Have SAG Card, Will Travel

Wow…it’s been a hectic schedule lately…

The Texas based actor has to travel. The normal circuit is Austin -> Dallas -> Houston. Now you can add Shreveport, LA to the mix.

In the past week I’ve been to Dallas 3 times and Shreveport once. I think I’m too old for this! … With all the work that has moved to Louisiana (see previous post on film industry incentives) … it looks like if we Texas actors want to work, we’re going to be working at least some of the time in Louisiana. In Dallas I read for Roadhouse 2 ….I know, if you’ve seen Roadhouse, you’re probably thinking “is there really a NEED for Roadhouse 2″ …but actors like me don’t get to choose which project we will allow ourselves to be submitted for … the agent calls and we go. As previously stated in this blog, without work, there is no insurance…that’s medical insurance. So whether it’s Roadhouse 2, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 75, or whatever, I’m probably going to audition if I get the chance.

Now this often presents something of a moral dilemma. Do I really want to appear in either of the aforementioned epics? Well, from an aesthetic or moral perspective….NO. From a practical perspective (let’s see…wife has cancer….need insurance…must work to get/keep insurance) Yes.
So I find myself auditioning for things I’m not that wild about, to say the least. Welcome to the world of professional acting. Sometimes…it’s just a job. MOST of the time, it’s just a job. Sometimes you get to do DANCER, TX POP 81, but not often.

I was in Shreveport on Thursday to audition for a new FX series called THIEF . Financially, I’m not sure this audition is not worth the trip. It’s a day role and given that it’s costing me two days away from home + gas ($2.79 – $2.99/gal on the trip), it’s hard to justify on the money alone.

But, Fincannon & Assoc. are casting and I’ve never met the Fincannons. They’re a long established North Carolina company that has moved into Louisiana with all the film production there. So it’s worth the trip for the ‘promise’ of future auditions/work. I’m reading for ‘Preacher’. I love it when characters don’t have a real name…yeah…I love it. But, the role is well written and, I’ve played this type character, and enjoy doing so – see SCREEN DOOR JESUS.

Never having met anyone at Fincannon, I have to pre-read. That means I read with the CD before she presents me to the producer and/or director (who can hire or not). Pre-read goes beautifully, get the callback. 4 hours later, I’m back in the same room for two guys who are, I assume the producer and director. It’s a blur. I’ve been up over 12 hours by now, and I have a 3 hour drive back to Dallas after the audition. I THINK I did the same (terrific!) audition for these dudes that I did for the CD, but that may have been a dream.

Anyway…now it’s wait and see time. It’s Saturday, I’m back in Austin safe and more or less sound. I think I would have heard already IF I had booked the role. My agent says ‘keep the faith’ as they are still finalizing a prior episode. So we shall see. Was the $1000 trip (lost earnings, expenses) worth it for a $700 day player role, that I have yet to book? We shall see how it all plays out… What…and give up show business?