Eddie The Clown on the set of WFE

I cyber-sat with Eddie Medrano and conducted a mini interview with him. Us, kinkers came up with the questions and the sweet Eddie shared some fun tidbits about Francis, the leads, set soldiers, and the clowns of ‘Water for Elephants‘.

What was it like working with Francis Lawrence?

Since this was my first movie, it was AMAZING working with Mr. Lawrence.  He was always smiling and very kind.

What was your favorite moment on the set?

When I walked into the tent for the first time.

What did you think of the set soldiers visiting the set?

They were very kind and sweet and true die hard fans.

Were you ever able to interact or meet any of them (set soldiers)?

I did sign a few books.

Were the paparazzi an issue at all in your view?

No issues with them at all….well maybe because they did not want pics of me.

Did you keep any mementos or souvenirs from the set?

I could never do that, except for the fact that I did get to keep a handful of dirt from center ring.

Did you you meet any of the leads?

I did get to meet each of the 3 leads and they were all kind and sweet and a true pleasure to work with.

Did you ever have an opportunity to see the dailies?

Yes, and I can not wait for the movie to come out!!!!

Are the cast and/or crew familiar with our site and the fan excitement over this film?

Yes they are and it was a kick reading the updates all of the time.

What kind of clown tricks or acts did you do?

We did what we would do in a normal circus.  We entertained the Rubes and Children (and the crew too.) We also did the parade and we had a blast with Tai/Rosie.

What was it like working with the animals?

Just like the circus…you respect them and keep your distance, unless the trainers tell you everything is all right.

Funniest/craziest moment on set.

Just working with the fellow clowns….it was an awesome experience to work with them. We did duct GumDrop to a tent pole.

Who is GumDrop?

GumDrop is Thom Weymouth who is a clown….All of our costumes were amazing, and his looked like gumdrop shaped pants.

Were you a specific clown?

Yes, I was the fat one.  We had 2 auguste clowns, 2 whiteface, and 2 hobo/tramp clowns.*

Did you have a name?

Not really, on set we were known by our first names, just like Ringling.

Did you get to participate in the teasing of Jacob like in the book?

Yes. We did and I don’t want to spoil anything. We did film scenes from the book that were dead on. Funny stuff that you all will enjoy.

*Kinker Tink ponders the shaving incident* Ha! Just like a clown to tease Remember in Emily’s story…when the clown tried to give Rob a piece of candy? Bet these clowns had a blast teasing everyone on set There was a common theme of “amazing”, “kind”, and “sweet”. I think I’ll use those words to describe Eddie as well

About Eddie: Born in East L.A and raised in Carson, CA, Eddie joined the Marines from ’93-’97. What does one do after serving in the marine corps? Become a clown Eddie joined Ringling Bros from ’99-’01, Since ’01, he’s been performing as a clown for private events and landed his first film (WFE) just this year! Eddie said the cast and crew were amazing to work with.  He had a blast on set and their attention to detail was amazing. All of the costumes were spot on.  Eddie met Sara on the Fox set and said she was a sweetheart! Thank you for participating in a little Q & A with us and we’re glad to hear everything was….amazing! Love that word  Follow Eddie on twitter @EddieTheClown and visit his site HERE. We wish him the best in his career and in life!

*The following pictures are examples of the clowns Eddie mentions. They are not images from the film but they are examples from the time period of WFE. Click on the image to visit the source of the photo and the text was found through simple google searches.

Whiteface clown ~ When whitefaces perform with other clowns, they usually function as the straight man, "top banana", or the leader of the group. Whiteface clowns use "clown white" makeup to cover their entire face and neck, with none of the underlying flesh color showing. Features are then usually painted on in either red or black. The whiteface clown is traditionally costumed far more extravagantly than the other two clown types. They often wear the ruffled collar and pointed hat which typify the average person's idea of a "clown suit".

Auguste Clown ~ The augustes are the ones who get the pies in the face, squirted with water, knocked down on their backside, sit in wet paint, or have their pants ripped off. The base color for the auguste makeup is red or flesh tone. The eyes and the mouth are encircled in white and the features are highlighted, again, traditionally in red and black. The auguste is usually costumed in baggy plaids accented with colorful polka dots or loud stripes with wide collared shirts, long neck ties, wild wigs and oversized noses and shoes.

Hobo/tramp Clown ~ The classic Tramp is the forlorn and downtrodden character who has nothing and knows he will never have anything. Regardless of the type of Tramp/Hobo, he is the one who is the brunt of the joke and will be on the receiving end of the pie, slap or kick from the Whiteface or Auguste. The Tramp/Hobo make-up can be thought of as a modified version of the Auguste. A skin tone base, with simple accents around the eyes. Depending on the type, you may want to include ‘5 o’clock shadow’. The costume should look tattered and torn, but be clean.

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