By STEVE PERSALL
St. Petersburgh (FL) Times, 3/2/99
Natalie Smith of Tampa waits to be called as an extra Monday afternoon on the set of Forever Mine at the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa. Smith showed up at 6:45 a.m. to get into 1970s garb and makeup. Earlier, she was an extra in a scene filmed at the hotel pool.
These days, guests at the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa are getting a treat beyond the customary mints on their pillows.
How about a movie star by the pool?
That was the situation Monday when two weeks of production for the feature film Forever Mine began at the pink, historic beachside hotel.
Most of the swimming pool area in the rear of the property was temporarily off-limits to everyone except crew members, actors and director Paul Schrader. Polite warning signs and yellow plastic tape separated the movie set from nearly 100 sightseers who lounged in deck chairs or sought a good vantage point.
Most appeared to be resort guests. A few were local residents curious about the first major film production in Pinellas County since Cocoon in 1984.
Most important, everyone was staying out of the cast and crew's way.
"We always attract a crowd, no matter where we go, and part of the job is dealing with that crowd," said Walter Gasparovic, first assistant director of Forever Mine, a romantic thriller starring Ray Liotta, Joseph Fiennes and Gretchen Mol.
"Everyone is being very, very cooperative. If you ask them nicely, people will usually stand back and be quiet while we roll. We're not going to impede on anyone's enjoyment of the hotel. We want to blend in as much as we can and create a fantasy environment here."
Director of hotel sales Susan Phillips said the Don CeSar staff would be "gracious" toward anyone who's there just to gawk. But, she said, the parking rules will be enforced.
"We've already had some problems with parking today," Phillips said Monday. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough parking to handle people who come here just to watch the filming."
The row of cars down the street with parking tickets under their windshield wipers confirmed Phillips' words.
Inside the hotel property, the din of hammers and circular saws signaled the rapid construction of interior sets. Spotlights and reflectors were positioned around the pool deck to balance the glare of the sun. Extras waited patiently to be shifted around like game pieces.
Schrader moved through the focused commotion, calmly munching on an apple or offering suggestions and small talk. A portion of the day was spent filming Scene 6C, a brief conversation between Fiennes and co-star Vincent Laresca while they walked past the pool toward stairs leading to the beach.
In typical Hollywood set fashion, it took more than an hour to set up the scene, and 15 minutes to film five takes of a shot that will -- perhaps -- be on screen for about one minute.
Two extras providing background action were Rena Firestone and her daughter Lindsay, both of Tampa. They were among two dozen extras who were paid $75 for a carefully scripted day at the beach. Lindsay, 10, missed a day at Berkeley Preparatory School for the experience.
"We've never done this before," Rena Firestone said. "I wanted her to see what it was really like to actually be a thespian, to be part of a movie crew."
What did the youngster think about her movie debut? "It's fun," Lindsay said, "but sometimes it can be very boring. Like today, when they say cut and have to do the scene over and over again."
With Scene 6C finally completed, the cast and crew lined up for a lunch of steak, stone crab claws and lasagna at Don Vista Community Center next door. Gasparovic instructed an assistant to inform the hotel staff that filming at the swimming pool was completed. Hotel guests got back to sunbathing, and the film crew got back to work.
