NYC: I'm Back

After "Oz: The Great and Powerful," my next big adventure was "Boardwalk Empire," starring Steve Buscemi. Grant Wilfley Casting handles extras casting, and I routinely submit. GWC has a policy of hiring only from the Tri-State area (NY, NJ and CT), however, but I keep trying. My last gig with them was "Taking Chance," the story of Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq. He was brought back to Dubois, WY for burial, and my scene was the community memorial service in Dubois High School. A school in NJ stood in for Dubois, and actors were needed who looked like "Midwestern types." I fit the description.

I'm not sure if there was a criterion for "Boardwalk Empire." So far I have been in a speakeasy scene, and an awards ceremony in Enoch "Nucky" Thompson's Catholic Church. I can't say too much more until the episode aires. I was both in the congregation, and later reception. Sitting in church, cross-overs for the reception. The church, by the way, was in Brooklyn.

The speakeasy scene was even better - I sat right next to Nucky's table in the speakeasy. I do have at a small chance to be seen in the scene (but you can take nothing for granted in film and TV).

The Players Club next to Gramercy Park in Gramercy was the location. 

For my role, I bought the glasses at Mr. Fun's, but despite their incredibly low cost (about $3.00), they were very good for the period. I had my hair specially cut for authenticity, and it was re-cut on set by make-up ("We can't use Ohio haircuts here," I was told). My hair was then glued down with "cement." It was as stiff as a wire brush.

Back to the future...

I can see that I haven't posted very much on this account lately. Too much work! The new deal now is: "Oz: The Great and Powerful." Thirty-two days on set since October 1!

"Oz: The Great and Powerful"

Alas, I can't say much (if anything), about it, and it doesn't make its premiere until March 8, 2013. That's more than one year from now! I think I can say that I'm a member of a select group of background actors who have their own make-up artists, and these make-up artists are the very best in the world.

My own artist is Howard Berger, who won an Academy Award for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)." When he's super busy, I've been with Bob Kurtzman, Craig Reardon, Mike Mills, Ozzy Alvarez, David Dupuis, Toni G, Jonathan Shrover, Mark Landon and Greg Funk. They're all the best of the best!

The cast is terrific. Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, James Franco--and more. And there will be Munchkins!

Wish I could post a pic of my character, but I don't even have one. This is one tight set. You will love it, though.

The set is in Michigan, north of Detroit. Can't wait to get back!

School and Fun

My own life is a bit dull. The acting gigs are great, but i'm still usually just background. "Real" actors and crew sometimes think of us as set furniture. So every once and again, I'll copy pages from the blogs of my wife and children. My wife, Joanne, is in Kenya now. She's an AAC whiz (augmentative speech for those who lack vocal capacity--and even some who cannot do signing). She is in Kenya to share her knowledge. Here is a recent post:

Tuesday was Sapling Trust day. One of the Sapling Trust teachers had asked me to come and observe her class of three young children with autism. I spent quite a bit of time with her, gave her a few basic suggestions for encouraging communication, but concluded that what would be the most beneficial would be to have an assistant to help manage the wide variety of behaviors.

I then spent nearly an hour with a deaf 21-year-old artist/computer geek who was having a bit of a problem finding the drawing program that wold allow him to open a file he had created. I offered a few suggestions and from then on he was always 3-4 steps ahead of me. Using his flash drive, he was able to transfer the program to the appropriate user area, complete the required registration, re-install it, and open his file to show me a his rendering of an apartment complex. He also enjoys drawing cars and copying and designing commercial logos.

In Eunice's class, the morning's focus was on singing about action words - washing and wiping in particular. Each child got a chance to "wash" a towel in a basin of soapy water. The lesson became even more functional after a large amount of water was spilled on the floor, and we began singing about the teacher washing and wiping the floor.

I walked a couple of long blocks to a busier intersection where I could hail a tuk-tuk to take me to the Nakumatt Nyali , where I exchanged about $40 in Tanzanian currency into Kenyan shillings and met Stephanie. We walked to her house, had a lunch of rice and curry, and caught a matatu to Haller Park.

Haller Park is a green urban sanctuary. There are trails, snake exhibits, a 3:00 PM giraffe feeding one can participate in, crocodile and hippo feedings to watch (check out the monkeys sneaking in for their share) and a huge whale made entirely from discarded flip-flops.

Back at the house, Stephanie's mother shared home remedies that have been passed down in her family - I'm looking forward to trying the the one for sleep.

Another calming walk on the beach. The views were even more breathtaking today. We were able to walk way out because of the neap tide. Neap tides are particularly weak tides that occur twice a month - during the first and 3rd quarter moons - when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other. The sun cancels out much of the moon's gravitational pull, resulting in smaller differences between high and low tides (Thank you wiki answers!).

Looking back toward land

Jack, the neighbor's dog, accompanied us on all
our beach ramblings.

Back at the house, we washed the sand off our feet and left our flip-flops outside to dry.

Big Mistake.

When Stephanie's parents were ready to leave for town, only one flip-flop could be found. The usual canine suspects were rounded up and the sand pits were surveyed, but no flip-flop could be found.

I did several small buckets full of laundry at the Poly. Everything dried quickly with the help of the powerful ceiling fan, except for the final load of three items (2 needed the next day), which I had pinned up just before storm - and power outage - hit at 2:15 AM. 

Have I mentioned that Mombasa is hot? The kind of hot where sweat pours down your face after just a minute or two outside? The kind of hot where being inside without a fan almost constitutes abuse? Luckily the rain brought an immediate drop in temperature, so the absence of the fan was tolerable.

You can read more here: AAC in East Africa

Plague: Last Episode for the Season

Yesterday was filming for the final episode of the season of Plague: The Diary of Ben McReady. The location was Aviation High School, near Burke Lakefront Airport. The high school is abandoned now, but provided a good set.

We arrived just after 8:00 AM. I signed Joanne and me up for make-up, but I was kicked off before completing my first zombie. I had applied the make-up far too thickly. But Joanne did a superlative job, and it was good she was there: with far more zombies than my last shoot, Joanne, Gwen and Chialla Geib was the entire make-up department, joined by others temporarily during the day.

I was one of their first victims. Gwen put the prosthetics on first. She found a recipe online for pouring liquid latex on a cookie sheet, then pressing in small pieces of tissue paper or cotton balls. After it dries, it can be painted with regular latex paint. These she applied directly, not prepping the skin first with clown white cream, as she had done for episode seven. The clown white was added later, and this was Joanne's station. Joanne also did shading on the eyes and a little spiderwork on the face. Chialla did this as well, although for me she applied liquid blood, pouring into my hands an supervising the application on my head, face and shirt. The result was pretty convincing.

I basically hung out most of rest of the morning, then participated in another student film being made at the same time. Then I noticed a crowd gathered around an interior door, intently watching some activity within. I went over. It was a choreographer teaching about 16 students the steps for Michael Jackson's Thriller. I tried to mimic the movements, little knowing that I would be enlisted later.

Finally, we were called for the major scene of the day. Our cars had been randomly placed in the parking lot when we arrived. For this scene, the zombies were randomly placed around the cars. On "action" we were to mill about, until a family tried to run through us to safety. As they ran through, we grabbed at them, taking two or three down. Then we feasted, as only zombies can feast.

After major filming, Wendall called for volunteers, or at least, that's what I thought he was calling. He then lined us up. I was soon to learn that I, too, would be dancing to Thriller. A couple of times I tried to escape, but Ern kept reassuring me that it would be fine. Fortunately, I was in the back. I hope I didn't mess things up too much. Otherwise it should be very good.

It was a very good day.

Shaved!

Sometimes personal life trumps professional obligations. I grew my beard for Not in Ohio, sent my photos to Real Steel with the beard, and auditioned for Lilith with it. But I've gotten no feed back from Lilith (too soon, really), Real Steel doesn't need it, and Not in Ohio is just a bit shaky now.

On the other hand, I have two legal appointments at big time Akron law firms, and a trip to Probate Court as an Estate Executor, and my beard is just frankly strange.

It's off (I can always grow it back in a month).

Plague: The Diary of Ben McReady

I was a tree zombie for the Tri-C project: Plague: The Diary of Ben McReady (Season 1, Episode 7). This is one of those roles as an extra that you don't want to pass up -- one of those roles as an extra which is the exception to the rule. Simple: the instructor for the class making the film is Wendell Hinkle. As good as it gets in Cleveland.

It gets better: when I landed on site, I got the role of the tree zombie--the featured zombie in Episode 7. It's ugly! It's truly, truly ugly!! I can't even recall thrusting out my tongue. (I think the part just took me over--one of those things that happen with good actors--and thankfully, for me too).

Not in Ohio

The cast for Not in Ohio is being announced as I write. I be a pirate--a right pretty pirate, dontcha know. To check out the rest of the cast, click on the link below:

Cast of: Not in Ohio

It's a mighty handsome group.