December 13, 2000
The test is not a simple nor friendly process. The office building was a ten-story tower on Wilshire Blvd in the heart of Beverly Hills. After valeting my car in the underground parking lot, I made my way up to the 6th floor. I sat in the outside waiting room where four different receptionists sat at their phones and computers keeping eight eyes on the front door.
After a wait in this lounge area, they moved all of the people reading for various parts down into the "holding pen" for lack of a better word. We processed down a flight of stairs and through many different rooms. In each of them were rows of people looking basically like more receptionists. They could have been anything from stock traders to computer programmers. Row after row of these people, as if we were walking through some futuristic work environment. The holding pen was a 30' by 20' room and one entire wall was made of glass. I guess that way the three receptionist-looking people outside this room could keep an eye on us.
They then took us in groups according to our character. Two other gentlemen and I were reading fro PATRICK. We sat outside the office where we would be auditioning. Then we went in one by one. This room was about 15' by 20' and would comfortably hold about 3 or 4 people if they were sitting around chatting. For my reading, there were 11 of us.
I performed the scenes well. I did everything I thought we had worked on yesterday. I tried to make him vulnerable, unsure, sympathetic. One half of the room were people I had already read for. The other half were the studio executives. One half of the room laughed and supported my performance. The other half sat and studied. I imagine you can guess which half was which.
I felt very good about the two scenes and my prospects for being in the show. That was not an accurate assessment of the situation. I received the call from my agent on the way home, stuck in rush-hour traffic. i would not be going forward. no network test for me. I was still too much of a "Connecticut family man" as my agent relayed to me. Too confident, too put-together. Too old maybe as well? So no Fitzgeralds.
I don't think this often, but I really believe they made a big
mistake. Having read the script and knowing what this character is
about, I think I could have done a very good job in the role. They
did not. And that's it.