A
couple of months have passed since my last update and there have been
some interesting developments. The time has come to talk of many
things...
Last
I wrote, I had finally gotten much sorted out personally and
professionally – immigration, taxes, SAG-AFTRA, a new agent, etc.
which allowed me to begin pursuing acting work once again. My first
audition was for a very tiny role in the film “By
Way Of Helena”,
starring Woody
Harrelson and Liam
Hemsworth (check
out this
article for
recent photos of these fine gentlemen on the set). I read to video
with the casting director, who was pleased with my reading but
thought it a shame– due to the timing of only recently signing with
my agent – I had missed the auditions the prior week for a slightly
larger role in the same film which was specifically for a British
character. I joked how funny it would be if the producers in Los
Angeles saw my tape and asked me to read for that part instead.
Curiously
enough, the following week, that was precisely what happened,
and I read for the Brit part.
Sometimes
life just works.
In
the meantime, I was encouraged by my wife to apply to work at The
Mortuary “haunted
house” in New Orleans. It seemed like a fun way to make some extra
money, so I decided to go for it. I was told at the casting call that
they loved my look, and there was talk of me doing something special.
I informed them that I may or may not have a movie job, to which they
said they were totally flexible. A week later, I went to the
Orientation Meeting and was about to shake hands with the owner,
Jeff, when suddenly I hear, “Oh, hey! Jason?!” It was special
effects make-up artist Brian
Demski,
of Demski
Creations, who I
had worked with in Ohio a few years ago on “The
Dead Matter”.
He had done a lot of the special effects and set construction on the
film, and it turns out that he's been coming down to New Orleans to
be the head of makeup and design at The Mortuary every Halloween
season for the last four years.
So,
I started working there on the weekends in September, donning red
contacts, fangs, and vampire makeup to portray Master Ravencroft, the
“owner” of The Mortuary who greets each group of new “victims”
right inside the front doors. Eventually, some of the staff at the
house caught on to my previous work experience, and I even got a
“Nice job, B5” one night. Ha.
I'd
like to make a special note here before I go on. Should you or your
friends visit The Mortuary and recognize me there, I sincerely
request that you please play along with the character. I'm
working here to portray a part, and we don't want to ruin the show
and atmosphere now, do we?
That
said, should you wish to stick around after closing for a little
chit-chat with me as myself about what-have-you, that is perfectly
fine, C];-D>
After
a couple of weekends working at The Mortuary, I got the call from my
agent that I had been cast in the British part for “By Way of
Helena”! Wow. First audition = first job. I would be working two
days in September and three in October. I informed the haunted house
management, who congratulated me and told me that it would be no
problem. So, I've currently already done some of my scenes and I'll
be shooting the rest of them this coming weekend (so no Mortuary work
again for me until the following weekend).
September
and October have been rather eventful, but the excitement doesn't end
there - Contra
26 is
coming up in a few weeks! November 7-9, you will find my wife and I
as Guests of Honor at this sci-fi and fantasy themed “relaxacon”
for ages 21+ located in Independence, Missouri.
Hope
to see you there!
