Yesterday… I was standing outside of a breakfast spot in Burbank California just before noon, which is (theoretically) late for a breakfast on a Tuesday. Ironically, with the amount of time I had been up, it could have been time for dinner. So let me backtrack –
6 days earlier I’d sat down with David Nutter (pilot director) amongst others for my first Arrow audition. When I left, I called my agent and said, You know… I think I just booked this pilot. Even though that’s impossible. There are still deals to be made and studio tests and network tests and sleepless nights to come… There were. The studio test was Friday. It went seamlessly. David Nutter brought me in for a private working session on Saturday (Saturday!!) and the network test was Monday; it, also, went tremendously. When David left the network test he gave me a thumbs up and said, See you in Vancouver!… There was just one obstacle: Every decision at this network ultimately goes through one individual who might as well have been the Wizard of Oz to me. He wouldn’t see the tape until tomorrow morning.
I retreated to a local bar in Studio City with my girlfriend and saturated my cerebrum with basketball (and lager). Couldn’t focus. We went back home and watched a particularly entertaining Oklahoma City / Clippers (I remember the teams!…) matchup replete with wine. (Couldn’t focus.) She went to bed. I inexplicably watched the entire Back To The Future trilogy. Couldn’t focus. Luckily… I had to be on set at 6 am for Private Practice. It was a lovely scene – one of many – between Amy Brenneman and I. We wrapped around 9:30 and I headed towards Burbank for a prosthetic fitting; poor Scott the Paramedic was about to be beaten up intervening in a domestic dispute. Good guy, that Scott the Paramedic. Once done I circled back to the breakfast spot that began the essay and ends the story.
Just after noon (like… 12:01) my manager and my agent did the joint call. The joint call is good. Arrow!
So what did I do? I exhaled, thanked them, drove home and took a three hour nap.
A year ago yesterday. Time flies.
