic sweat. According to the project’s script, his character, Clay, has just stormed out of an illegal underground fight, which is why the artist is also carefully painting artful bruises on his body. “Can we get more sweat on his back?” asks the director, Jessie Barr.
Harvey’s scene partner is actress Olivia Rose Williams, who plays a spoiled high school popular girl seeking a personal bodyguard to shield her from a persistent ex. Discovering her hot classmate has the moves of Brad Pitt in Fight Club is a convenient development. In between takes, Barr — a tall woman with a mop of short blond hair and a seemingly boundless enthusiasm for romance stories — reminds the two actors of the vibe she’s going for. “It’s Katherina and Petruchio,” she says, referencing The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s tale of a turbulent romance.
Williams demonstrates her dedication to her craft by jumping up and down with Harvey before at least one take to get the heaving chests the drama requires, even as she’s wearing a restrictive getup of kitten heels, a miniskirt and a shirt with a corset aesthetic. During the scene, the actors stand close, staring into each other’s eyes, as Williams threatens to reveal her classmate’s illegal fighting habit to authorities unless he agrees to protect her: “You want me to keep quiet? Either you be my personal guard dog or I turn you in,” she snarls. “What sounds better: guard dog or prison bitch?”
