Day 5 -- Wednesday, April 25
And so it all came down to this. All of the EXECUTIVE PRODUCER scenes would be pre-shot today and then played back for the audience on Friday night during the taping. This would be my last day. A little anti-climactic, but let's be honest, we weren't really building up to much of a climax anyway.
We arrived on the set at the regular time, got into wardrobe and make-up, and then relaxed until they were ready for our scene. Lots of relaxing. Plenty of relaxing all five days. If they had hired me to relax, I would be looking at some good overtime right about now.
So why wasn't I very relaxed?
Every passing day I have felt more and more tangential to this whole process. It's as intangible as missing that magical feeling of being part of something new and exciting, and as tangible as not having any conversations with any regular on the show. And it's not that they're mean. On the contrary, they all seem very nice. It's that, for my own stupid reasons, I don't feel like I should have a conversation with them. They're busy, they're working, they're a unit, a team working towards this common goal. I'm a sub. I go in and play for my two minutes, but they're the core of the team. They have created this championship run. I have sat on the bench and watched the team's success from afar. Oh, it's dumb, and I create the problems myself, but I just don't feel like a part of it.
As for the scenes, they went well. They were the highlight of the day. Regardless of how "insignificant" they may feel, it is rewarding to do them. It's satisfying to perform the scene and feel like I have done a good job. Our director, Ted Wass, worked on an Oh Grow Up episode way back when, so he and I are friends. He could sense my pain, I think. When I asked him if there's anything else he wanted me to do with this part, he gave me a big smile and replied, "Don't worry, Duce. I know you're bigger than this. You're slumming here. But we love having you."
They love having me so much, they're having me back on Friday. As we wrapped the last scene today, someone decided it would be fun to do it in front of the audience on Friday. That means one more work day for me. No extra money. I was getting paid for Friday regardless. Just one more day I have to be at Stage 7 feeling like I don't really belong. And what will my contribution be on Friday night? One line. The scene they will do that night has only one EXECUTIVE PRODUCER line. Should be another glorious night.
Go on to Day 6