STRICTLY ON BACKGROUND, PT. 65: MORE NEVER BEFORE SEEN!

Five more selfies when I didn't make the final cut. Should I take such treatment personally? Hell, yes!

MANIFEST (9/11/18): "Hospital Patient".  Arrived at 12:37 p.m. at Silvercup Studios, wrapped at 9:58 p.m. Never got out of holding. My only memory is admiring the faux airplane used in another episode on an adjoining set. 

If you wonder why these shows hire more people than they need, it's often because the producers have to justify the weekly budget they've been given. Now you know the rest of the story.

THE DEUCE (2/28/19): "Diehard Porn Fan". Casting agents and directors ask the same question when hiring extras: Does

this person look the part? That's how I got this gig. (One of my colleagues thought I looked like a sleazy lawyer, but to each his own.) The scene took place at a 1980s porn convention, so I wore my authentic '80s tie along with my other personal wardrobe. 

The production built a convention set at Resorts World Casino in Queens; I was there from 7:26 a.m. to 10:48 p.m. A 40ish Jamaican woman and I pretended to be a couple, believing it would catch the director's eye. We were wrong. But now I know to submit to any production looking for a diehard porn fan, so some good came of the experience.

THE SURVIVOR (5/29/19): "1950s Coney Island Pedestrian". Arrived at 6:15 a.m.  via transportation provided by the production, wrapped about 13 hours later, home at 8:39 p.m. One of my colleagues came straight from an overnight shoot; by early afternoon, he was literally asleep on his feet. That's dedication!

Directed by Barry Levinson (my second of three gigs with him at the helm), and starring Ben Foster, who quite understandably got pissed off at a really annoying freelance paparazzo who turns up at every location shoot in town. I really like the outfit they gave me. Damn shame you can't see me in the movie.

EXTRAPOLATIONS (10/16-17/2021): "Congregant". Filmed on Staten Island at
Broadway Stages, formerly the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. Extrapolations was an Apple anthology miniseries taking place in 2047 when climate change has forever changed the way humans live. This episode took place in Florida, when flooding from the Atlantic Ocean is seeping into buildings like the synagogue where our scene took place. (It was constructed on a soundstage on the property, not in the former prison itself.) 

The set was flooded with a few inches of water; everyone wore tall green boots. Sitting directly in front of me in the pew was Judd Hirsch, while David Schwimmer sat the opposite end. A Broadway actress whose name I can't recall introduced herself to the young woman to my left and to me. She was very friendly, totally unassuming. That's how you know who the real stars are. 

The wardrobe, provided by the production, was supposed to be similar to 1990s fashions, because I guess people in 2047 would be into the retro look. To me, I vaguely resemble Nick Lowe on a windy day. When the episode of Extrapolations aired, the camera tracked along the first two rows; it was edited so that the shot ended just before it got to me. Two days of climate change for nothing! Except two paychecks. 

RIPLEY (5/10/22): "Early 1960s Upscale Businessman." That is some killer wardrobe. Early call time, though. I left home at 4:12 a.m. to get to holding (Altman Building on West 18th) by 5:30 a.m. We were driven to East 44th Street at 8:33 a.m., where a handful of us walked back and forth past Brooks Brothers for two and a half hours before being wrapped. The star, Andrew Scott, was probably there, but I don't remember, since I wouldn't have recognized him. 

Two years later, it landed on Netflix. Great series. But all that was left of our scene was a shot of the back of somebody's head (not mine) walking past the Brooks Brothers sign. You should've seen me head to toe in that trench coat, suit, scarf, and fedora. Probably the most upscale of all my upscale looks.

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