I've been working background rather steadily the past several months, and can't complain. It's been a dizzying ride and what's great about BG work is that you never know what you are going to be and where you are going to go. One day I could be a high class patron of the arts, attending an opera, another day playing a homeless person standing in a line for a free meal, another playing a working class woman in the early 1920's. Costumes and clothing changes galore.
What have I learned from this? That working background means one has to be flexible and a bit of a gypsy, to pick up and go at any minute and have their phone on, charged and handy along with a working pen and their federal ID for tax purposes.
I have learned to pack, and pack light. I have learned to ask questions and not ask anything that might piss off the PA's or turn them off to giving me future work later. I try to come bright and positive, able to listen and follow simple direction without the crew having to repeat more than once. I learned to act even when I know the cameras aren't on me, because you never know if one is. I learned to not take things personally and roll with the punches. Because if I don't get this one, I'll get the next.
Then something new happens.
I finally snag a role, a speaking part, and it's for a nurse, and she has a name so it wasn't like nurse number three. The casting went so far to say "you know you had the role the minute you walked in," and I was surprised yet happy. I read for the part and casting advised that they were still working on figuring out people's roles, but that I had a part and to write them the next week as a reminder as to the where and when and time.
They gave me a date to write and asked me to remember to write them and I agreed. I left, practically floating on air. It was so easy! Was it like this for everyone who finally took that next step?
I waited til the day and wrote the reminder email saying it was a pleasure to meet them last week and per their instruction, asking about the call time and sides, giving my name and sending my picture in case casting forgot who I was. I got a thank you reply, and it gave the shoot location, the dates were established, but casting didn't know if they were going to need me for all the dates, and they still had yet to establish the roles for everyone.
I wrote back OK, and asked for call time, as that wasn't listed, and would await any further information. No answer back. Didn't think anything of it, but when it came to the day before the shoot date, I wrote an email, attaching the previous conversation as a reminder, stated I was looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and asked about call time and sides.
I was asked if I had scrubs, which I had told them I had during the audition, and reconfirmed that. They asked if I had shoes, I reconfirmed that, although I wasn't sure if it was white sneakers as most nurses wore with scrubs nowadays or some other white shoes. I had what they needed. The call time was sent back for 1 pm. Still no sides.
I wrote back thanks and see you then. No further word. The next day, I was awoken early by other members of the household, who were in their own mood. Nothing was going to ruin my day. I had plans and things to do. I showered, got dressed, and walked the one dog who was in the mood to go out. Put my hospital scrubs, white shoes, book to read between takes, my ID and a pen in a cute tote bag and called a cab to take me to the shoot location which was going to take place in an actual local hospital.
I got there twenty minutes early and since I hadn't eaten anything all morning, went across the hospital to grab a donut and a fruit smoothie and had a leisurely ten minutes to snack and sip the cold drink as today it hit 80 degrees.
Refreshed, I texted casting I was on my way, across the street from the shoot, and managed to locate security to take me where they were setting up. When I got there, there were at least seven or eight people, several in scrubs, standing around, munching on food. I noticed the scripts were situated on the desk of what would have been the nurses station, and looked them over as I did not see the casting person right away. A minute or so later the casting person was back with some food they placed in a dedicated area to replenish what was there. I went over and introduced myself.
I was then given a once over, and a "oh....which role were you cast for?" I mentioned I had read for the role of x, but had been told by them that they were still trying to figure who was what and would let me know. This casting person, who was the one who told me I had the role the minute I walked in, truly states that the role I was cast for was inadvertently given to another person. There was no other role, and they had apparently overbooked, more than enough people came. They were willing to pay me for my time, but that they would let me go.
I had never had a speaking role, nor did I ever experience having a role given to someone else. I thought it was odd I had to email to remind about call time and the sides, but given that casting is usually chaotic, it wasn't glaringly unusual. What got me was they had until the day before and even the morning of, to reconsider and just cut me loose instead of having me make the trek in a cab and block this time in my calendar for them for over a week and write them reminders like they wanted.
Casting walks me out, apologizing for the latest development, and I noticed that everyone was there before the 1 pm call time that I had been given. Casting stated they gave the role to someone who happened to be there early. WTF?
They offered to pay and I was initially waving it off saying, never mind, and just walk out without incident. Instead, casting insisted, which made me feel worse, and the person who "held the purse strings" came over, listening to the casting who stated it was "their fault" as if it was some grand gesture. The purse holder gave me the once over, said since I "didn't act" there was no need for a release form to be filled out, and handed the $50 folded together up in the air. I took the money, said thank you, and left, casting following me out apologizing, saying it was nothing personal, had nothing to do with me, and hinted as there might be further projects down the road...and hopefully... could you send an email. Ironic. I carefully sent them an email to 'keep me in mind', texted from my handy PDA. I was calm as a cucumber. As I never had this happen to me, I looked casting in the eye, nodded, listened, and said thank you. Like an idiot. Hmm.
It didn't rock me to the core but I was sad when I got on the bus to go home. In one way, I earned some money in fifteen minutes and in another, it was WTF? So as far as my first speaking role, the world ain't hearing me yet. It will, just not today.
I learned a statement: QTIP. Quit taking it personally. In this business, one has develop a thick skin and not dwell on why they didn't get a role. I just found this one particularly quizzical....and kind of tacky.
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