Day 1 -- Tuesday June 10

I touched down on the runways of the Salt Lake City International Airport under a pouring rain at 2:52 in the morning to begin the adventure of "Zack & Reba." The mayhem continued as the cab driver and I searched the apartment complex in which I was staying for 2067, baffled by the numbering system employed by these Mormon landlords. But finally, sitting in front of the door of a quaint little second-floor studio with a loft sat an envelope that read "John Ducey" and below that in big letters, "Welcome!" The journey from Endwell to Scranton to Philadelphia to Vegas to Utah was finally complete. And it was the last glimpse of excitement I would have on Day 1.

I awoke at 11am and called over to the production office. I had requested that a script and other papers for the production be left outside my door the night before, but all that I found in the "Welcome Envelope" was information on Salt Lake City. The production coordinator, Chris Dreyer, apologized for forgetting my request and said he would send a script over. I also wanted to find out when the "table-read" I had been flown in for was going to begin. The aforementioned Chris Dreyer informed me that there was really nothing going on right then and that he would give me a call when things got under way. That was the last I heard from Chris Dreyer today.

Zack & Reba. Day 1. Good Morning America. The Bill and Traci Utah Morning Show. Ricki Lake. Oprah. Days of Our Lives. Time for a break. I took a twenty-minute walk to the nearest store and picked up some groceries and toiletries for my room. Also, I grabbed the much sought-after $5.99 Food4Less "Court Boss" basketball so that when I returned to my apartment I would have something to do that didn't involve channel surfing. I returned and found my script waiting for me but no other paperwork. I decided it was time to become the "Court Boss."

About an hour of basket shooting later, another actor strolled by the court. I had met him at the callback. He had just arrived and was trying to get relocated from the suburbs into the big city where EVERY OTHER actor on the production was staying besides us. (His efforts were fruitless.) I did find out from him, however, which scene we were scheduled to shoot tomorrow (since that information was never provided to me). Spent, I returned to my humble apartment.

Back to work. The Simpsons. Seinfeld. Mad About You. Something So Right. Frazier. As the ten o'clock hour approached, I called back to the production office to find out why I hadn't received a call-time for Day 2. (Did they need me up early enough to watch Regis & Kathy Lee or could I sleep until Sally Jesse?) I spoke again with Chris Dreyer.

CHRIS DREYER
No, you're not on the schedule for tomorrow.

CONFUSED ACTOR
I'm pretty sure they're shooting a scene I'm in.

CHRIS DREYER
Well, you're not on the call sheet.
Let me see what I can find out.

As the situation straightened itself out, I was informed that a van would be outside my apartment door at 5:45am. This was something I was much happier to have found out the night before at 10pm as opposed to the morning of at about 6am when the director is wondering where John Ducey is and I'm pleasantly dozing in my bed dreaming of the route I'll take that day to Food4Less. And so I grabbed my script and went upstairs and relaxed with the gentle humor of Zack & Reba as I drifted off to sleep. And as my eyelids became heavier and my mind a little groggier, I reflected on the artistic challenges of Day 1 and the unflagging effort I invested all day and fell asleep knowing that I had given my all. The consummate professional. Thank you Oprah.

Go on to Day 2

Day by Day | Zack & Reba | Ducey on Film