One might think that since I’ve, thankfully, been blessed to have been able to perform in so many wonderful films, shows and productions over the years, that this might dissipate my enthusiasm about being able to do another one — not at all!! I was so excited when I found out I was cast in this amazing-sounding, innovative new feature, “A Sisters’ Tale,” and was so very much looking forward to working on such a beautiful story with so many kind and talented people!
During the audition process, a new character had been created, Harriet, and I was asked to submit a self-tape for her as well. I liked how she sounded, but since she was so new and created so quickly, I wasn’t totally sure yet exactly how the production team envisioned her… I gave it a go anyway, and was thrilled when I found out I’d been cast to portray her! The more I understood about her over time, the more deeply I appreciated her, and besides, sometimes the “not so nice” characters are the most fun to play anyway 😉
A few weeks into rehearsals, something fairly urgent came up in the U.S. and I had to make a very quick decision as to whether I’d pack up and leave on literally 1-2 day’s notice… Even if I were to go, I’d calculated that there would likely be plenty of time to make it back long before our Principal Photography was set to begin (our shoot’s starting dates); however, it was a Covid-related emergency, and, as we all know, everything surrounding that topic has been reliably unpredictable thus far since the beginning. I was very nervous about the whole thing and didn’t know what to do, nor did I have much time to make the decision…
I eventually decided it was the right thing for me to go, and thankfully, our incredibly talented, patient, kind, organized and amazing director/creator, Linda, was beyond understanding, and allowed me to attend rehearsals during my absence via Zoom — another Covid staple that has helped me in numerous ways since the “Covid era” began, bringing with it all its changes and challenges. The whole cast was also extraordinarily patient and supportive of my being away during this time, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.
When the time had come and I’d started planning my return (after nearly 6 whole weeks away!), lo and behold, I ended up sick in bed with fever. 🙁 Fortunately, there was still a bit over a month before we were planning to start shooting, so I tried to rest assured, as I was resting up, that I still had plenty of time to recover and get back to Toronto in order to be ready in time for shooting.
It was just over a week until my symptoms started more steadily subsiding and I finally felt like I had enough strength to even think about starting to pack, so I started trying to rearrange my travel plans & getting my stuff together — including taking a Covid test, which was still necessary to cross the border. I didn’t know this at the time, but this happened to have been the period of time that was soon after in the news, telling of the huge backlog created by the “holiday season,” making results take *so* much longer than usual that it essentially rendered tests for travel irrelevant, since results were not ready even close to 72 hours after testing. (Mine took nearly a full week. 🙁 But at least it was negative lol! I couldn’t do a rapid test, as Canada didn’t accept antigen tests, and rapid PCRs were not nearly as readily available – plus I didn’t even know that this was an issue until after I’d taken my test.)
I soon realized that I wouldn’t be able to travel before the following week, due to several circumstances including, of course, the timing required in order to get a test, get results and complete travel before Shabbos (aka the Sabbath, which occurs from sunset on Fridays to nightfall on Saturdays 🙂 ). This was certainly worrisome and disappointing, not only to me, but also to the production team, as I had hoped and planned to be able to be back in time to have at least a couple more live rehearsals before we’d start shooting. I was nervous; however, I hoped and assumed that returning the following week would still allow me plenty enough time for all of this, even if slightly less time than I’d hoped.
I started to make plans to travel early the next week, prep which included, of course, again, lining up at a central location in Brooklyn, where there were free Covid tests being offered. After a long outdoor lineup, I finally got my test and took the subway (which Americans call the train 😉 ) back to where I was staying, relieved to have taken care of that annoying, time-consuming, burdensome task yet again.
Then, some time toward the evening, I started feeling ill again, took to bed early, and by the time I woke up the next morning, I had a fever even higher than the one I’d had only ~2 weeks prior! I thought that illness was behind me after that, at least for quite a while — I’d never even heard of anyone getting sick again that quickly after recovering from something, let alone experienced that myself?! It was a very big shock and extremely upsetting, especially given the surrounding circumstances — I really didn’t have time to be sick again!!
Besides the cold-like symptoms, I could barely move or speak a single sentence without feeling totally exhausted, so I tried to make the best healing efforts I could, including staying in bed and trying to rest/sleep as much of the day as possible, occasionally taking my temperature to see if the fever had subsided at all. I knew it was helping me heal and had to run its course, but I was, of course, anxious for it to hurry up so I could get back to life — and to Toronto for this film!!
It took a few days, and again I realized I wouldn’t be able to make it to Toronto before that Shabbos, for similar reasons as those outlined above, so I booked a flight for the following Monday — this time, it was *the day before* my first scene was to be shot — yikes!! I knew this was cutting it crazy close, but I wasn’t sure what else to do by that point!
When I took yet another pre-flight Covid test, this time it was on Erev Shabbos (aka Friday afternoon); they’d assured me that I’d have the results by Sunday night, and I took it at a time when it would be sure to be within the ~72 hours before my scheduled arrival time at YYZ. I was so busy packing and arranging everything that I didn’t even think twice about double-checking, trusting that I’d get an email with yet another negative result, as had been the case with the others, and that it would arrive by Sunday evening, as promised.
It wasn’t until Monday morning, the day of my flight, when I realized that I hadn’t received my results yet. So I emailed the lab with a subject line of “Flight today: Covid test results please..?” They emailed me back almost right away. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that notification so quickly. But then as I opened it — all dressed and ready to go to the airport, with my 100% fully packed bags at my side, I saw that this time — for the very first time EVER through this whole 2 years — even though I’d been in several airports, been on at least 7 flights, visited Florida, spent ~6 months in Israel, visited hospitals, and been exposed several times to people who I’d later found out had had Covid — that my results THIS time — of ALL times! — came back as “Detected.”
WHAT?!?!?! What!!!?!?!?!?
I couldn’t fly… I had mere hours to cancel my flight…?! And how would I make it in time for my scenes??!
I knew this would mean that I wouldn’t be able to fly, even though by now, I was feeling pretty much all better, after that month of on-and-off illness (I’m not used to being sick very frequently at all, thank G-d, and certainly not for more than a day or so; so this, in itself, was highly unexpected and unpleasant, besides being a threat to my role in this film that I was so excited about and committed to).
NOW is when I test positive??!?! Why NOW of all times?!?! 🙁 Everyone is counting on me!! And I so deeply want to be a part of this beautiful show! That we’ve all spent months and MONTHS prepping for!!
I let production know immediately, and they sadly had to reschedule the scene I was meant to be in the following day, which I felt awful about 🙁 Then, along with trying to get through to Air Canada to cancel my flight in time, I immediately started looking into how I could somehow get across the border in a car (I didn’t have one in NY at the time), which would be totally legal and legit even with such a recent positive test, as I’m a Canadian citizen.
I called rental agencies to see if I could get a one-way (cross-border) rental — no one I spoke to offered that option; I posted on my statuses/stories asking if anyone would rent or even sell me their vehicle; I tried Turo options, crowd sourced, and I even literally looked into and considered buying a car that very day just so I could make it back in time!!!! I searched high and low the whole rest of the day and night until I collapsed in fatigue.
When I woke up the next day, planning to continue my quest, planning to stop at nothing — I had a message from production saying that they did not feel it was wise for the production to wait even another hour to see if I would be able to make it back in time… Even though my next scheduled scene wasn’t until the next week, they felt that it was too risky cutting it this close, especially since they weren’t able to play around with any upcoming shoot dates or change anything further, due to cost factors as well as scheduling requirements for many of the other actresses and crew members.
I may have understood intellectually where they were coming from, but I can’t even describe my whirlwind of feelings at that time…. Could this really be happening?? The film that I was so looking forward to doing, with my dear sisters whom I’d been rehearsing with, bonding with, and getting closer with all these weeks and months…. the character that I’d gotten to know so deeply and love and feel so much a part of me? Could this really be just going *poof* in one fell swoop…?? It couldn’t be…..!
It took me days and days for it to fully sink in…. I know it might sound crazy, but I really think I had to go through a bit of a mourning process toward accepting that this was really happening…. Along that process, a close friend had shared some comforting words: “You had so many opportunities to catch Covid over the past 2 years… NOW is when you test positive? This must be from Hashem.”
I know that our own effort also plays a role in things, but I must also believe that the way things played out was how they were meant to be, and that I guess I wasn’t really meant to be Harriet after all. Sarah Sacks (who ended up playing Harriet in my stead — and did a wonderful job, might I add!) clearly was the one who merited it to have the connection to this beautiful film and role! I am still so grateful that I even had the zechus to audition and be accepted for the role initially, and also feel so blessed to have been zoche to get to know each and every one of the players involved (and some very special mothers as well!) during this whole prep and process.
Bottom line — Covid played a central role in my having to give up the beloved role of Harriet that I was so happy and excited to have booked — let alone how excited I was to find out that such a high-level frum film was even being shot in Toronto! (While I was actually there!! I’d spent a lot of time in Israel and NY over the past 10+ years, so it was also mucho exciting for me to be here while this was happening!)
I was so moved to have received so many beautiful, touching messages from the sisters (and aunts and Bubbys) once they found out that I was no longer going to be “their” Harriet… And I truly hope I’ll have opportunities to work with all of these fabulous ladies again on something in the future. I still feel so blessed to have been able to have been a part of the “Sisters'” cast for as long as I was.
There’s nothing I’ve found yet that’s more fun — as well as meaningful and rewarding! — as being able to be in great films and shows, collaborating with talented, creative, and most importantly, kind & supportive friends 🙂 G-d willing, I hope there will be more to come, and in the meantime, I still eagerly await the world premiere and the gala opening screening party!!! Get your tissues and your dancing shoes, ladies!! It’s going to be a fun, uplifting, inspiring tear-jerker you won’t want to miss!
With love & gratitude,
Jackie R