I get a text this morning from the girl who'll be playing my best friend in the indie. It's adorable, endearing, lovely -- to the tune of, "hey new onscreen BFF, wanna run lines tonight?"
Off to a great start. Such a doll.
Now here's the killer, and probably something that she doesn't know -- last spring, I was testing for a series regular on a long running show. I went in 5 times, until the producers were so certain they only wanted me for this role that they didn't test anyone opposite me (meaning, zero competition at the test - I was the only option they were giving the network and studio). I went to the studio test, and they gave me big thumbs up. And then on the the network test....here's where the fun begins.
The network exec was out of town, so they did a "tape test" (meaning, I didn't have to endure the roomful of suits staring at me, and instead just had to sit with the producers and CDs, as I had been for over a month, and put the same scene on tape for the network). I was so relaxed at that tape test I was eating a bag of Smartpop white cheddar popcorn and offering it to the producers like we were old chums. I thought it was in the bag. So did the producers. They told me so.
I left for NY the next day to work on a film, and while I was there got the call: "You're not getting the show. The network wants to go younger." In the middle of a busy NY street, I burst into tears. It's not even that I had wanted it so bad (that's a lie), it's that I had invested over a month of my life into trying to get this role (that's the truth). And just like that, some network exec was like....."meh....let's find a new girl in 2 days." And they did.
Guess who ended up getting that role? The girl who texted me this morning. The sweet girl who will be playing my "onscreen BFF." The girl who now, having booked said role from last spring, has done over 20 episodes and easily made over 400k. (Even more if it was well agented).
Now you tell me...how small is this industry?
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You have to tell her this! And make her buy you a cheesecake! A whole one!!
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, don't tell her. It would make me feel sooo awkward if I were in her shoes and found that out. I'd think you secretly wanted to kill me (even if that truly wasn't the case.)
ReplyDeleteI say tell her...but after you've finished shooting so she knows it's all good.
ReplyDeleteI was at an audition a month or two ago. Got gabbing with the only other girl I was waiting with... guess who got the last role i had auditioned for? Yeah.... the convo really slid downhill from there, despite my aim to play it off like no big deal. Ah well... dust ourselves off and keep moving. She did recommend a great summer workshop for young actors in Toronto that I got very excited about, only to get an email on my Blackberry last week that after something like twenty years in operation, the program was closing down this summer...
ReplyDeleteIt just seems her and I are not meant to be good luck for one another. But the sweet, kind message from your semi-nemesis seems like a good sign at least! Good luck with it, hope you do run lines with her. It is a small world, it seems every impression you make will influence someone else's opinion eventually be it a cd, producer, or another actor you end up working with...
It's a teeny tiny industry after all!