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!


 

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.

 

Trust The Casting Director

I ran across an interesting article that I would like to share with you all. Many moons ago I had this attitude...for a little while! It is going in for an audition thinking, "what am I doing here?", which basically guarantees that you will not be cast. The article (linked below) is a good reminder that you should trust your casting director. You weren't called in on some whim or a sprinkle of sparkles on to the floor. This attitude is not something that encompasses only young actors. I was once waiting patiently in an outer room for an audition. This older gentleman walked in, surveyed the room, and said to no one in particular, "what am I doing here?".

Trust the casting director.

http://blog.castingnetworks.com/6450