King For A Day

KING FOR A DAY

I tend to make most of my money these days by doing lots and lots of schlocky Murder Mystery Dinner theater for a few different companies. It's not high art, but it does help pay the bills.

Well, I received an email on the morning of Thursday January 15th, telling me that my Friday the 16th show was cancelled (due to lack of sufficient reservations).

Swell.

Well, I immediately decided to be proactive, and look for work. I'd recently signed up on a self-submission casting website for NY productions. I found EVERYTHING Non-Union that was available for the 16th, and submitted myself.

About four hours later, I got a phone call from one of the casting agencies in NY, asking if I was available for an overnight shoot in NYC. I, of course, said "yes".

The call time for the shoot was 6pm at the NY Public Library, and I was told to dress warm (due to wind chills BELOW zero in the city). They told me I was going to be a "Crime Scene" Investigator, but I couldn't make out the name of the show when the agency lady told me. So I wasn't sure if it was "CSI NY" or "Law and Order", or any variations of that show.

Turns out, it was none of them. It's for a new show called "Kings", which premiers in March on NBC.

So, I dress for the elements. I've got SO many layers on, that I can barely fasten my pants. I go to North Jersey, and take a train into Penn Station (trying to keep things as cheap as possible) and start walking to the library. Two strong gusts of wind later, and I'm shouting "TAXI!"

I get to the library, check in, and start the long process of "hurry up and wait". Most shoots try to be wrapped up within 10 to 12 hours (so they don't have to pay overtime and beyond for Union members), and I was prepared for the long haul. They call me over, fit me in my CSI uniform, and I sit and wait.

While I was being fitted for my CSI uniform, one of the costume people asks me what size suit I wear. After a little back and forth, I'm told I'll be doing a stint as a body double for one of the actors. Specifically, the character of "Silas".

About two hours pass, and they tell the CSI guys to get into their suits (alternate clothing we were to bring for a different scene). We do so. I then find that with all of these multiple layers, that I am completely unable to fasten the pants of this other suit! It just ain't happening! After much shifting and adjusting, I'm able to make it LOOK like they're fastened. Boy, I feel fat...

So, as I bake in my suit, we sit like this for about a half hour. Then they call for all the CSI guys to get ready to go to set IN UNIFORM. They also tell us that all exterior shooting is done, and everything else is indoors.

Great.

I then do a super-fast change into the OTHER suit I had, but take the time to remove my bottom layers (as my shirt and tie were the same for both suits). I'm MUCH more comfortable now (and don't feel like my head is being expanded and turning red like a beet.)

We proceed to set, and are issued our CSI props (cameras, fingerprint dusting stuff, briefcases with vials and other equipment.) We do MORE "hurry up and wait" as they decide what they're gonna do. This scene is supposed to take place in the King's palace, where some kind of book or document has been stolen from a glass display. Amazingly, the New York Public Library looks just like a palace (if you live in a low-rent palace, that is).

Filming finally begins, and to make my background blur more identifiable, I put on a set of red glasses/goggles that are used to more easily see images picked up by a black-light lamp. They start out on the top of my head, then I put them on as the scene progresses. After about an hour, they finish our scene and we break for lunch.

So while I'm eating, they tell us non-union guys that we're done. I mention that I was asked to body double. They check, and tell me to get into THAT costume NOW. So much for eating!

While getting into THAT outfit, I remove the remainder of the thermals, so I can be comfortable. I go to the set, and they give me a photograph to hold in both hands. The camera (film, btw - not video) is up beside by head, shooting downwards. So for that scene, I'm just bringing the photo up into view, as if I'm looking at it with the camera being my POV. If you're lucky, you just might be able to see my THUMB!

So, that's done. I get back into my thermals and clothes. It's 1:30am now. I start to get signed out, and the guy there says that because I was a body double, my pay gets bumped up to $140 (normal non-union wages are about $75-$78 for 10 hours). He then sees on the form that I'm non-union, and has to go check about this. 45 minutes later, he finds out that I don't get bumped up. Fine. I can handle that. I do however ask if I can get a SAG waiver for doing the body double work (I have one waiver from a previous gig, but getting this waiver makes it one step closer to being eligible for Union work, and that's where the potential for more money comes in). 25 more minutes later, and I'm told that I CAN'T get a waiver either. THAT sucks for me. I then have about four or five Union members come over to me after overhearing what happened. They all say that it's not right and that I should call the SAG office and complain. I opt not too, as I don't want to make any waves this early on in my illustrious career.

So, I'm completely done now.

Time to go home, right?

Nuh-uh. My problem is: I'm stuck in NY until 5am. Why? Because the next train back to Jersey isn't until 5:15am, so I have to just hang out until about 4:20 when I would start out walking towards Penn Station again. All the while I'm fighting to stay awake (which makes me fear for the ride home). I watch a few RiffTrax shorts and the riff of the Star Wars Holiday Special on my iPod to pass the time and keep awake. 4:30 rolls around and I pack up, bulk up, and head out. It doesn't feel too cold right now. I'm glad. I make it to the corner of 5th Ave and 42nd St. A massive gust of wind hits me, and I'm not sure if my nose just snapped off in the cold or not. I raise my arm and yell "TAXI!"

I get to the station, and sit around waiting for the NJ Transit train station to open up for boarding. Some of the Penn Station "residents" wander around, and several of them gather together, and start laughing as one of them removes a bottle from a brown paper bag.

Apparently, it's time for 4:30am cocktails.

I finally board the train. I figure out my station (since they PA system on the train isn't working, so I have to GUESS which one to get off at), arriving at 5:40am. I now have to wait even longer, because the parking garage doesn't open until 6am. Fortunately, the train station has a (somewhat) climate controlled waiting area.

6:10am I get to the car. Start it up. Pay for parking. Head home. I have to stop twice along the way just to get out and wake myself up, as I feel myself nodding off along the 90 minute ride home. Along the way, I get a call from my daughter, who has left a CD she needs for her South Jersey Chorus rehearsal in my car. Her grandmother is going to take her, but I've got to go to the Grandmother's house with the CD FIRST before I go home.

Mission accomplished. I get home. I do a check of emails before heading to bed. I am now OVERtired, and have trouble sleeping. When I finally do, my cell phone rings. It's my mother. I let it go to voicemail. Then the house phone rings. It's my mother. I figure it's important, so I get up and answer it. Turns out she's heading to the casinos to get a free gift, and wants to know if she should get an "M P 3 player". I tell her "no", that I just got home, and am going to bed. She then proceeds to ask me about 4,000 questions about my experience. I finally explode that I'll tell her AFTER I go to sleep and AFTER I wake up!

"Oh." she says. "Okay."

Then I drag my butt back to bed, and sleep maybe about 4 hours total. I'm a wreck for rest of the day.

Later, I figure my overall spending for the day. With the train, tolls, taxis and parking - I spend about half of what I earned. Wonderful. But at least I've got some substantial stuff to put on my resume to prove that I'm actually doing legitimate work.

I did some checking on the show "Kings" and found out that the show is new to NBC and premiers in March. I also found out that the character of "Silas" that I doubled for is actually KING Silas, the lead of the show.

My Body Double bit for King Silas will be in Episode 107

My CSI role will be in Episode 110

Now I wait for the next gig....