Little taste of Hollywood...Taste like revenge...Slurp!

Today was the first day that the casting agency I signed up with last week got me a gig. The one where I saw Kim kardashian's pathetic excuse for a garbage bag full of softballs she calls her ass at. Ya that one. Christopher Grey casting is the name just to give them some props on being such a well mannered Southern hospitality type agency that caters to their clients (television/movies) as well as their employees (extras/actors).

The show is called "Luck" written and produced by Michael Mann. No big whoop he just directed some little flick called...Heat, Jericho Mile, Last of the Mohicans just to name a few. The show also stars some guy named Dustin Hoffman (Rain man, Hook). It's a show that is centrally based around the horse racing industry. The story line highlights fellow gambler relationships, jockey to jockey agent relationships and that's all I really know for now. Today on the set I recognized Richard Kind. I think he is most known for a show called Spin City which I was never into but whatever he's big time.

So I arrived to the set located at the Santa Anita race track at about 5:45. I stumbled around the parking lot looking like I was going to ask people for change for about 5 minutes until someone pointed me where to go. I walked into a trailer where there were like 100+ other extras, spectators, actors etc...Had a seat and took directions. First off they have a breakfast buffet fired up as soon as I got there so I had to get down on some Mexican style breakfast nachos. They were delish. Then you go to wardrobe but I missed that memo. You walk up the ramp to the track and enter the building where all the production equipment is laid out and also hosts as a break room for the entire crew. The PA came in and directed us to get our props and to come out onto the deck area where spectators watch the horse races from. My prop was a betting guide by the way. Pretty proey. I stood around and watched a bunch of people do things like they knew what they were doing and looked around like I just lost my new puppy I got on Christmas morning. So I stood some more before deciding to stop looking like a schmuck and sat with this jockey and some lady. He was a real jockey too just filling in as an extra for fun. He was 3 ft tall. I shot the breeze with the pixie and the lady for a bit just kind of getting a feel for what all goes on in a day’s work. They filled me in on some details, lunch, listened to Webster talk to his real life agent try to tell him to take a dive. No joke this guy was a jockey agent and was trying to convince his jockey to take a phantom punch. I couldn't believe it. I asked the jockey "are you going to"? Thankfully for the human spirit I had left he replied with a confident "F$ck no". Ok were cool. Unless you want to devise a plan later then I’m in Punky Brewster. One of the PA's approaches me about an hr into sitting in the cold at a table where I had no clue and asked me to come stand in the shot. She walks me over to the snack bar where the scene is going to take place. She just says stand here and act like your waiting in line. That's exactly what we did. Wait. This mess takes forever to get cooking. Setting up cameras, giving the actors hj's, trying not to step on jockey's it was a wait show. I stood like I was in line for a while until I noticed they had the camera set up. Wait a second...I’m about 3 ft from being in the shot. But I have a marker here...Let me just kick this marker over a few feet nobody will notice. Sure enough they didn’t. I posted up on a planter in direct view of the camera while Richard Kind and Gary Steven's acted out the scene. They were not the only ones acting out the scene though. Oooooh no. I was in the back ground checking my watch, loading up on gum, looking for my heuvos rancheros from the snack bar, catching up on my horse betting pamphlet. Yeah. Let me know when they give out Oscar's for best extra. One of the guy's I met in the trailer that morning who has been doing this for years saw me winning awards via improve and gave me a approving head nod as I got caught acting. I couldn’t help but laugh while they were filming but it was a silent laugh so it will just look like more awesome background and just more lifetime achievement awards for me. "Dear did you dust that mantle yet"? "I can't just make another Oscar chandelier for the house and the basement is flooded in naked gold men statues". The PA (production assistant) that told me where to stand acknowledged my impeccable improv skills to with a "good job" and a warm back pat. Now I take your pat on the back to the red carpet sweet hear...Garcia!

The first scene is a wrap and another blonder PA comes up to me and says she needs 7 younger guys to fill some spots. Sure was my obvious response. Not really sure what that means but I’ll take it. We go back in the giant break room and sit around for like an hour then Mr. Grey gathers everyone's attention. He says listen for your name and come towards him. He named off about 20 names including mine and we all gather around to hear what he has to say. He talked quietly I’m assuming because the rest of the a-holes were not coming back tomorrow but I could be wrong. He says "this group be here at 5:30 tomorrow and wear the same thing you’re wearing".

The blonde PA finds me and has a couple other guys with her. All of them were in their 20's minus one old timer but he was cool because he was a professional gambler that frequented the track and was just there for fun. She tells us to go to wardrobe and get into costume. Head over to wardrobe and the guy starts asking our measurements and sizes. Green polo shirt with Santa Anita logo on it, khaki pants, work boots, and a Santa Anita hat and what appears to be a bullet proof vest. Turns out we are going to be Race attendants? Something like that. The guys that sit behind the horses before the gates open for whatever reason and the vests were so we don't catch a Mr. Ed hoof to the sternum. Sweet! Potential lung collapse! All for the sake of film. Anyway I’m tired of writing this story and the end is pretty anticlimactic. We sat around for the rest of the day watching the crew film horses racing and we didn’t get to our scene because theirs took so long. The SPCA was on set and they had to let the animals rest and swap out horses etc... All in all it was a very interesting, knowledgeable day. You never realize what all goes on to make a show. It's rather amazing and gives you way more respect for the industry. I got to get to bed so I can get up at 4 to be back at the set. I’m pumped. This is some small time stuff but hopefully it's the gateway to seeing your boy on the tube someday. Boom! Oscar's.