BACKGROUND Backstories: TWO EARLY WALLOPS, Part 3
There’s a body of actors here in NYC that supplement their theatre work solely (pun intended) by performing as Union Background. After the math is done, this potentially provides them with both pension and health benefits. As I mentioned previously here. I’d pretty much ignored this as means to a beneficial end for a very long time. During the 1990s I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of days I spent working as an extra. One of those days was as a juror on LAW AND ORDER. And, it was there that I met a wonderful gentleman—a background sage well loved by the crew and known by all. He’d had an extraordinary history as a background actor that dated far enough back to relate war stories about cantankerous director, Henry Hathaway’s forcing extras to carry torches close enough to singe eyebrows back in the 1950s. I was, of course, all appreciative ears as he obligingly shared wonderful warhorse gossip from his Hollywood’s heyday experiences. He also offered me some salient advice.
He told me that in New York it was wisest for an actor to put pride on a back burner and to focus on this kind of work as a practical way to serve yourself financially and professionally. Granted, if you were doing background it was understood that you would most likely never appear in that series or film as a principal. But, production was beginning to be rich in the city. And, what you would observe on sets would be invaluable.
By the time 2009 had rolled into place, I had a handsome list of theatre credits under my belt. I’d also written three plays; seen two of them produced, and fostered two theatre companies here in the city. But, as with so many other actors like me, stable income remained a challenge and I was tired from having to juggle so many jobs to make ends meet. My veteran friend’s words fell on ears at last willing to employ such salient advice. I knew that responsibilities dictated my remaining in the city for at least a few months. I continued to listen to and to engineer much good advice from other working actors I was associating with on sets. The clear and practical choice was to continue for as long as it would take to establish my SAG pension.
And, after almost ten years and over 600 sets later, I did just that. I made many wonderful friends in the BG trenches. Strength in numbers softened many an edgy incident. Probably, my greatest gift came with my literally brushing shoulders with legendary actors. Just being in so close proximity to the likes of Max Von Sydow and Albert Finney...But, I digress…
The glitter that came with my gold was in actuality glistening beads of perspiration. In fact, this short series of adventures has al been leading to one particularly hot and humid day. A day that prefaced CHAR-LEN’S next modest magnum opus.
Which I promise—at long last—to open the Golden Gates to...Next week.
