STRICTLY ON BACKGROUND, PT. 59: ODDS & ENDS
It's been months since my last background gig. And unless I get a commercial -- unlikely, since I've worked on only one in seven years -- I don't see a job heading my way until after the SAG-AFTRA settles with producers. A few of my earlier appearances have turned up recently, but those are relegated here, where only the quick and the blurry reside.
anniversary of working background. I had forgotten this until, for some odd reason, the scene recently appeared on my YouTube feed. The Looming Tower was the cable series documenting the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks; this shot took place just before the planes hit the World Trade Center. We worked on a large plaza on Liberty Street in front of a green screen standing in for the towers. I played a businessman. While I worked three shots, only the first, where I'm to the left of Jeff Daniels, made the final cut. Because the YouTube clip was videoed off a TV screen and I took the photo from my laptop, I'm blurrier than usual, making it look like there's a paper towel around my neck. Trust me, I look better in motion.
FOR LIFE: October 18, 2019. Four Seasons Restaurant, 28 Barclay Street. The first
time I ate at the Four Seasons was many years ago at its midtown location, where I dined on calf's brains. (Our waiter cheerfully warned me, "Remember, a mind is a terrible thing to waste!"). I have no memory of what I pretended to eat when working on For Life. In fact, until the clip popped up on my "On This Date" photo app recently, I forgot I ever worked on it, and for good reason. Despite roughly 90 minutes of filming, this was my only screentime. You can kind of make me out on the right side, facing the camera. Writing about this is the epitome of desperation.
AND JUST LIKE THAT: December 1, 2022, The Prince George Ballroom, 15 West 27th St. I was an Upscale Restaurant Patron in a scene with Sarah Jessica Parker. It was a surprise to see Candace Bergen appear from out of nowhere. Thanks to the camera angles, I can be seen (if you squint real hard) only at the very beginning of the episode. It helps that the "A" in the title is pointing at me. I worked on a second scene that evening at another restaurant, but I guess I fast-forwarded too quickly to find it. No matter; it was also in a promo, and only my out-of-focus back was to the camera.
LAW & ORDER: April 10, 2023, Surrogate's Courthouse. My next-to-last job before the strike. The Surrogate's Courthouse is a beautiful building constructed from 1899 to 1907; if you're ever on trial, this is the place to go. As usual, I played a Lawyer. I was hoping to get close to Sam Waterston, which I did. Unfortunately, they didn't use that shot. Instead, once again I'm way in the back. Pardon the reflection of the window on the screen; I didn't take a photo of the TV in the evening when it would have made for a better shot because why bother?
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