by Katharine Schroeder

When I was told that Project BB would be filming at the same abandoned government building where the first rooftop shoot had taken place, I immediately began gearing myself up for the nine story hike up to the top.  However, this time filming was taking place indoors in one of the apartments.  I can't say I was disappointed to be missing the climb.

After arriving at the location, I was happy to see that Baby Matthew was there since I hadn't seen him for a few weeks.  The last few times I'd been to the set, he hadn't been in the scenes.  I was especially glad to see Matthew's mother, Vicky. She's such a nice person - so friendly and easygoing. She is also the most relaxed mom I've ever seen - endlessly patient with everyone holding, touching, kissing,
photographing, and feeding her little son. She has a great sense of humor and a gentle personality, both of which make her really nice to be around.   

As I sat talking to Vicky and playing with Matthew, Jackie spotted us and sprinted over to see what we were doing.  When he saw that there really wasn't much going on in our corner, he turned an about face and scooted away, but not for long. He returned in seconds armed with little tidbits of food he could use to tempt Matthew. Baby Matthew was immediately intrigued; he began grabbing and lunging at the treats, swallowing some and spitting some out (one mouthful all over Jackie's hand).  It was impossible to tell who was having more fun, Jackie or the baby. 

Jackie and Matthew have a very interesting relationship.  Clearly, Jackie adores Matthew and will do anything to gain his trust and affection.  And Matthew?  Well, at first glance you may think that Matthew is afraid of Jackie or wants no part of a friendship with him.  Upon closer inspection, however, you will notice that when Matthew hears Jackie's voice from a distance, he immediately perks up and shows interest.  He welcomes Jackie's attention, but wants to make absolutely certain that Jackie doesn't know that.  You will see Matthew pretending to whine or cry at Jackie and then give a quick check to see if he's succeeded in making Jackie throw his hands up in the air and  groan, "Babies!" 

Jackie and Matthew have devised a way of communicating which consists of  grunts, high-pitched noises, nose rubs, and facial movements.  You may say that I am imagining this, but when you see Matthew and Jackie together, you will see that there is a definite back-and-forth that results in communication.  It is my belief that Matthew secretly adores Jackie, but must keep up the front of being a tough little baby who won't indulge Jackie no matter how big a star he is. 

After a time of observing the curious interaction between Big Star and Little Star, I left them and took a walk around the film set.  Today's shoot was taking place on the second floor of an abandoned government building in Kowloon-Tong. Since it was an indoor scene, masses of equipment, props, and people were squeezed into some very tight spaces.  Walking through the maze of wires on the floor took some serious concentration and careful footwork and I am happy to report that I have caused no damage or disruption on the set so far.  Okay, that is not entirely true.  But what happened last week while on a set in Wong Tai Sin was not my fault.  Really. 

It was a Thursday night and we were on the set at another government building in Kowloon. I was standing off to the side, talking to Fibe, watching Jackie's hairdresser give him a haircut, and minding my own business.  I saw Ken Low arrive and waved hello from a distance.  Because of his past antics and his delight in startling me at every turn, I kept an eye on his whereabouts so that he would not have the opportunity to surprise me.  Unfortunately, I let down my guard for just a second and Ken saw his chance.  Like a lion stalks its prey on the African savannah, he silently snuck up on me from behind and all it took was for him to tap me on the shoulder and say "Hello there!" to cause me to scream.  Very loudly.  Everyone within shouting distance turned to see what the commotion was.  As soon as they spotted Ken bent over double in a fit of laughter and me grabbing his arm screeching "What is WRONG with you?!" they all smiled and laughed - including Jackie.  Thankfully, Jackie's haircut was complete by that time and Ronald was using a blow dryer, or Jackie might have ended up with a very different style.  Of course Ken pleaded innocent to everyone who would listen.  "All I did was say hello!  I just said hello!!"  Luckily there was no filming going on during this episode of Ken Low vs. the New Kid on the Block (me).  And you can clearly see that the disruption was not my fault, although if you ask Ken, he will tell you that all he did was say hello.

Back to the Kowloon-Tong set. There was a lot of waiting time that day, which translated into extra chances for Jackie to play - and not just with Matthew. He entertained the adults with a sleight-of-hand trick involving two rubber bands, performing it perfectly over and over again -even doing it in slow-motion so I could try to figure out how it worked (I couldn't). He spent some time decorating Matthew with  watches - putting one around Matthew's ankle, another around his elbow.

Jackie was very relaxed and Matthew was in a pretty good mood as well, so there was relative peace and quiet.  Jackie walked Matthew around, showing him the different parts of the apartment, letting him see the view out the window.  It was all very pleasant until Jackie decided to perform his imitation of Matthew crying, which set the corners of Matthew's mouth heading south and tears jumping into his eyes.  So much for the calm atmosphere. Jackie is a real prankster - he loves to tease and joke, and everyone is fair game, even little babies.

As the day passed by, the crew continued to set up shots, film them, check them, and if necessary, reshoot. Maggie applied and re-applied everyone's makeup, Ronald brushed and styled everyone's hair (including mine, but I will tell you about that later).  Lights were moved and moved again.  Actors changed outfits and practiced their lines.  Everyone had a job to do and did it - the whole operation ran quite smoothly.

Last week when we were at the set, Fibe told Ronald about my fear of getting my hair cut in one of the salons in my neighborhood and how I'd been trimming it myself for months.  Ronald offered to help the next time he had a free minute on the set.  I told Jackie that Ronald had offered to trim my hair. 
"Never mind that. I'll cut it!" declared Jackie.
"Yeah, okay," I replied.  "A little later."
"But I've done it before," he said, demonstrating with his hands. "Just grab a hunk and cut cut cut."
"Oh boy," I replied, and excused myself from the room.

I did hook up with Ronald a little while later and we went into the dressing room so he could cut my hair in privacy.  Vicky and Fibe came in to keep me company since Ronald was running in and out.  Much to my dismay, people began coming in to see what was going on and I sat there making small talk while my head looked like a fourth grader's science experiment.  Some people managed to talk to me while ignoring my appearance (Hiro) and others chuckled and guffawed when they saw me (Jackie).  As I said before, no one is excused from Jackie's teasing.

Once Ronald was finished I spent a few minutes taking some more photos, then I figured it would be a good time to get ready to leave.  It was a treacherous trip down the stairs (there were lights and cables everywhere) but we made it with no problem.  I said goodbye to Jackie and headed home.

Photos © 2006 The JC Group

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