4:19 PM - Sat 9.26.15
Of "Merkins" and "Modesty Patches"

Well, I didn't think I was going to book it after the audition.

I didn't think I was going to book it after being put "on avail".

I didn't think I was going to book it because it was "just too weird a thing to actually happen".

But I booked it.

A week from Monday, I'll be shooting the spot for Vodaphone (aka. "The Nude Commercial").

As of this writing, I don't know anything more than when I last wrote, particularly regarding the big question "How nude is 'nude'?" - Wardrobe called yesterday, asking for my sizes (?), but they didn't even know I'd officially been cast, let alone what the wardrobe would (or wouldn't) be. They just told me they didn't know - in a tone I perceived as "slightly snippy" - and that my agent would tell me.

(For the record, Jon doesn't know, cause no one's told him. And it's unusual for Jon to have anything to do with things after I've booked a spot, unless I call him from the set with a contract issue. But anyway...)

Probably the most likely scenario is they genuinely don't know the specifics, and are just "covering their asses" (...just in case they end up needing to cover mine).

One theory that's been floated is that maybe I'M dressed - as the "Minister" - and everyone ELSE is nude.

That seems unlikely, but if that ends up being the case, I think it would actually be weirder and more awkward - being the only one wearing clothes amongst a bunch of naked actors - than the alternative.

Anyway, I'd like to know what's what before the day of the shoot...but beyond that, the big question has already been answered, by me, when I accepted the audition, then the booking - I said I'd do nudity, so if nudity is required, to whatever degree, that's what I'll be doing.

(YIKES!)

Beyond "The Nudity Question", I'm just curious in general about the spot, and how a "nude wedding" connects to selling their product ("Our phone is so good, the only problem you might have is finding a place to put it, should you ever attend a nude wedding"?).

In other acting news...

Shooting my next Shameless on Friday.

Got the script recently, and in terms of its "Kermit content", it was a letdown after my last episode - I only have three lines in a group scene (Though I think I'm in at least two scenes) - so I had to give myself a little talking-to (About how good I've had it so far this season - with already more episodes than most years - how well I'll be getting paid to do those three lines, how it's nice to be on the Shameless set regardless of what I'm getting to do in an episode, etc).

And it's just going to be nice, looking to the end-of-the-week/beginning-of-next-week, to be doing two gigs, basically back-to-back.

Regardless of how much or how little I'm doing, or what I am - or am not - wearing,

Mon 9/28/15 (12:11 am)

Today was the annual "Innovations" event at Weight Watchers (Part "party", but - this year at least - mostly a reveal of the program changes for the new year...with little sandwiches).

It was in Pasadena this year (At the store there, as opposed to a rented space, as in past years), and I rode there with Amy B. and Laurie K., who I work with on Wednesdays in Santa Monica, and that was fun.

I'm sworn to secrecy on the changes, so I'll just say they basically sound fine to me, as long as we can "execute", particularly in terms of the tech (Which has been a huge Achilles Heel for WW, to member and worker frustration alike).

They minimized the awards, but even so, it felt like there was a lot of filler in the presentation. But I didn't mind that much - there was food and drink, I won one of the raffle prizes (Though promptly left it in Pasadena, when I put it down to grab some leftovers to take home with me), and I had fun with the two women sitting next to me, who were from another territory.

When I accepted my raffle prize, Amy B. interjected about the commercial, which I then had to explain, and that was about equal parts embarrassing and fun (earlier the group had been given these index cards with a smiley face on them, that they could hold up if/when they were happy with what they were hearing during the presentation, and much to my amusement, a number of people held them up then).

And very shortly after that, while things were still going on, I actually got a call from the production company for the commercial, to arrange my wardrobe fitting time on Tuesday.

Once again, I tried to find out what's what, but when I asked ("A wardrobe fitting...for what?"), the guy thought I'd not heard him and said, "For the Vodaphone spot", but then had no real answer when things were cleared up, other than to laugh a little, and say, "Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that myself...".

But it's not a question of my being clothed and everyone else being nude - they're bringing all the "nude people" in, in half-hour sessions - so my current theories are:

1. The session is to fit us for "merkins" (for the ladies) and "modesty pouches" (for the guys). And that might be the kind of thing that seems a touch "delicate" to discuss over-the-phone ("What's the fitting about? Well, basically we'll be sizing up your genitals for the appropriate coverage...").

2. They might need to work out "coverage" for us, in terms of sun/element protection - Robes, shoes, maybe hats? Sunburn is an issue on a regular outdoor shoot, so they clearly have to work out something.

And I was going to say that maybe we start the scene clothed, and get undressed on camera...but that seems unlikely - I can't recall ever doing a fitting where I was in-and-out in a half-hour, so this has to be something they're expecting to be pretty simple.

In any case, I guess the mystery will be solved on Tuesday.

I don't think I could be more curious...!

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