Love Amongst The Magic: A Chat with Jeff & Cayley

Hard core Team 7 fans have been following our own Once Upon A Time love story & “Fairytale couple” with a metal twist. Of course I am referring to Jeffrey Kaiser (Dopey) and Cayley Giene (Prosthetics/Make-Up). Fans were even treated to pics from the wedding on Twitter, after which the couple was nicknamed JELEY by fans. We are very excited to have this opportunity to interview them both for the Once Upon A Fan site.


Everyone wants to know how the two of you met 



Cayley - We met right after both of us finished school, a mutual friend of ours had us both working on a 48hr film festival project (Bloodshots it's a really rad yearly film festival here where you have 48 hrs to write film and edit a 5-7 min short with a line of dialogue, prop, weapon and sub-genre that is randomly selected for you by the hosts of the festival)


Jeff- However, often they are terrible! And this one was.

Cayley - We kept in contact after that somewhat and ended up working on a few other short films and projects together and our relationship naturally flourished to what it is now. 


Jeff - Best friends into husband and wife, couldn't have asked for anything more!... (Maybe a dragon and a Lamborghini or a Lamboragon!... or the infamous Dragorghini!).

Now we know what to get Jeff for Christmas, Oncers! A Dragorghini…available exclusively at your local Dragorghini retailer… lol
 
 
 Can you share a little about what a typical work day for each of you involves?


Cayley - It depends what "job" I am doing that day. If its straight make up, I get up, check my call sheet for my times and whatever information I may need. I get ready, pack my beauty kit and set bags with whatever I may need while I'm on set. If it is a new production, I stop at the AD trailer, pick up a start pack (all the forms, confidentiality, payment and rules etc), a call sheet, time sheet and sides. I go to the make-up trailer and ask my HOD (Head of Department) what I am doing that day. If I am doing beauty, there is always a key or 1st assistant around to ask. Sometimes I'm on set alone for prosthetics and the shop gives me reference or a make-up test reference of what it's supposed to look like, if it's a big application/designed look and a rundown of what is needed (if there is some sort of blood rigging or something extra involved). 

Time management is always dependent on what you are doing. I've done 10 minute applications too, just all depends on the make-up requirements. I will do the make-up I am in charge of.  If there is an HOD/Key, I get them to check it, then make changes if needed and take photos of my work. Then my actor will head to hair and wardrobe if they haven't seen them already.

We then head to the set with all my bags and chair in tow. We get there, they do rehearsals for camera and actors etc, then they usually do a lighting set up where I will sneak up to my actor  and do the touches I need to and ask my actor if they need anything before they head back to set. . We do this tango until lunch, where we break for 30-60 minutes. I head back to the trailer, make sure I have enough stuff to last the rest of the night. There are times where I will have to take charge of more actors if my key has to go back to the trailer and work on things or do another make up or I may have to leave set to do another make up or remove a make-up etc. It all is dependent on the day.


I’ve had days where I'm on set for 8 hours and my actor has 7 make up changes in that 8 hr period and I have had days where I am on set for 17 hrs with one make up consistent all day. Once we wrap, I head back to the trailer and remove my actors make up, clean up my station and my kit and all my tools, finish my start packs, time sheets etc, then see if they have a call sheet for the next day (if I am in the next day).  I then go home, shower and sleep.

Jeff -  I get up looking awesome and go to bed being rad, and everything in between is just golden. Sometimes I wake up rad and awesome, then I have to go to the hospital.

You have both worked on several different projects. What has been your favorite, and what has been most challenging for you?



Cayley - All my jobs have always been great, I usually get to do something new every time or something I haven't done in a while so it’s always exciting. The most challenging thing for me on set can be the time they schedule for some make ups, it can be really difficult to get done in the time given.



Jeff - I've been acting for years, I started training as a theatre actor when I was 12. Throughout the years I have been in terrible, terrible shows as well as amazing ones.  One of my favorites was a show I did at UBC in their BFA acting program.  The play was "Gormenghast" directed by Stephen Malloy an amazing director and teacher. Doing that show was like being on a roller-coaster! There was ambient music, roaring cries and sounds, crazy lights and copious amounts of smoke! Just writing about it makes me excited! It was so all encompassing and mystical I could have done that show until I died, which I did! Dying on camera and on stage is one of the best things about being an actor (for me anyway). 

The most challenging role I've played was the most "normal". Stan, in "Unity 1918" written by Kevin Kerr directed by Stephen Drover (a great friend, teacher, and director), also at UBC. I usually get the more character or physical roles; Stan is just this sad, dim, sweet individual. it was really hard to do; especially on stage in-front of 400 people, it’s hard to be soft spoken when you need to project to the back of a theatre. Much easier to do on camera.   


Were you shocked at all by what a huge cult following Once Upon a Time has picked up in such a short time?

Cayley - No, Haha! After the dreamy episode I knew it was guaranteed another year.



Jeff -  Its funny you ask that, Vancouverites aren’t really "aware" of the show compared to everywhere else on the damn planet. The magnitude of this show still hasn't hit me.
 


Dopey is a huge Disney icon. For many people, (including my own family) he’s the favorite dwarf. Were either of you big Disney fans before working on Once Upon A Time?



Cayley - Yes! I was/am, I really do enjoy Disney. Some of my favorite films ever are Disney (Lion King, Aladdin etc) 



Jeff - YES, I'm an American, of course I was. I went to Disneyland and World every other year (and just recently; I wore the family out) Dopey and Grumpy were my favorites growing up. Dumbo is still my favorite Disney movie of all time, but I won’t get on that ride, I'll throw up.


I know you can’t give away any spoilers, but we would LOVE to see Dopey take on a bigger role in Season 2.  Where would you like to see the show take the character? Any dream storylines you’d like to be a part of?



Cayley - I would love to have more of the dwarfs in the fairytale world and more fairytale creatures with big make up (cause I think they are cool not just cause I could get to help make/apply them). I also would love to have more Rumple in fairytale world. It would be rad if they made Dopey like a silent ninja or gave him a crazy reason as to why he doesn't talk. 


Jeff - To add on to what my wife so aptly put; I'd like to continue to be on the show in anyway I can. I love working on ONCE, everyone is so talented and so kind; it's like a second family for Cayley and I.  And Lee is like our matchmaker, yenta.

Cayley - Lee likes to take credit for us finally getting together. Hahaha.

How has the experience working together on Once Upon A Time been for the two of you?



Cayley - it's great, most of the time I'm not working on Jeffrey and we don't see much of each other but when we are on set around each other, we keep it very professional and keep it completely PG (all the other dwarfs would tease us if we didn't!!! Especially Lee! Hahaha!). It is harder for us as a couple when I am working on Jeffrey because we have to ultra aware of ourselves and make sure we do stay professional in how we act and talk with each other, we all know what the rumor mills are like! 



Jeff - What Cayley says goes double for me. I'm usually the trouble maker. She's much more professional then I am.



Cayley - It’s how we balance each other.
 


What is something your fans would be surprised to know about you?



Cayley - Pffftt what fans!? Haha! How about I haven't dressed up for a Halloween since I was like, 14! 

Jeff - Whoa, that’s a hard one... I don't like chocolate? 
 


Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to all the fans in the Oncer community?



Cayley - Keep watching, there are some awesome things brewing!! I'll leave it at that! 



Jeff - You guys are terrific!... SEND ME FAN MAIL TOOOOOO! I don't have a life, I'll answer it.

Thank you so much, Jeff & Cayley, for taking time to do this interview and for sharing some of their wedding shots with us for the site.