All Right, Saddle Up!

It is time. I know. You will know, too, if you are in such a situation. Don't confuse that it is time with the sheer boredom of not working or just that you haven't been working. You have to know you're healthy enough to work. That is why I know it is time. Sure, I was bored silly at times. How many books could I read, movies could I watch or think about picking up my guitar again. I came here to work, dammit! The good days have been outweighing the bad days, so it's time. All right, saddle up!

Nearly three months after my cancer surgery I started submitting for auditions again. I feel like I'm starting over, and in some ways I am. I'm reintroducing myself to the casting directors again. Sheer repetition of seeing my name may cause a brain memory connection. Better yet, when casting directors show up on my list that I got a job through before, I can casually mention, hey, yeah, baby, I worked on that Investigation show last spring, or yeah, daddy-o, thanks for getting me that gig in the fancy pants big budget movie. Well, not using that exact language of course. Right?



(Well, one thing is different - my surgical scar that begins above my belly button and extends down to, well, you know.)

There is really excitement in starting almost from scratch once again. I thought, should I change my resume photos after losing so much weight? Nope. I'm still bald and have a beard. No extra grey in the hair department. Saddle up! Being that this is Hollywood, and most of time Hollywood really loves those post-rehab or post-cancer stories, I have also harbored other thoughts.

Should I take advantage of my recent past to secure, perhaps, more gainful employment? Perhaps I should burst into the audition room and blithely state, "Hi everyone! I'm Rod Harrel, recovering cancer survivor..." and before you know it I'll have them in tears of laughter and sadness. Yep, that's the ticket! Maybe for added measure, I should hint of some sort of 'significant' drinking problem and make up a couple a kids and a heartless, greedy ex-wife. Before you know it, I'll have a spread in Variety, a book deal and be appearing on the Ellen show! Classic!

Seriously, that's not how I saddle up. I have always gone into anything on my merits and talent. Wish me luck, everybody!


 

As I Recover From Surgery, It's Nice To See My Earlier Work Released

Since returning home from the hospital two week stay, after my nine hour surgery, I spend most of the time concentrating on healing, sleeping a lot, reading, writing and watching, perhaps, too much TV. It has sometimes been a little boring and I can get a little stir crazy...OK, a lot stir crazy. I mean, how many times can you watch reruns of "Match Game", "Welcome Back, Kotter" or "Family Feud" without getting an unhealthy urge to start wearing bell bottoms and platform shoes and listening to the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack LP? Healing from cancer surgery does have some ominous pitfalls to say the least!

Before it became academic that I had to stop auditioning/working, I did manage to work on several projects. Therefore, it's a great pick-me-up when one of them gets released and I get to see the fruits of my labors (however brief, screen time-wise). The first of these in the post-surgery world was an episode of "Blood Relatives" that I shot last March. This "recreation" show appears on the Investigation Discovery Channel and the episode in question is entitled, "Dead In The Water".

(You know it! Selfie on the set.)

My non-speaking role was as the Medical Examiner. Poor guy - sleight spoiler alert - he ruled the death as 'accidental'. A few seconds of screen time at 17 and 18 minutes into the program, respectively, in case you're interested. That is always better than the ol' cutting room floor, of course. Once again, I was blessed by working with a comfortable crew and cast. In fact, I must have made a pretty good impression on the director, for his assistant called me a couple of months later offering me a small role in a different show. Alas, I had literally been wheeled out of my first surgery when the message came through and I couldn't accept the gig. C'est la vie.

Hey! There's always the next time! In the meantime, I await other projects to be released as well as being healthy enough to begin auditioning again. Something tells me I'll be even more of a force than I was before. This...is...the...city.

 

So, You're An Actor With Cancer

(Hanging out on the set of "Hail, Caesar!" at the Hollywood Palladium)

Nearly a year ago I began having blood in my urine. Many doctor and ER trips later I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I've had one surgery and soon will have another surgery and then be cancer free. That's how we cancer patients role. During all this time I've continued to submit for acting roles, auditioning and working. But, it hasn't been easy.

This business is all about the future. Can you show up for an audition on that date? Can you work three days during that week? You have to know your schedule to fill your schedule. I found it difficult at first to submit for an audition or a job because of this or that doctor appointments. Sometimes I would throw caution to the wind, as they say, and submit or audition and hope the dates were not going to conflict.

During this time I was basically fighting infections and/or having bloody urine on nearly every job I worked, and I worked quite a lot during certain months. Surprisingly, as I look back, I missed only two auditions and had to back out of only one job. That was due to visits to the ER. All the casting directors and assistant directors were as understanding as could be. So, it is possible to take of yourself and continue to work. In fact, the day I had my first surgery I had a message from an assistant director offering me a job in two days! I had worked with the director before and he liked what I did enough to remember me and offer a job. Of course, I had to respectfully decline and they were very nice and wished me well. Nice to be wanted.

Then came the news that I had to have another operation. Turns out that not only is my cancer rare, it is also resistant to chemo or radiation treatments. Therefore, an operation that will remove the bladder entirely (among other things) and I will not be able to audition or work for two months. That's almost forever in the acting biz, but that's the way it is. In some respects, this won't prevent me from continuing to submit for projects, as I have a firm date when I can audition and accept work again. I hope you can tell by now, the way to get through something like this is to stay as positive as you can. So, you can't work for a couple months as you are healing? Stay positive.

I plan on doing a lot of writing.

NOTE:
For those reader who are interested, here is a link to an article about my medical experiences thus far.

 

Sometimes You Need A Kick In The Ribs

I had been in a kind of funk for several weeks recently. I know some of it was caused by unpleasant health news that has yet to resolved, but a lot of it was because I wasn't working much. After a flurry of work during the last 3 months of last year, 2015 was starting out pretty dry. Only a couple jobs to be had and a creeping sense of no accomplishment and depression. I am actor after all, and I'm not acting.

Then it happened. I was cast in a low budget indie feature called "Retake" as a Homeless Man. It was a one day part and I found out the day before the shoot that mass transit would only get me to within 14 miles of the location. I went into a mini-panic. After a few e-mails to the producer, Sean Mandell, I must have been really wanted, for he sent a P. A. to pick up and drive me out there. Now, that was very nice! The location was east of Santa Clarita at an old motel on an old highway. Very moody indeed. I was wearing a costume I put together and it was immediately accepted. That's always nice, too.

After lunch it was time to shoot the scene I was in. As the Homeless Man I punch one of the leads although I can't tell you why as it is an important plot point. So, therefore, GO SEE THE MOVIE! Anyway, it was physical scene with some improvised dialogue. Suddenly, it was like the proverbial lightning bolt. A kick in the ribs, if you will. Acting! Raw! This is why I came to Los Angeles in the first place! I was having exhilarating fun. The director, Nick Corporon (also the writer), was great and did a lot of retakes and I am assuming not because that was title of the film. I must of punched that 6' 5" actor at least seven times. There was a lot of coverage for this scene that might last 2 minutes on screen.

(As The Man, before we lost the hat)

After being pushed out of the shot (literally), I found myself running ten yards off-camera, I was pumped up. It was a great feeling. Almost as if I had been in an artistic lethargy for those several weeks. After my role was done, the cast and crew gave me a hand and that, my friends, as it is rare, is quite nice.

(With Tuk Watkins on the set of "Retake")