I saw myself on TV again last night.
It’s been years.
I once worked as an extra in the film and television industry, when we lived down in LA. I was registered with an outfit called Central Casting, which has been around almost as long as movies have, and supplies something like eighty percent of the extras used in movies and TV shows when they shoot in southern California.
There was a time I’d see myself pop-up fairly often. One night I was on all three major networks – ABC, NBC and CBS – in the same evening. This wasn’t really a big deal, since I was never an actor. When you’re an extra, you’re just standing around in a scene or walking by – usually you’re seen for anywhere from ten seconds to a couple of minutes if you’re lucky, and you never, EVER get to talk.
There’s absolutely no creativity involved in this gig, so I didn’t continue with it beyond a couple of years. They tell you where to stand, what to do and what to wear, and you can’t deviate or add anything to what you’re doing. You can’t be expressive and draw any focus away from the main actors in a scene or you get into trouble. You’re basically human furniture. Personally, I liked to visualize myself as a coffee table.
At least actors get to do a character, and they bring their own interpretation to it. They may have to do it a certain way and wear the clothes that are dictated by the scene, but no two actors will do any character exactly the same way, whereas extras are interchangeable and expendable. You want a 30-40 year old clean-cut white guy to wear a suit, carry a briefcase and look like a lawyer? There are a thousand plus to choose from.
I said I was on TV last night, but that’s not really the case. I was on MACBOOK, because coffeesister and I don’t have a TV at the moment and have been catching up on DVD shows and movies using her trusty computer. Carnivàle is an HBO series that I got to be a part of in the first season, but never got to see the episode because we didn’t have HBO.
It shot in either late 2002 or early ‘o3, I really can’t remember. We were all at a tent revival meeting and then later at the set of a dilapidated old town.
Coffeesister and I checked-out the series on DVD after finding it at the library, and I had no idea where I’d show up or IF I’d show up at all. Last night we got to episode three in the first season, which had an old-fashioned tent revival scene, and there I was, standing near the entrance looking like a dustbowl farmer from a small town who was mesmerized by the events taking place.
Memories flooded back.. I’d spent half a day with the cast, crew and other extras when they filmed it back then but I’d forgotten what happened in the scene. As it unfolded I started to think, “Oh, this is where HE comes in, and then the faith-healer does THIS!” and so on. I found myself predicting what was going to happen about five seconds before it actually did.
It was weird seeing myself eight years younger and looking so dusty, disheveled and downtrodden. As I look in the mirror now, I’m still downtrodden but look at least ten years older.
I occasionally miss those couple of years of hanging out on sets, schmoozing around with famous actors and later seeing myself in something, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
But I don’t miss being a coffee table.
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Carnivale: The Complete
First Two Seasons at AMAZON.
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