Pan Am in the Bowery Ballroom

What better place to shoot a Paris nightclub scene than on Delancey Street in downtown Manhattan... in the Bowery. The location scouts are so imaginative.

My suit-fitting session at Steiner Studios was very productive a few days ago when I got measured for a 1963 outfit: suit with open shirt -pants worn high. Very drab -a perfect fit for an ND background extra.
Steiner Studios are very well kept. They are clean, curteous and very professional there. More so than at my regular day-job. I was immensely impressed. It was also great to be back in my old college neighborhood... Pratt was not far away from here... but I decided this was not the time to visit. I had been an alumni guest there with my wife a few years ago -but memory lane would have to wait, there were other memories coming up.

Holding was at the historical St. Patrick's Old Catherdal on Mulberry Street. I read up on it a bit -as I like to know more and more about NYC's historical places (an extra benefit from this line of work). My preparation came in handy later during our discussions while walking to the set along it's long "protective" brick wall. I also recognized that this was the neighborhood that I had come to for my "Italian film debut" at the end of last year.

We all collected our altered clothings from the wardrobe department and changed behind a makeshift set of labariynthine arras setups. We all had to be styled with a 1963 haircut so we lined up for the looooong wait. But the chit chat made it bearable as our respective turns would eventually come up. My hair had to be done twice.

The first time it only got pasted down... and then as I passed by the head-hairstylist guy, he flagged me down and clipped a few more strands from the back of my duck-ass curls. When he finished with me I looked like an old time Brylcreem ad.
The women looked the best. They all got twinkly evening gowns with high waists and expressed decolletage -complemented by pageboy flip hairdos that were topped off with a pillbox hat! Did they really look like this in Paris 1963... I guess they must have since there were old magazine clips of 1963 people scotch-taped to the walls for reference.

We were taken to the set about 5 blocks away at the Bowery Ballroom -where another makeshift holding area awaited us. This time it was the basement bar -a welcome refuge for us after the very bright sunny walk through the hot summer day. In the basement it was dark and cool. We continued the chat as some of us got sporadically called to set upstairs. I got antsy after a few hours of sitting and not being called -and decided to walk up the steps that opened up to a two tiered dance club -complete with camera crew, directors and a bevy of extras. It was wonderful. But with the hours flying by and many of us not having been called up to set... well, I was having my doubts as to whether or not they were going to use all of us or not. So I accepted my probable fate and moseyed down to the basement to sit out the rest of the afternoon in Pan Am oblivion.

This proved to be a gross misconception on my egotistic part. Because soon after, we were all summoned to "center stage" and spread around the top floor's nightclub scenario. I was placed with one of the women near the bar area, where Colette, one of the "Pan Am stewardesses", played by Karine Vanasse is having a drink with a friend. Oh goody, at least I caught a glimpse of one of the stewardesses. At another part of a scene, I was placed at the bar itself and told to fraternize with the bartender and the guests around me -while smoking a cigarette. I don't smoke... but these were herbal cigarettes and we were not supposed to bring them near our faces or inhale -only for the effect of the 1963 predilection for smoking... everywhere! So I lit one up... then another... and another...and another... and Oh yeah, it was high-school memory time. The young bartender and I were bantering back and forth as the next scene was being set up. Between the scenes, we could take a break by going outside... into the brightness of reality that was Delancey Street. Many years ago, when I first came to this country with my parents, we would go shopping in this neghborhood. Clothes, shoes, tablecloths... all were bought the usual way: bartering. That world disappeared... this was now a shieky-trendy nabe on the fringes of the ever-expanding Chinatown -where young people would come to louder and louder exhibitions of rock-band euphoria... all the while smoking real cigarettes...et al.

A different pretty starlet, this time a blonde, with an English gentleman was now next to me. They chatted with us a bit (thereby releasing us from the "don't speak to the stars" restrictions). I mentioned my trip to England, to Lynne and Ouspensky's grave and the vicar there...etc. The Englishman picked up on the thread, but then the director (man with glasses... I assume it was Thomas Schlamme) called out "camera's rolling...and BACKGROUND!"
The pretty starlet turned out to be Anabelle Wallis -who was playing the part of Bridget -presently having an altercation with two men. There is some secret document being passed between the characters. But all the while, I just keep drinking my wine (cranberry juice) then chatting en francais with the barkeep, and later still with an African-American patron and oogling a girl having a drink a few seats away from me. That, basically was my silently-mimed moment of glory on this set.

[Flash-forward: The resulting scene was actually in episode #2 (aired on 10/2/2011) -and, as shown below (from a photo off my tv screen) -I barely got my profile into a quick shot with Bridget and her frantic pilot boyfriend chasing after a spy in the nightclub.]



While they were "checking the gates", I told Anabelle she did a great job with the script and descended to the dance floor. There must have been better than a half a dozzen scenes that we were all in. My odds of being seen on camera in this early episode have increased -though there are never any guarantees.
During one of the "wait for ACTION!" to be called moments, a rather stunning girl was placed in front of me. I saw the similarity in her face to one of my favorite actresses of the past, and asked her if anyone ever told her she looked like Ava Gardner.

"Who?" was the sincere reply... as my jaw dropped in surprise to her lack of familiarity with one of the greats. And so I turned to the guy next to me who was keeled over on the table in a "lack of sleep stupor" and I asked him:
"You know who Ava Gardner is... don't you?"... I might as well have been in a vacuum. He replied that he didn't know her either -and keeled right back into his restfull position. So I turned to the stunning girl and tried to explain it without any success. And it was at this point that I finally accepted being an anachronism... or at least trapped in the Hollywood Twilight Zone. But I could work with that -after all, it's part of acting strange.

In fact, we worked from 7:30 AM to about 12:30 AM... long... longer than I'd expected. But then one of the other women said that she had worked for this show last week and she didn't get home until 8:00 AM the following morning. Guess I got lucky. I got home at 3:30 AM.

Budapest theater experiences

Some 55 years ago, I was in the 3rd grade -on a class trip to a puppet theater in Budapest... my birthplace. We were shown to our seats in a very orderly fashion... the show started and we were mesmerized by the story that was taking place on the puppet stage.

Suddenly... the lights went off and there was complete darkness. In fact it seemed like a very long time that we were in a kind of "will the play continue?" limbo.

And then a very startling moment took place. The theater's giant doors flew open -revealing a tremendous bright light that eventually subsided as our eyes got used to the change, revealing everyone in the streets running in everywhich way... and then the terse announcement: "All of you can go home..." -Just like that, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was under way -but none of us in the class knew that. All we knew was that a moment ago there was order -and now there was utter chaos. I knew where I was and I knew where I lived -and so I started toward my home. Luckily, my parents were somehow aware of what had been happening and were en route to intercept me... We all made it home -only to become refugees in the following weeks.

And now, in the present day -I am standing in front of these doors that flung open to a new life. Needless to say, I did not go to see a puppet show here again.

But my wife and I did go to see a show at the Budapest Operetta and Musical Theater. And interestingly enough, the musical we saw "A Nice Summer Day", deals with a teenager's dilema to escape from post-1956 Hungary or to "stay in the boat". The boy stays and he is heralded as a hero for doing so. As this was a very popularly accepted sentiment with the audience, who clapped for 20 straight minutes, I couldn't help but reflect on my own situation -wherein I didn't have a choice. But I was glad that my parents made the right choice -to leave the unstable future that communist Hungary would become.

One burning question remained for me after all these past years... one that kind of haunted me -perhaps even made me act strange... the question being: What would my life been like, had my family stayed in Budapest?". I had all sorts of phantasies, such as a champion gymnast (I was always very flexible), or a champion chess grandmaster (although I learned chess at 5, I had abandoned it until my college years... in Hungary my "talent" might have burgeoned -yeah... "burgeoned")... etc.

But my question was slowly answered from the various discussions I had with people in Hungary while touring now in 2011. The answer was not a pretty picture. Many people were arrested after 1956 and sent either to prison or to Siberia by the Russians and their "puppet" government in Hungary. Those who came back from prison were not treated as heroes... not commemorated until the iron curtain was eliminated in 1989.

So this was a very revolutionary reconnection for me... plenty of emotion-stirring experiences for me to draw on... for fututre gigs... albeit not in the Budapest theater.

NYC Celebrities

We went to see Robin Williams in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo -excellent acting work. Very charismatic. Also, it's clear that there's no end to Robin's generosity. A great human being all around.

David Beckham

I got this great snapshot of David Beckham after he gets interviewed outside ABC studios on Broadway.

Kiefer Sutherland

At another romp through New York City we decided to go snapping pics of actors et al. It's a simple formula: just hang out at the exit doors of Broadway shows (with all the autograph seekers) at the end of each show... and start clicking away with your digital zooming camera. Other places to hang out is in Times Square, near the ABC studios. Here are some of my latest photos of Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Noth, Chris Rock, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Champion, George Stephanopoulos, Jason Castro, Mario Andretti...

Chris Noth

Chris Noth was very friendly, occasionally grimacing a funny face when one of the people made a comment to him like, "Hey Mr. Big -is it really?". He'll never live down his Sex and the City role (what guy would want to?).

Chris Rock

Chris Rock posed with a couple of people -great attitude and very generous with his time. Everyone who wanted a photo or a signature eventually got it.

Bobby Cannavale

Bobby Cannavale continued to remain in character all throghout his signings: a kind of sad and dour effect. When he came near me, I asked him "Whatever happened to M.O.N.Y. that we were in -never picked up by NBC?" He immediately looked up and gave a sad acknowledgment of "Oh yeah..." and nodded as he passed on with his signing duties. So much for small talk!

Sam Champion and George Stephanopoulos of ABC's Good Morning America

Sam Champion was a lot more livelier than George. They were closing out the morning show on the day before the Royal Wedding in England in Times Square. Sam remained and posed with a couple of women after the signoff.

Constantine Maroulis

The Rock of Ages/American Idol-star was the friendliest when we got his attention. He constantly flashed the "rock-on" salute -popularized in the show. (I've always identified it with the "happy Hawaiian" hand gesture.)

Jason Castro at B.B. King's off Times Square

My wife and I went to see Jason and his band perform. We got front row tables and had a great time listening to his sound while munching on nachos with a couple of drinks.

Car raceing champion Mario Andretti

There he was with his IZOD promo and a 2-seater racing car in front of Macy's last week. I once got his autograph... more than 20 years ago (when his hair was still black), so it was a strange thrill to see him again in his graying stage of life -still in it, albeit from the business end.

OK... so I'm a groupie!

A Late Quartet… a very very late quartet

Christopher Walken

Call time was 4:30 PM –they wrapped us at 5:AM the following morning. But the excruciating part was that they didn’t use most of us for the first 7 hours. We just sat in holding at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s lunch room area while the principals did their shtick in the theater section opposite the Egyptian papyrus drawings.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

I met up with a few of my background-buddies and camped out in the back of the non-SAG area. There were not enough chairs for everyone so we switched sitting and standing at opportune intervals. At times the banter flowed easily, at other times we were just gawking at the well dressed people and commenting on their attributes. Some of the young women had no problem with slinking in and out of their evening wear in front of a hundred people while still wearing their street clothes to cover any overexposure. Women are so clever… they know how to entertain us guys!

We had brown-paper bagged lunches at 9:00 PM, while the SAG-people had a hot catered meal. The familiar foment of the non-SAG masses began with a disgruntled murmur. So much so that our PA had to make a speech about this food/room-apartheid not being a class-distinction but rather a “fact of acting-life”. Yet another instance of “acting strange”! (Please note that I do not hate SAG people –I hate the class separation. Also, to be fair -for a SAG-point of view, please read Jennie's comments at the end of this blog entry).

The irony in all this was that we were all supposed to be dressed as high-style/upper-class patrons of the art, observing the performance of a highly successful string quartet. The quartet on the stage was composed of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener and Mark Ivanir. Yaron Zilberman was the director and Wallace Shawn had a part in the near-stage audience (the rest of us were far and fuzzy non-descript stage audiences).

Wally Shawn

But it was fun to watch the principals banter on the stage. Walken being the nuttiest with his usual “did my mind arrive yet” persona. A couple of giggles ensued when Hoffman tried too hard to play his viola and screeched a few sounds (none of them could really play –the music was all dubbed in the background). But the part that really irked me was that none of them showed any passion (didn’t even try to show how much the music was affecting them), in spite of their music coach… so where’s the acting!?. Mark Ivanir was the only one to pick up on how to move his fingers for a vibrato effect on his violin.

Mark Ivanir

Too bad their collective effort to show a top-class musical group in action, was really falling flat and it was obvious that none of them had any musical training. And Keener was constantly removing her shoes and rubbing her toes -even rolled down her stockings above her knees to the surprised guffaws of her fellow "musicians". Uptight with a bad fit, I’d guess.

Catherine Keener

The Takacs String Quartet (briefly referred to and badly mispronounced by Christopher Walken on stage) is most likely the group that this movie was modeled after. A short bio from their home page states: "The Takacs Quartet was formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai and András Fejér, while all four were students. It first received international attention in 1977, winning First Prize and the Critics’ Prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. The Quartet also won the Gold Medal at the 1978 Portsmouth and Bordeaux Competitions and First Prizes at the Budapest International String Quartet Competition in 1978 and the Bratislava Competition in 1981. The Quartet made its North American debut tour in 1982. Violinist Edward Dusinberre joined the Quartet in 1993 and violist Roger Tapping in 1995. Violist Geraldine Walther replaced Mr. Tapping in 2005. In 2001 the Takács Quartet was awarded the Order of Merit of the Knight’s Cross of the Republic of Hungary." Memento mori: In 1994, Ormai learned that he had incurable cancer -he died in 1995 at age 40. For his part, Christopher Walken plays the elder member of the quartet, who has developed Parkinsons Disease and who consequently in the middle of their playing, stands up and announces that he can't keep up with his members -then following it with the introduction of a replacement cello player. A little more banter with the audience as he throws a kiss to all and walks off stage right. Bravo! (Take 5...6...7...)

By 3:30 AM everyone in the audience was keeling over with sleep –and when the director said we could break for 5 minutes… well, the groans were just inescapable. And they were followed by “We don’t need 5 minutes –we need to go home!”. Apparently the powers that be eventually relented and by 5:00 AM some of us were in the street at 5th Avenue and 84th Street, hailing cabs, including me.

I thought that I could get home by catching a cab to Penn Station and hopping on a late-night train. Unfortunately I had just missed the 4:54 AM and had to wait over an hour before the next train was leaving toward my home’s destination. Needless to say I didn’t get any sleep. But it felt good to be home, say hello to my wife –change my clothes and leave for work. And I know I said this before… but now I mean it: NO MORE OVERNIGHT SHOOTS! (Really...)

Man On A Ledge on Madison Avenue

Elizabeth Banks and Sam Worthington (aka: The Avatar guy)

I should have known when my agent, Desiree, asked me if I was up to doing this stint for 2 weekends –that it was going to be something grueling. And it was… 5:AM calls, for which, I had to get up at 3:15 AM… or so I set my clock, and then promptly turned it off in my sleep-deprived delirium. Of course my wife –who happened to get up at 4:AM nudged me to remind me about this gig.

And then I realized... WHOAAA! ---- I'm gonna be late?!!!

Kyra Sedgwick, cop, ME-the one with the bright face- and Sam Worthington

And in 10 minutes I took my shower, dressed and was out the door and into my car. I was no longer deliberating on whether or not I should take a train from my home station. The drive from my house to the city on the empty roads was a marvel of delight! I was there and parked at our 45th street and 2nd Avenue holding area in under 40 minutes.

Why I rush to these early calls I’ll never know. The line was out the door and the hundreds of extras that were slated for this scene weren’t finished being processed for another hour. But a commitment is a commitment –and I stick by it.

Holding was a kind of an unfinished store with a second half-floor overlooking the 1st. It had exposed girders and lot’s of cement dust. But it was able to hold the large band of extras –many of whom (us non-SAG bg’s) were corralled to the cramped, untabled, darkened, second floor. This is such a bunch of hooeyfied discrimination. SAG gets to be in a spacious floor with tables and the rest of us get to cramp up in a cave-like dwelling. Reminded me of the beginning of 2001:A Space Odyssey –where the apes are huddling inside a cavern. First come, first served -I say!

Three madeup Hassids

One of the production assistants went around to ask if anyone wanted to be made up to be a Hassidic Jew!? Three old guys were "chosen" –and it took about an hour for the makeup experts to affix the appropriate facial hair to make them look authentic. Luckily there were 2 real-deal Hassids they could copy from. Other exotics were Sikhs and Moslems.
(Gosh… I hope it’s politically correct to call them “exotics” -since the rest of us were ND's?!)

We were finally called to set a little before 7:AM and placed in bunches along the four corners of Madison Avenue and 45th Street, near The Roosevelt Hotel. This is where “the ledge” was going to be… about 20 stories up. There was very little oversight for us bg's and we tended to wander over to wherever we wanted to -unless we were selected to do some "feature" work (but only the cute girls get picked for that)!

Michael Laurence

I wound up on one corner the first day doing the "crowd below does cheer and fist-pump" action for the man on the ledge. There was a taxi in front of us and the scuzzy-looking guy sitting on it looked familiar. I inched up to him and asked him if he was in the last season of DAMAGES. He was glad that I recognized him and we chatted for a minute or two. As it turned out, he was playing a scuzzy-looking guy again in this scene also. His name was Michael Laurence -an upcoming star.

Sam was our hero and confidently tethered through his clothing, as were the other ledge-walkers (cameramen, stunt dudes, other actors, etc.)... but it was still a scarry sight to see Sam sit on the corner ledge and dangle his feet while waving to the crowd below to react to him. 20 stories below, an airbag awaited any wardrobe-malfunction problems that might suddenly occur.

Man on a Ledge throws money to the extras

The "jump" was done in 4 takes: two for the stunt-double, who was raised about 30 feet above the bag via crane and cable; and two takes following with Sam doing a 10 foot backward-falling dive from the crane's ledge (sans tether). We were viewing this from our new places -next to an ambulance that was constantly on and sending carbon monoxide into our immediate area. We complained to the nearby PA to tell the ambulance driver to turn the motor off... he then called another PA with our complaint...who, in turn called another PA... until finally, the 4 th PA behind us came over to us and asked "What's the problem???". When we explained and showed him the exhaust we had to stand near, he shrugged his shoulder, spoke into his walkie-talkie and no one did anything. Since we were all getting a bit dizzy, we decided to take our safety into our own hands and joined another crowd -far away from the ambulance. No one noticed. As I said before, oversight on this set was very poor. Where are the union-reps when you need them?

Director Asger Leth

But we background extras are a hearty group and when we "smell" action coming up -we persevere! And action it was... as Kyra Sedgewick and Ed Harris came on the set. The director with the very understated persona was Asger Leth. He was friendly enough and even posed for the crowd toward the end of the day. Only the physical scenes seemed to animate him -as he went over to Ed and Sam to explain how he wanted the fight-movements to take place.

Sam Worthington fights with Ed Harris - ME at extreme right

The scene was Sam Worthington slugging Ed Harris while Kyra, as a newswoman, interviews him during his aggressive arrest by the army of cops. For some reason, Kyra kept laughing everytime after this scene ended. Ed Harris got the worst of it -as his clean beige suit got dirtier and dirtier on the back after each take. I was worried for Ed... he looked very skinny to start with. Maybe it was because of his age... or maybe it was to make him look more evil for the part he was playing... or maybe because of all the cigarettes he was smoking on set??? Nonetheless, the makeup department always fixed him up and he survived the dozzen or so rough takes.

At one point we were placed around Ed Harris' Mercedes and told to react to the fighting. Later we were taken away to the remotest parts of the set as tracks were laid down for the camera to shoot from "behind" us (albeit without us). An hour later we were taken back to the car, only to realize that a different set of people were already there. As we tried to insist that "we were here first" a fight almost broke out between two girls. One of them getting really nasty -cursing and ready to poke the other gal in the face. (As I always say: The real show takes place behind the scenes!) I blame this all on the crew who did not insist on having "continuity" in the scene. We were about 8 feet away from the principal characters -so our faces were definitely associated with the scene. But how will it look when all of a sudden you have different faces in the background a second or so later in the film. Very poor oversight on this set.

Though there was ONE good thing about the poor oversight... the paparazzo's were rampant -both internal to our set and externally (freelancers and tourists) . No one could control the incessant cell-phone cameras from sneaking photos of the stars and the scenes at just about every juncture... even during the takes. This resulted in me being able to find a couple of pretty good photos on the web... the very next day! (So, for us extras, the papparazzi is our friend.)

Our legs were killing us -we had to stand for most of the 10 hour sets over a couple of days of shooting. Ten minute breaks afforded us a few cups of coffe to stay awake form our sleep-deprived stupor. And lunch was a "boxed lunch" -for most of us who were non-SAG; the union guys got hot food downstairs while we had to watch them eat from our upstairs cave. But I chalked it up to practicing "humility" and hung with my fellow extras in communistic endurance... waiting for "the REVOLUTION"!

Got into an Italian film: IL GIORNO IN PIU

The title translates into meaning "The Extra Day"... and that's exactly what I did. Took an "extra" vacation day to be in this gig.

Visions of Frederico Fellini wafted through my egotistic mushy brain. Half expecting some surrealistic dreamscape as my background -but as it turned out, it was Times Square's bustling crowd across the street from TKTS and in front of McDonalds on a relatively gray and chilly Monday. Very close to where my paying-job takes place!

Fabio Volo

The love story was based on a book written by the main actor, Fabio Volo. Apparently he loses a letter that was meant to be sent to a girl he needs to meet. But having lost the envelope with all the pertinent info about her -he is lost. Fortunately for him, a hot dog vendor finds the letter and intercedes in some way to bring them together -albeit after some comical romps.

Massimo Venier

We were taken to this set and summarily selected for the "hot dog vendor scene"! My luck still held out as the director, Massimo Venier, chose me (most likely because of my long beige scarf). They wanted someone who was wearing "something light colored" as opposed to the drab blacks and grays that most of us sported (as per wardrobe instructions in our call sheets).

And so it was me and the "intermediary star" of this film, the hot dog vendor, who would be the centerpiece of the film maker's camera lens... and the gawking tourists, at least for an hour or two! I kept fantasizing about my co-workers walking by -alas, that didn't happen!

The direction was to have the vendor serve me a hot dog on a bun (I never eat that stuff -but then, that's part of acting strange) -and as I accept it, he sees some signage on a van that he must note down immediately. I fiddle with my pockets -vainly searching for some change while he mugs surprise and intense discovery. Our exchange is friendly enough, but I suspect the only thing that will be in the film is my hand accepting the hot dog... if that much!?

After wrapping up, I headed for the train -down the same path I usually take for my regular job and soon get a call from my agent. She asked if I could be available for tomorrow because they wanted me back... since they didn't get the shot... since it was getting too Autumn-dark.

Such are the foibles of rescinding Daylight Savings Time: night comes too quickly (especially to my movie career). I was already booked to do something else... and couldn't return.

A Russel Brand of ARTHUR for 2011

A very different Arthur from the one in the 1980's... Russel Brand kept sniffing "booze" from a plastic water bottle in order to keep his "spirits up" -so to speak. And as the wedding scene wore on through the day and into the night at New York City's St. Bartholomew's, Russel became totally inebriated -which made his "strip scene" a totally fall-down drunk success!

(When the movie came out, I got a few microseconds of face-time.)

Yes folks. Russel took it down to his blue "tidy whities" for the big finale! And managed to prance back onto the set to do it over and over and over... ugh...and over again. Supported through it all by our background "noises of aversion" as wedding guest extras.

It was the big "rebellion" scene. But quite frankly, it was Jennifer Garner who made the most of it all. Walking elegantly down the aisle with her "daddy" played by Nick Nolte. And later as the punch-throwing angry bride in response to Arthur's objection to their wedding at the altar.
When I first saw Nick Nolte, his powerful role from Rich Man/Poor Man immediately popped into my mind. And of course the subsequent newspaper stories about his substance abuse and rapid decline from his heyday as a strong actor. His presence as Jennifer's tough-guy father dressed in a fancy tuxedo was way too passive. But looking into his face just a few feet away from us was memorable. More so for me because he resembled my Uncle Louie -and for a few moments I was lost in those fond memories of playing chess with my now deceased relative.


I was hoping that Helen Miren (as Arthur's faithful and worldly butler) would be there also -but alas (and a definite lack), the scene did not call for it. However, there was a cute bridesmaid at the altar who resembled Maggie Gyllenthaal a lot. So much so that I needed verification that it wasn't her, from my daylong companion on my left, Christine. Christine was very definite: NO! that's not Maggie. Nonetheless, I kept staring at the poor actress all day -perhaps in hopes that Christine was wrong!?

In the vein of my personal philosophy regarding the best seat in the house (personal quote: "The real show goes on backstage!") was most brought to life during this stint. Primarily because of the kookie couple sitting behind me doing the "running commentary routine" about every moment with the stars. They violated every rule in the "extras book" and took photos of everything with their phone-cameras as the scene was being set up, being filmed -and pretty much at any time they pleased. Their phones would jingle at odd times... they'd carry on conversations while filming was ongoing and chat with the actors between takes... etc. AND NO ONE EVER CALLED THEM OUT FOR IT! The usual "punishment" for getting caught taking pictures or bugging the stars is instant ejection from the set. But the stars were generous with their time and attention to the extras -so, as it turned out, everyone had a great time.

In one instance Jennifer took advice from one of the "wedding guest" extras sitting on the aisle regarding the necessity for everyone to "stand up during the bride's walk" down the aisle. Jennifer openly spoke to the director, Jason Winer...
...and the correction was immediately instituted. Later Jennifer saw that we were beginning to nod off from our long stint inside St. Bart's not-so-comfortable pew sitting, so she asked us to do the "WAVE" (you know, the one done at baseball games) -and it worked. We were all a bit more alert for the final takes, at the end of which, Russel (covered by a robe), gave a short "thank you to the extras" speech. That was unexpectedly nice (given his sniffed-up mental state)... but we were all very tired and, while appreciative of the recognition, ran out of the building to stand on the voucher line, which was now hundreds of extras long. The total stint was from 7:AM to 9:PM. And we, non-union extras, only got treated to a cup of water and an apple -and a walkaway lunch (read: buy your own) from the chincy Warner Brothers.

RUBICON bears crossing at AMC

James Badge Dale and Miranda Richardson

My agent finally sent a bunch of castcall notices, one of which was for an upcoming summer TV series called Rubicon. She’d been out sick for quite a few months, leaving us to dig in the dirtpile offerings of Craigslist. With Craigslist you never know what’s reputable and what’s not. Unfortunately, the “what’s not” portion is the larger pile. So when my agent’s notices arrive I’m relieved to know that it’s a real gig.

I did my usual research of what the series was about and clipped a few pix from the internet of the principal actors (so I’d know who they are when I’m on the set). I find that by doing this little chore, I’m looked upon as the “more experienced one” among my fellow background peers during our chats. For some reason, very few bg people do this –but I find that it gives a much greater appreciation of the work I’m involved in.

It was a 10:00 AM call near the South Street Seaport. But this was only for checking in and getting your wardrobe approved. We could either wear a dark suit or a tux. I brought both and was approvingly told that the suit I was already wearing was perfect. The wardrobe guy asked if I had a comb. This was a question I hadn’t ever been asked yet. But when I answered in the affirmative, I was told:

“Good! Just keep combing yourself every now and then.”

And an hour later we were taken to the set near Wall Street. It was an old building with old-money furniture. We were to be background guests in a drawing room at a cocktail reception for a millionaire’s fund-raiser. The plot of the series was about a young think-tank worker who discovers that the organization he’s working for is somehow involved with influencing word affairs (in many ways similar to another TV series called “Alias”). Be that as it may, I was paired up with a distinguished looking gentleman with a long silver ponytail. While chatting, he told me that he was a well to do businessman selling cosmetic products and that he’d done some bit parts but wasn’t a member of SAG yet. One of his anecdotes dealt with an altercation he had with Julia Roberts. Apparently Julia was snippy to him and he told her off. Probably an argument over the SAG vs. non-SAG people at the lunch counter.

The principals in the scene were Miranda Richardson and James Badge Dale (lead). But as the scene kept getting shot from different angles, a couple of other familiar looking actors joined the entourage of principals. And this is where things started to get frustrated –because we’ve seen these minor actors before but we just didn’t know their names… and the problem was that none of the crew knew them either. Angst! The good news is that my co-starring extra and I were positioned close to the action –right where the principals were walking by. Then suddenly one of the PA's came over to clarify the "unknown" actor's name: David Rasche -a very active actor (most recently in Ugly Betty). And the other one was Arliss Howard, who plays Ingram, JBD's boss on the show.

Anyway, it was episode #5 entitled “Connecting the Dots”… and the airing date will be around late August – September 2010 on the AMC channel. And I, for one, will be crossing the Rubicon (unless I wind up on the cutting-room’s floor)!

Epilogue:The episode aired Sunday, 8/22/2010:

As James Badge Dale walks by on the left, I'm chatting with the silver-haired gentleman on the right. Even got a decent closeup...yesssssss!

EPILOGUE: During my stint on Man on a Ledge, as I was waiting for my car to be brought out of the garage, there was a man in front of me on his cell phone saying "...and RUBICON got cancelled!". And sure enough... sadly, it was.

Denis Leary does a RESCUE ME in Rockaway

Rockaway has suddenly become THE place for shooting films and TV shows. A few months ago Jennifer Aniston was seen on a set there and last Thursday it was RESCUE ME with Denis Leary.

Denis, being the female-friendly person that he is, stopped in for a couple of photo-ops at the place that they were filming near... which happened to be my wife's workplace. Needless to say, the women lined up for a quick pose.

Saw God of Carnage on Halloween

James Gandolfini gets "mobbed" for autographs!

I expected a heavy and brooding play going into the theater. After all, other than Jeff Danels, the other three actors are seldom in anything but dramatic roles. So I was pleasantly surprised when the "your kid hit my kid" theme metamorphosed into a comical "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" scenario.
Excellent acting all around from each of them. And what I really liked a lot, was that each actor had an even amount of script to make the best of... and they did!

After the play, we did the stage-door Johnnie and Janie thing. Waiting outside for an hour just to get their autographs. Marcia Gay Harden was very funny, kidded with us and got into the Halloween mood with a green wig. Hope Davis began signing autographs but was distracted by her friend, Andrea Martin (Aunt Voula from My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Jeff Daniels was very accomodative to all the fans and it was really a blast to see all of these great actors scribling autographs just a few feet away from us -responding to quick chit chats and posing for photos.
Generally I don't go for autographs or hang around the theater stage doors. But my wife gets a charge out of it and it rubs off on me. Very strange and a different atmosphere from times when I'm an extra -and the main actors are off-limits to us. And it's interesting to note that it's possible to enjoy both type of situations -albeit in different ways.

DAMAGES don't show on Martin Short

There are days when it just gets better and better to be an extra. Today was one of those!
(Episode 1 aired on 1/25/2010: I'm the bodyguard in the trenchcoat.)

Holding was at the prestigious Salamagundi Club for American Art. A historical place located in the brownstone section of downtown's 5th avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. Many famous artists were members here, including Winston Churchill, R.B. Fuller, Al Hirschfeld...etc. The perfect crossroads for our mutually artistic endeavors here. Our set was one brownstone away...at #47. Thus I was now part of the 3rd season of DAMAGES.

The scene was explained to us as one in which a Bernie Madoff-like character, named Taubin (Len Cariou), was coming out of his home and a couple of shots ring out... everyone ducks! EXCITING...

I was dressed in my suit and new Ralph Lauren trench coat, which I had just taken off so I can rest from my walk over from 8th Avenue, when we were summoned to go outside and be "onlookers" for the shooting crime scene. Obviously, they were shooting the aftermath of the melee first. So I decided to put on my glasses and amble out from the comfortable chat room that our holding area had become. I was immediately selected to be put on the sidelines and be more of a gawker from a distance near the "taped off crime scene". I must have been a pretty good blurr -along with the 20 or so others around me, because it was a quick take. Back to holding.

A few minutes later they wanted "reporters"...so I put on my trench coat and went on line for the associated props -surrendering my drivers license as collateral. I received a press badge, a pad and pen, and... a digital recorder. Needless to say we extras had a lot of fun with interviewing each other (and thereby getting into character). I "interviewed" one of the young women who liked to share stories about movies she had been in. My questioning went like this:

Q: What movie were you in the last time you were an extra?
A: I was in "A Couple of Dicks"...with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.

Q: Did you get to see both Dicks?
A: Yes... I saw both...

CUT!

And we were called to the second scenario. Again, I was immediately picked to be one of about a dozen reporters surrounding Martin Short as he makes a public statement about his client, Tobin. As we're practicing how to jut out our hand-held recorders and microphones toward our target... Martin Short walks into our midst and says a couple of non-challant "Hello"'s.

Although I had seen Martin Short's character in the previous season of Damages, I did not expect him to be so serious in person. After all, this was the immensely talented comic of Saturday Night Live, creating numerous funny characters that bent you over with uncontrollable laughter (my favorite was Ed Grimley). So it was a bit difficult to adjust to the properly coiffed and impeccably suited character portrayed by the "new Martin Short". But I accepted it... how could you not, being 2 feet away from him and watching him practice his lines with a disturbingly stoic face. At the end of his monologue (aka: "statement to the press") he dismisses all of us with "no further questions"... and we are directed to yell after him with a futile attempt to get more legalese utterances. The scene was shot quite a few times until Todd Kessler, the director was satisfied.
I realized that this was the closest I'd ever been to an actor without being introduced. I was kwelling! It can't get any better than this.

Oh YES it can!

When we were told to come out for the third scene, I was (again) immediately picked to "go stand over there -next to that other gentleman". And as I met up with my new African-American gentleman friend, we began a friendly banter. He was about my height, had a white beard, and said he worked with rappers like "Fiddy Cent". Kewl! And as we were chatting it up...a couple of major director-types came up and told us we were being "promoted". Took our "press badges", and gave us "secret service earplugs with the curly wire connected to our shirts". We two were selected to be "Madoff's/Taubin's" body guards. And then we were ushered up the brownstone steps and into the entrance area where we were now introduced to Martin Short, and the elderly actor, Len Cariou, who plays Taubin... and Todd Kessler himself. All of them shook hands with us. Now that's a promotion I've yet to experience!

Our direction was to go out to the oncoming rush of reporters. My fellow body guard would go first, followed by Martin Short with "Taubin" behind, and then me -with all of us shooing the reporters out of our way WHEN, suddenly a couple of shots ring out and we all crouch down on the steps in abject terror of whatever may have happened. The scene went well... numerous times. But the director wanted "Just one more...just for FUN!". Naturally we obliged. But I had developed a kind of rhythm all my own of just how a body guard should behave. And so, after each shot rang out, while everyone else was hiding their heads -I stuck mine up...with a menacing glance to see "where the shots came from". I was sure I would be told to "hide" my prominence with the others -but miracle of miracles, it was acceptable each time. So there's a good chance that I may see myself on this episode. One problem, I forgot to ask which episode this was. Oh well, there's always HULU in case I miss it.
I went to see Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking" over this past weekend and she was terrific. I mention this because her wonderful performance was inspiring in terms of "facing up to your life" (not to mention reprising it every night on the stage). And the connection is that both Carrie's one-woman-play "life story" and DAMAGES are... damaged. Both reveal a psychologically disturbing undertone that is the real driving force for the surface story of their respective main characters. The difference is that Carrie's is real, and DAMAGES' is only for a few seasons. Comparatively speaking, an extra's life, at least, remains intact. No waivers, thank you.