STRICTLY ON BACKGROUND, PT. 67: "BLACK RABBIT"

 I've shaken hands with Tea Leoni on Madam Secretary. Given breakfast advice to
Michael Weatherly while working on Bull. Stepped aside for Jennifer Lopez on Shades of Blue. But Black Rabbit was the only time I made one of the stars laugh -- on purpose, too! 

The date was April 24, 2024. My role as "Airport Traveller" was only the fifth gig since the end of the writers & actors strikes about a year earlier. The production was codenamed Gary the Dog, maybe to prevent over-enthusiastic bunny-philists from submitting. (Tip for budding backgrounders: if a title sounds unfamiliar, just Google it and you'll always find out what it really is. It's not like this is a secret or anything.)

The search also revealed that the stars were Jude Law and Jason Bateman. Well, hell, that sounded pretty good, since my last time working on a production with A-listers was Only Murders in the Building a year earlier -- no offense to three of my previous gigs, Blue Bloods, The FBI, and Law & Order. (I also worked on a PSA for the American Cancer Society which for reasons unknown never aired. Sheesh, renal cancer surgery for nothing!)

Taking the subway to the airport on the Upper
West Side is definitely easier than a cab on the
Long Island Expressway.

I played the "Airport Traveller" role on two other shows, Homeland and Bull, both filmed at JFK Airport. This time, the Jacob Javits Center was standing in for JFK. Hey, a Democrat's a Democrat.

Only a streaming service like Netflix would drop
the dough required on a space this size for
a couple dozen people.

Our holding area was a cavernous room for the number of people who were booked. A few one-person "tents" were set up for anyone needing to change into wardrobe. As usual, your correspondent arrived dressed for camera. As I've noted before, all I need for most of these things are a pale blue shirt, khakis, jacket or coat, and decent comfortable shoes. I tend throw in a hat, too, in order to stand out while still fitting in. 

After a couple of hours of hanging around, we were brought outside and put in our spots. A woman and I were placed near the "airport" entrance. Looking around, I could see Jude Law talking to Jason Bateman, who was also directing this episode. Bateman eventually walked toward us and reconnoitered with the cinematographer, who was to our left. Bateman would be exiting the "airport" while the woman and I were walking in. 

Theoretically, a simple shot. The reality was several takes. After the third, Bateman asked my colleague and me -- in all sincerity, as if he were genuinely unsure -- "This looks like an airport, right?"

The woman replied "Yes," while I chimed in, "It would fool me, and I'm here." That was when Jason Bateman laughed. Probably from exhaustion, but a laugh nonetheless. 

Fifteen months passed before Black Rabbit finally aired. As you can tell, fedoras come in handy when you want to be noticed. That's Bateman inside the "airport" wearing a jacket over a t-shirt walking toward the door. 

I hoped making the star/director laugh would be in my favor when working on another episode, but it was not to be. I guess Bateman didn't catch my name.

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