My Interview for David Cassidy: The Last Session

The David Cassidy documentary will air June 11th on A & E. I thought I’d share my experience being on the least favorite side of the camera. I received a surprise email in August of 2017 asking for my participation in: “A&E documentary series about 1970s pop icon David Cassidy, who now has early stage dementia. The show will follow him through his treatment and attempts to reconcile his waning memory with the life he lived. It will also delve into the musical and cultural history of the early 1970s.”

Makeup Artist extraordinaire, Leah Rial. What a sweet and talented lady!

I agreed to fly out to Hollywood and sit for an interview with the producer. Then I began to worry. How would I look on camera? Would they have to stop taping if I flubbed my answers? Just about every worry you can imagine from a novice in front of the camera. If I was going to get the “star treatment,” I decided I better look my best. Thanks to my Hollywood friend, Darrell Rooney, I asked for a referral to a makeup artist. He came through with flying colors. I made an appointment with Leah Rial.

On my big day, I washed my hair at home, then headed up the freeway to Leah’s home. She lives just over the hill from downtown Hollywood, where the interview would take place at a recording/rehearsal studio. I emphasized to Leah that I wanted a “natural” look, as I hate over-madeup actors, but knew I needed makeup to go before the camera. Little did I know what an

In the green room of the recording studio – mirrors and Hollywood makeup lights, oh my.

expert she was in the industry and that I didn’t need to say a word. She applied a few eyelash enhancers (not full fake lashes) and lightly applied makeup to my face. Then she styled my hair, plain as it is, and it looked wonderful. I never realized just how important this proper preparation would enhance my confidence!

It was also a trip to hear Leah tell me about her decades of work in Hollywood. I encourage you to check out her website: https://www.makeupgirl.com/ where you can see many of the stars she does makeup (for women) and grooming (for men) – a new clarification for me. That day she told me about getting Sterling K. Brown ready for the Emmy Awards and some of the many productions she has worked on. On her website you’ll see the fabulous work she does for many

Never a BEFORE pic, only an AFTER. Ha!

of Hollywood’s A-listers. Can you imagine how it made me feel to have this makeup A-lister doing my makeup?

Then, we drove over the hill to the recording studio. All the while my husband, Tony, was telling me how well I would do in the interview. He just reminded me, as I’ve asked him to do, to not say “you know” and “yeah” throughout the interview. Then when I was introduced to Supervising Producer Saralena Weinfield, she chatted with me as they set up the lighting and sound for my interview. She assured me I’d be fine and advised me to take a moment after she asked a question before I answered. That one suggestion made such a huge difference – I didn’t worry about saying the wrong thing or stumbling over my words. Once I had thought for a moment, I just “spoke” to her, as she was sitting next to the camera lens, as if I was telling a longtime friend about my memories of David.

So, on June 11th we’ll all see how I did. A sound man was so nice to give my husband (who was sitting way off camera in the room) a headset so he could listen to the two-and –a-half-hour interview. Tony told me I did a great job.

Ready for my close up, Ms. Weinfield.

What none of us knew as we shot the interview was that David would pass away the following month. The

Sound check.

producers planned on filming for many more months. A month or so after David’s unexpected death, Saralena wrote me:

“My production team is devastated by the news. We all spent time filming with David in the last few months and learning his story, so the loss is deeply felt. We are going to continue with the film and we will keep you updated as we get more information on the release. Your contribution is a huge part of the story.”

When I posted the promos for the documentary on my Facebook page, I anticipated the comments would be a mixture of excitement to see the documentary and the universal comment “I’ll have a box of tissues sitting next to me as I watch.”

So will I, Cassidy fans.

Supervising Producer, Saralena Weinfield. Never dreamed this accomplished young woman would tell me she considered me a pioneer in journalism.