I’ve wandered across the path of a couple producers and directors in my time. Certainly not as much as my brother Michael, but enough to get the sense that they all have this “thing”. They exude an aura of confidence and energy that is so thick, it resides in your nose and you can taste it the next day in the shower.
Meeting up with the Casting Director of Punched Up last week was no exception.
Before seeing her, I had to spend some time with the Gopher. She was hired 48 hours prior to my interview, and already she had the whole “Bubbles” from Absolutely Fabulous personna down to a tee: perky, dressed like a 12 yr old tom boy, trying to make an office appliance work with some success. We sparred a bit while she got me to fill out a release form and she tried some of her new schtickon me (she confessed to doing stand up) while she photocopied my application. She was punched up already. She frightened me a bit.
When the Casting Director and her assistant were ready for me they ushered me into a back room (the office, in a bombed out loft on Bathurst, was a great metaphor for the state of Canadian television) and sat me down in front of their camera. Casting started off by saying “You showed up on our radar fairly quickly. We’ve been wanting to talk to you for some time.” It was an empowering statement that, at the time, gave me a warm fuzzy of being wanted. Her aura was all around me. I wanted to do her bidding!
They drilled me about how Punched Up could help me. Where in my life do I need a comedic shot in the arm? When I mentioned the campground I go to, the Assistant nearly peed herself with excitement. Seems part of the attraction of 6 comedians coming to your door is that they’re travelling in a Winebego. The idea of these comedians arriving at a gay campground with clothing optional areas to make fun of my serene, stress-free weekends is good tv.
By the end of it she nearly had me doing drag in front of my family at the campground for Thanksgiving dinner as nude trailer park occupants strolled by.
Television people are rather persuasive.
Am I in? I don’t know yet. The casting director has to fly the idea past the writers. I will keep you posted.
One thought on “The Biz, Baby!”
So they give you a comedic injection/make-over and then force you into serfdom?
And by the way most producers I’ve ever encountered work, the story will be that you are working as a drag queen at the trailer park and your parents are having an intervention or something – and Sharkboy will be your nemesis because underneath that cute exterior beats the heart of a ruthless character assassin bent on making “accidental” cameo appearances in every single scene of yours.
Maybe the Busdriver could moonlight as the Winny driver – perhaps a nom de drag – a distant relative of Minnie Driver.