10:43 pm - Sat 11.06.2010
\"Pretty Little Liars\"...And One Big Ugly Truth-Teller

Since we're "falling back" tonight and thus losing an hour, and I have to get up relatively early for tomorrow's WW meeting, this is not the best time to be starting an entry.

But here we are.

(Editor's note: Clearly, Jim was a little confused about the whole "springing back/falling forward" thing...)

Just got back from seeing the Frederick Wiseman documentary Boxing Gym with my friend Patrick (I told Patrick afterward I was glad I'd seen it, thanking him for inviting me, since it's not the kind of thing I'd have made a point of seeing on my own).

A few interesting developments this week...

Did the Pretty Little Liars gig on Tuesday.

To be honest, I wasn't very excited about this one going in - it just didn't have the sexy "cachet" of Shameless, with its name stars and what-not (Or the feeling of being a hard-fought victory) - but it actually ended up being pretty fun.

And it was one of the quickest things I've ever done - my call time was 5:00 pm, I got called to the set an hour later, and we wrapped (It was the last scene of the day) around 8:30.

And even when I got on the set, the bulk of that time was me hanging out waiting for the scene before mine to finish shooting (Shooting my bit couldn't have taken more than hour).

When we got to my scene, we basically did three takes covering me, then did the "turn around" (Changing the camera set-up), then did two takes covering Ashley (My partner in the scene), and we were done.

(There was a little more to it than that - for example, at one point, they had to fix the tank apparatus on my back so it was more visible to the camera - but not much more.)

It was pretty simple stuff - I played the "Exterminator", and basically just had to stand at the doorway, asking if Ashley's character was the person who called about "some kind of infestation in your basement" - so I was surprised, after we did my coverage and were waiting for the turn-around to finish, when Ashley said "You're really good. I mean, you're hilarious".

I guess she could have been bs-ing me, or "just being nice" or whatever - cause on my end, it didn't feel like much of anything - but she sounded sincerely impressed by...well, by whatever I did that was so impressive, so instead of arguing the point, I just said an awkward, "Uhh...thanks".

Before that, someone on the set had made kind of a weird comment, to the effect that I was going to give them some "legitimacy" (I think he actually asked me to "give them some legitimacy").

Wasn't sure what to make of that remark - how exactly do I, as a no-name day player with two lines, confer "legitimacy" on the proceedings? - but I found it telling for what it said about the speaker, who clearly was a little embarrassed about his gig.

(Sun 11/7 4:01 am)

So anyway, the Pretty Little Liars thing was easy money, people were nice, and my bit seemed to come off well enough, so while it wasn't as "sexy" of an experience as Shameless, I'm still going to count it as a "win".

The other fun thing that happened this week was that the episode of I'm In The Band I shot last year finally aired on Monday.

Cary dvr'ed it for me, but I couldn't wait to see it, so I downloaded it off I-Tunes (Then ended up watching it on YouTube when the download didn't "take" for whatever reason).

I think the show's good for what it is (It's got a good cast), and my stuff worked pretty well, all things considered.

Beyond that, I had good memories of shooting it, and it was fun to be reminded of that by seeing the finished show...finally.

But most importantly, the I'm In The Band "Powers-That-Be" apparently liked it, because on Thursday morning, I got a call from Haley, telling me I had a "Wait and Advise" for the show, for the 17th-23rd of the month.

I've never gotten a "Wait and Advise" before, so I wasn't super-clear on what it was, or what it meant.

Essentially, it doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that they're "interested" in possibly having me back on the show.

But that, all by itself, is a first, and thus, pretty cool.

Haley's first voice-mail suggested they wanted me back for the same role - a natural assumption - but then they wanted to see my demo reel, which made me think,"Why would they need to see my demo reel if they were just having me back to play the role they'd already cast me in, and had just seen me do"?

Then I talked to Brett - From what he told me, it sounds like another role entirely, and while they might offer it to me outright, I'll probably have to audition again for the Producers.

So nothing's "in the bag", and I know little to nothing about the role or what it might entail (Let alone how much money is involved), but like I said, it's still kind of cool that they made a point of calling "my people" to say they were interested in me.

It's the kind of thing you hope for; you do a bit, and it makes enough of an impression that they have you back, or it makes other people take notice.

(And yes, if I had my choice, I'd prefer this conversation be happening about Mad Men or some show of that ilk...but I think we're into "Beggars can't be choosers" at this point. And besides, this is only the first time people are talking about having me back on a show - It won't be the last.)

The only "down side", as such, if I do end up back on the show, is that I'll have to postpone my surgery, which is scheduled for the 19th.

It's not like I won't still have a deviated septum in December...but I already got a sub for my Weight Watcher meetings, and Cary's freed up that day to help me out, and it's taken me some effort to work up "a full head of steam" about finally getting this done, so the idea of having to put it off is a little unpleasant for me.

But of course, if a paying gig comes calling - particularly in this context - there's nothing I can do but answer that call.

Clearly, there will be "more to come"...

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