Episode 143 Shoot
August 12-16, 2002
Day One
This is it. Today is Day One. The first day. Numero Uno. Blast off. New beginnings. Fresh start. Coming out of the gate. Out of the blocks. Getting off on the right foot. And...
Well, it's not really Day One for the show. The show has been on the air for six years now, four on ABC and two more (so far) on the WB. They probably don't have that Day One feeling.
And it's not really Day One for the rest of the cast. They worked last week on an episode I wasn't in. So they've had a chance to get their sea legs. This is old hat to them.
So it's really only Day One for me, which may help explain why I began the day extremely nervous. Driving into work, I could feel it -- uncertainty, fear, insecurity -- all the wonderful emotions that make this job so fun.
But it's not really the Day One problem that's causing the nerves. I have had many Day Ones. The real issue is that I am playing a character. I am acting, and acting goofily at that. The usual role for me is me. I have played many versions of John Ducey n a collection of occupations and situations -- bellhop, lawyer, doctor, patient, murderer, in love with a robot -- you know, the usual stuff.
But today I begin an adventure that's a little more frightening. I
have created a character for this role. Or, more accurately, I
created a character for the audition for this role. The challenge now
is to remain true to this character week in and week out, with funny
lines and not-so-funny lines, while talking and not talking, each and
every scene, many of which I never planned for or thought of while
preparing a three-minute audition. And yes, that's acting. That's
what I signed up for when I moved out here, but at the end of the
day, what I fear more than anything, is that it will simply suck. It
doesn't mater to me if it's 2-dimensional or cartoonish, that can
still be very funny. I just don't want to be another bad actor trying
too hard, looking like a goofball, pushing so desperately but failing
to push through to make it work. And I didn't want to be sitting at
the table read this morning and have a room full of people wonder why
they hired this guy.
Looking at my schedule, one could hope it would be a short day: 45 minutes of rehearsal, 30 minutes in wardrobe, 45 minutes of hair & make-up, and an hour of publicity photos. Should be out of here by 2pm, right?
Well, factor in the downtime, the waiting, the setting up, the figuring out, the lunch and the dinner. Someone once said that actors don't get paid to act. They would do that for free. They get paid to wait to act. I left the lot tonight at 10:30pm. Long day. Granted, it was a one-time occasion. The publicity photos took over six hours. That is not a weekly occurrence. So it wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't the optimum first-day schedule.
All in all, it was fun. It's great to be back working again. It doesn't feel like a regular job yet, it still feels like I'll be gone again in a week, but the sense of permanence and stability is just starting to sink in. The cast is nice. The crew is nice. The hours are (going to be) good. It should be a fun adventure.
Oh yeah, as long as I don't suck.