March 9, 2001
Things have changed a lot in three years.
April 15, 1998. I walked into the hallowed halls of ABC Television and was struck by its magnificence. Little John Ducey from Endwell, New York, was dipping his foot in the big pool. I knew nothing. The place, the process, and the people were all very foreign to me.
Today when I showed up at the new ABC Television building in Burbank, I was a seasoned pro. I had been in the room itself just last week doing a pilot reading for a friend. I had been through the testing process a number of times, including once already this week. And the people? It was a parade of hugs as the familiar faces arrived to witness my audition. After I warmly greeted the fifth or sixth executive, one of the other actors remarked, "I've been hugging the wrong people. I hugged the security guy."
I went first. The room sprung to life as I walked in. It was like showing up at a high school reunion. Everyone had a big smile and a friendly hello. The scenes went great, lots of laughs, funny jokes, perfect timing. As I wrapped up the second scene and received a final laugh around the room, I felt that this was it, my return to network television. All I had to do was convince the network in an hour.
I sat back outside and waited while the other five actors went in to read. I busied myself with a crossword puzzle and tried to relax. I would need my energy intact for the network test. Once everyone had gone, Lisa Miller Katz emerged from the audition room and said that everyone was great and that four of the six would be going on to network. She then read the four names.
Things have changed in three years, because back then, I was
on that list.