We’re told to take a 10 minute break and everyone runs to the nearest restroom including Zac. On the way back from his trip to the restroom he stops to introduce himself to a young girl sitting on a stool in the hallway. He notices that she is looking at him as he makes his way down the hallway, my thoughts are he figures she was too shy to say anything to him, plus we were told not to approach the actors. He takes the initiative. He walks right up to her reaching out his hand to her and saying “Hi I’m Zac Efron. What’s your name?“ Her eyes as big as dinner plates, she opens her mouth to speak and nothing comes out, her mouth is hanging open in disbelief. As soon as he leaves she starts screaming. It was so cute.
Between takes and scene changes Kenny would come out and pick extras (the younger kids) to come out and shoot free throws for autographed basketballs and they would throw t-shirts up into the crowd. We had such a great time. They really treated us well.
We finally get the game/musical number finished and Kenny calls for another break. Taylor and I really didn’t need one so we just stayed planted. Everyone else left the gym and I notice the crew is moving the camera track back to over to the bleacher area where we are sitting only positioned at the other end of the gym where Zac fouls out and has his singing moment with Vanessa. So the track is positioned so the camera can roll up for Zac’s turn for close-ups. Soon a crew member came over and asked us to move and told us we could go sit directly across the gym if we wanted or take a break outside with everyone else. We opted for across the gym. On our way over to the other side we are stopped by some assistant who tells us we need to go wait outside with everyone else and I explained that the production assistant person asked us to wait on this side. He reluctantly lets us go. Now we are seated directly across from where we were and the only other people we are sitting with are some of the EH band people who are at the very top of the bleachers, we are in the middle. Zac and Vanessa are on the gym floor talking and then she climbs the bleachers to the area where she is supposed to be sitting so that Zac can sing to her. Again, so cute that they’re there for one another.
I forgot to mention, Zac has about two or three makeup people who run out during breaks and all they do is spray him down with Evian water to make him all sweaty and his hair all wet. Well, they are over there now doing just that to get ready for this scene. So mind you, there is no one else on that principle side of the gym except for them and the rest of the cast and crew, Taylor and I and two other moms with their daughters are the only ones watching. I don’t know how we ended up so lucky. Kenny is ready, Troy’s heartbeat is blasting over the speakers. Zac gets into position for shooting the singing and V stands up to start with, “Troooy!“ They shoot Zac many different ways for his close-ups just like when they did V’s with little breaks in between as they check the playbacks. The ladies coming out to spray down Zac each time. We’re watching as Zac opens his mouth so one of the ladies could spray the inside of his mouth. Zaccy must have been a little dry from all that singing. ( I sooo want to be one of those ladies!)
During some of the longer pauses between takes V would come down to get water or a snack and once to borrow a warm up jacket to keep warm. It was kinda chilly in the gym. They cranked on the air on Sunday due to one of the extras passing out on Saturday and they had to have paramedics come in get her out. The climate in Utah is very very dry. Let me say that again. Very dry. Being from the humid mid west this is a foreign concept to us, we don‘t know dry. The first two hours after we landed we were downing 16 oz water bottles and slathering on the chap stick. Plus it was around 85 degrees. So this poor girl I believe (not sure) probably let her self get dehydrated and mixed with the heat in the gym, she went down. I found out later she was alright.
Okay back to present. Anyway, it’s getting late and both Z and V are looking a little tired after a long day. Even though she is wearing the warm up jacket she was dressed in a very cute little summer dress and flip flops. Her long wavy hair down and of course always beautiful and radiant. Kenny is ready for the next shot and she starts to climb the bleachers so she can get into position.. Zac is stretching and isn’t watching her. I look back at her as she starts to work her way into the aisle of the bleacher when she whacks her bare toes into the riser of the bleacher. I didn’t hear a peep come out of her mouth, only seeing the immediate grabbing she did of her foot with her body balled up and racked with pain. She never made a sound. I was screaming in pain for her on the inside, as I’m sure she was too. I look over at Zac but he is getting the official spray down and can’t see her. She limps to her spot and stands up straight. I notice though she has that knee bent slightly, probably because she doesn’t want to stand on her foot. Zac still not knowing. They both do their singing part and they yell cut to check play back. Zac must have noticed something wasn’t right he starts to walk in her direction as she gingerly comes down the steps and he is waiting at the bottom of the steps and takes her hand as soon as he can reach her. He takes her hand and leads her to the nearest prop chair they had set up for the b-ball players. He sits in one beside her. They check out her foot and are also engaged in a very serious conversation.
They hugged and I see them talk again. Kenny is ready to run it and the water ladies do their thing. This was the very last scene we would see. As they started to do their number I notice Zac is pouring more feeling into this shot than any I had witnessed all weekend. He was really singing from his heart to his Baby V. When they were done with the shot he did a little holler pumping his fist in the air like he knew that was the shot. He goes over to watch the playback and again you hear another little “YAH!” and Kenny shouts out “Zac says that’s a wrap everyone!” Zac runs out onto the gym floor and does the bootie dance! OMG So cute!
