10:28 AM - Thurs 01.19.23
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Woke up this morning to the news that Alec Baldwin is being charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of Halnya Hutchins on the Rust set.

I find this particularly noteworthy because I've had a few experiences with guns on-set myself (And could possibly in the future).

My default reaction, as an actor, is to say that Baldwin wasn't responsible. It's the job of the Armorer to check the gun, not the actor (And live ammunition isn't supposed to be anywhere near a movie or TV set).

But when I've been on a set where there were guns, the Armorer double-checked the guns in front of the actors, which didn't happen in this instance (Apparently the Armorer told the AD the gun was "clean", and the AD then handed the gun off to Baldwin). But even after the guns on the sets I've been on were determined to be "clean", the actors were instructed not to point the guns at anyone or "play with them" (Which I guess did happen in this case).

And there had already been some tension on the Rust set over lax safety practices - at some point, some crew walked off the set because of their concerns (And Baldwin was also one of the Producers).

I don't want this entire entry to be about this, so I'll just say this - While I don't know enough about the circumstances to say whether Baldwin should be found guilty or innocent of "involuntary manslaughter" in the shooting, there seems to be enough murkiness around the circumstances, and enough questions to be asked, for a trial to be justified.

On Tuesday, I had my first audition of 2023.

It was nice to get out, take a little drive...I like having at least one thing to kind of "center my day around".

And as I've said before, commercial auditions hold the possibility of a major payday down the road. So it's actually a little more than "nice" having a shot at said payday.

I got there early, and It looked like I was going to have to wait for a while because there weren't enough people there to fill out the "cast" (The spot has four or five people in it). But then the Camera Guy decided he could audition my role by itself, so he brought me and another actor there for the role in for an explanation.

Then I stayed in the room and did my bit, which seemed to go well - Slated, did a couple takes, and we exchanged pleasantries as I left - and the whole thing was over in maybe a minute (When I think about it, it's kind of amazing that the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars can happen in the space of a minute. It doesn't rattle me, but it does impress me how important that brief time in the room can be).

And until right now, I've done a pretty good job of not thinking about it. But I'm now going to spend the rest of the day thinking about the callback (Which, if I get it, will be tomorrow or Monday).

In my last entry, I mentioned how there's a Ralphs right next door to the casting place, so when I have an audition there, I'll often pick up a few things since I'm "in the neighborhood". But this time out I didn't really need anything, so instead, I went to the Trader Joes across the street and bought some grocery bags, to replace - and supplement - the one I recently lost (Not a big deal, but I do enjoy when I get in a chore "two-fer" like that).

When Shameless wrapped for good - almost two years ago now - I assumed that, over time, the demand for my Cameos would dwindle down to virtually nothing (Which has turned out to be the case).

So it was nice to have this one come in last night and be a 24-hour "rush order" to boot (As the person doing the Cameo, you typically get a couple days to complete a Cameo. But if the client wants to pay a premium, they can request you get it done in a day).

While I sometimes have trouble with them - particularly if the client doesn't really give me any info to work with (Hard to "personalize" a message to someone you don't know if you don't have any information about them) - I mostly find them fun to do, more "artistically satisfying", for the most part, than my average commercial spot or TV appearance.

(I haven't watched a lot of Cameos of other "celebrities", but of what I have seen, I think I make more of a point of performing/entertaining than a lot of people. I don't feel like it's sufficient to take people's money and just say, "Hey, I'm Jim Hoffmaster. You've seen me on TV. Happy Birthday!". And from the feedback I often get - and I got a $20 tip for this one I just did - that effort to "do a little something extra" seems to be appreciated.)

Well, I could write more, but then I wouldn't be napping...and I really want a nap before my Thursday call with Mark and Jane Z.

Till next time...

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