Good Morning Hank, It’s Tuesday.

Today is the first day of the Turtles all the Way Down movie shoot. Greetings from– you know? I’m not actually sure to see where greetings from.

Covid Test, living the dream.

Isaac, am I allowed to say, like uuh what city we’re filming in? Greetings from Cincinnati! This is Isaac, he’s producing the movie. Say hi, Isaac. Hi!

There’s no place I’d rather be. Pay no attention to the costume change, it’s definitely not a continuity error.

So four things I always forget about watching movies get made. First I always feel like I’m in the way, like a movie set is basically  a large construction site  and I don’t know how to do construction. Scaffolding, and ladders, and lights are always moving this way and that and I somehow manage to be in the way of that, like hundreds of times every day.  But everyone’s always really nice about it. They don’t like yell at me or anything, they just say POINT, which is movie speak for you’re about to get hit by something pointy.

Second, when I watch movies, I always think, like this is taking place in a very beautiful and sophisticated location, but then like, right now for instance, my view is currently of a dumpster. It’s a very cinematic dumpster, but it is a dumpster. Third, there are so many people here and they’re all busy. They’re all doing stuff. Twelve hours a day. The only person who’s not busy is me.

And lastly on that front, it is impossible to put into words how amazing it is to have all of these people pouring their time and talent and love into this story. Earlier today the movie’s first assistant director, Mary, said “we’re trying to  3-D print your imagination” and that really is how it feels.

I have attempted to move to a place out of the wind. Listen Hank, I am not allowed to tell you what we are shooting today, but I can tell you a story.

So part of my book Turtles All The Way Down is set in a Chuck E. Cheese, which is like an American  chain of children’s fun places. Their mascot is a mouse whose government name, I’m not making this up, is Charles Entertainment Cheese. So the nice people making the Turtles All The Way Down movie reached out to Chuck E Cheese to request permission to film in one of their esteemed establishments, and Chuck E Cheese responded that that was not gonna happen.

I’m not going to read you their exact response, partly because I want to avoid spoilers, and partly because I’m a little worried I might get sued, but suffice it to say that Chuck E. Cheese was not happy with my portrayal of their institution in Turtles all the Way Down.

Just for the record, of course, look, it’s a work of fiction,  but I stand by most of my portrayal. I mean, I think there probably is pee in the ball-pit. I think there’s pee in most ball pits. I mean for the record, I think there’s pee in almost everything. I think that’s a Leonard Cohen lyric.

So anyway, I’m not allowed to tell you what we’re filming today, but I can tell you that it’s not at a Chuck E Cheese. I actually think that what’s happening instead might be better and more wonderful. This has just been the most amazing day.

Isabella Merced who is playing Aza, understands that character so so deeply. Cree whose playing Daisy is amazing. The director, Hannah Marks has read the book like more than I have. And loves it so much and cares about it so much.

So yeah, I just feel so lucky and grateful today. But the other thing that I’m thinking, Hank, is that this is only happening because so many people read and cared about the book, because they responded with such generosity to the book’s exploration of anxiety, and obsessive thinking disorders, and free will and its other themes, and I think everybody here is  committed to making a movie that expresses the same ideas that the book did. That people’s pain is real and deserves attention and validation, but that there is also hope. Even when your brain tells you it isn’t.

I am very glad I lived through some hard days, Hank so that I could have this one. Hank, I’ll see you on Friday.