To be honest, it was more like a hour and a half.
This is a post about the bizarre notoriety I received for what many (and myself) would consider a “take the money and run” part on CBS’ “The Bold And The Beautiful” soap. For those who haven’t been following the blog, I’ll recap.
It started with getting a three episode part of the “Minister” – a man of the cloth who, apparently, has no name. I think God took it back out of spite… Or, perhaps, it’s not imperative the audience knows who the hell I am beyond the collar. As I wrote in an earlier post, I’m fine with nibbling the cheese in anonymity, as the check clears all the same and I do have a mortgage for a beautiful hippy-house in Laurel Canyon that needs green love. So off to work I went.
Then it aired. I almost forgot to record it! But I did, because an actor can always learn more about his craft, whether he’s got an emotionally repressed, yet formulaic role to perform (see video of “Without A Trace“)… Or a straight forward “service” role that will be seen once, then gone from the airwaves forever. And I posted about that as well. (I prefer to say “post” since “blog” sounds like an unexpected half burp/half puke reaction.)
Then, a few days later, it lands on “The Soup” – where I believe more people saw it then the original!
Okaaaay. So, that was a pretty unexpected fringe benefit of doing B & B… But then I get a call last week from the casting folks at CBS, asking on behalf of Brad Bell, if I would be willing to come down to the 12th Annual Fan Luncheon at the Sheraton in Universal Studios to appear onstage for an introduction to Leslie Anne-Down, who intrerrupts my scene on the show…
“Really? Brad Bell is asking?”
“Yes, Brad loves that line!”
Brad Bell
Well, when a casting director AND the executive producer ask, I jump in! So, I popped down there Saturday and did the intro — in costume. Received a lot of complimets from many of the crew and some of the fans who recognized me (I have a goatee since, a side effect of no on-camera work!). I also got to see John McCook again. That man is the nicest guy. Truly has a big heart.
A funny side note: as I was waiting in the press room with the cast, someone who is not familiar with the day-to-day storyline (and who is a senior member of our society) turned to me and asked, “What church are you with?”
Why, I am with the Church Of The Bold And The Beautiful” I replied.
She politely smiled, patted my arm and said, ‘Of course…” then got as far away from me as possible.
The best part of the experience was meeting Brad Bell. A very genuine and unpretentious man who did, in fact, admit to loving the “horse” line and complimented me on my performance. I told him that these kinds of lines have been given to me before by him. In fact, my first time on the show back in 1997, I was playing a county court clerk who was asked to find a particular wedding license. I discovered that a show regular had two licenses – a polygamist! I told Winsor Harmon, “If we find him, he’s in a lot of trouble.”
Well, Brad decided to tweak the line and sent instructions to the stage (when you work the show, you don’t ever see him as he’s in a control booth in the ether, pulling the strings of the pretty people… and the “real” looking guest stars like me!). So, on the next take, unbeknownst to Winsor, I delivered the polished-up line, “If we catch him, he’s in deep doo-doo.” Winsor could barely keep it together. Cut. Print.
Of course, a day after the 12th B & B Fan Luncheon, the show won it’s first Daytime Emmy in 22 years for outstanding drama series… And to think it all started with “doo-doo.”
