The Story Behind The Picture

Virginia Madsen, who starred with Sandra in Sideways, shared the backstory to this now famous picture from the movie in a recent interview:

(Click to enlarge)

This was their first scene on the production in the rolling hills of Santa Ynez mountains [California wine country] and not far from Michael Jackson’s Neverland.

Alexander Payne, the director and then husband of Sandra Oh, gave them a picnic basket with a bottle of wine inside.

“Go over there,” he said, pointing to an area near a tree.

Abound with curiosity, all four actors do so. They walk quite a distance, far from Alexander and the cameras. Sitting, they all kind’a look at one another, like “What do we do now?”

Sandra cups her hands around her mouth to make a megaphone and yells, “Do we start eating?”

“YES!” yells Alexander. They grab a couple sandwiches, but still not sure what to do. Then they eye the bottle of wine. Sandra yells out once again, “ Do we drink the wine??”

Alexander responds in slow cadence,“Yes…drink…the…wine…and…have….a…picnic!” They did.

When I show Virginia this photograph during the interview she smiles, chuckles and says, “We all were so happy.” Then she adds, “We were all toasting because we were employed.”

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