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.

 

When You Lose A Day

I was rather excited last week about landing a two day shoot on a TV show that at this time I can tell you little about. Yeah, that's going to be an ongoing refrain in this blog. Anyway, it was good to be in front of the camera for the first time since "Incendiary", which filmed in August.

This leads me down two avenues which will converge into one. I loved working on "Incendiary". It was one of those one day shoots that you won't forget. Then the months went by. Certainly plenty of auditions, but no in front of the camera gigs. What the hell? Then along came this two planned days gig!



(Here is a rare behind the scenes shot during a take of a scene for "Incendiary". Look closely, I'm the one behind the viewfinder.)

Since I love being on set, like a kid on a playground, I arrived early and found out I was in three short scenes. It was fun and it was like, "oh, how I missed it so" and other such inner exclamations of cliché. I even had a short solo scene, just walking, and felt good about the whole atmosphere. The cast and crew were gracious and hard working. As an actor, you'll find out, if you don't already know, how important that is.

Then came the news. I was only needed one day after all, not two days. Hmm, well that is too bad I thought. Not only because I had a great time, but because of the less money aspect of the news. I must stress here, my friends, that this was not a guaranteed two day gig. It was one of many gigs available that are, up front, one, two, three, or possibly whatever amount of days. A lot of that comes down to the type of contract you signed. But, that's not what I am here for.

Now here is where the avenues converge. The avenue of keep trying during your droughts of no on camera work and the avenue of not allowing bad news to ruin a great day on the set. Of course no one wants to go through a drought and no one wants to lose a day of shooting and pay. I realize that I was spoiled my first few months in Los Angeles. I was getting several bookings and then it happened. That creeping sensation when you have gone two months without a gig and then three and so forth, and as they say, so on. But you have got to persevere, not only with constant daily submissions but also with constant, when need be, submissions to TV shows asking for characters you really match.

When it comes to losing a scheduled day because of whatever occurrence which you, as an actor, truly have no control over, go home happy. Because you love your work and because you do like being like a kid playing on the playground.