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(Three times by Gwen, once by Peter.)
So why does the fish loom so large in viewers memories?
And credit forthatmust go to the films food stylist, Jack White.
(Not that one.)
He helped Thomas Keller makethe eggy BLT fromSpanglish, commonly regarded as the worlds greatest sandwich.
He cooked lobster pasta for Tina Fey onDate Nightand baked a cake for Katherine Hepburn onLove Affair.
Shed be like, Jack, what are we having today?
Like everything else in town, food styling is a relationship business.
That was one that helped get me off the ground, so to speak, he says.
I got lucky, met the right people, and did a good job.
Styling a movie meal is not just about cooking an appetizing dish, though.
Sadly, neither moment made the final cut.
We went through about 90 branzinos in two or three days, White says.
I became the expert in roasting fish.
What did he learn from cooking so much sea bass so close to some of Hollywoods biggest stars?
You dont want any raw fish on the set.
The last thing Ive ever wanted is that an actor would get sick on set from eating my food.
Thank God thats never happened.
You dont work a lot after that.
They wound up working on it for three weeks.
Youve always got to match what theyve done.
TheHunger Gamesbuffet was a blend.
And I went to see the movie, and you see it for two seconds.
I cried for two days Oh my god, why did I do all that work?
A happier trial came on the following yearsAugust: Osage County.
That was a big challenge, but a lot of fun.
White has also occasionally enjoyed the opportunity to act in films alongside his culinary creations.
For a scene inIron Man 2, he got to serve Sam Rockwell the meal hed cooked on camera.
The role wound up shooting for an additional week.
I was doing all the food on the movie too at the same time, White says.
The first day I was running over between takes, getting the plates ready.
The experience wound up being an illuminating illustration of Hollywoods unspoken social strata.
I would show up on set, and theyd ask me if I was acting that day.
Im like,My days change, dont they!
One of its walls has posters from all the movies hes worked on.
He enjoys looking back.
Then youre going to hand her that same cake 15 times.
