Huck: The TV Star

I have been dipping my toe into the world of TV filming lately. That’s what I am going to be talking about today. Welcome to Monday, by the way. I hope you enjoy the retelling of my time as an extra. Here it goes.

I have been coy about the work that I have done and the work that I will be doing later next month. I haven’t signed an NDA since I almost met Jamie Foxx. Remember that? Technically, I can say whatever I want. But I won’t. I will try and be as detailed as I can. This TV series I have been working on is an American production. It stars an actor who also had a role in the Harry Potter series. I walked past him several times on my first day there, and he was polite and cordial. As a layperson myself, I appreciated it.

So, the first day arrived, and I didn’t sleep a wink because I was terrified of oversleeping and missing my call time. I had already overslept and was late to my costume fitting a few weeks ago. I arrived at the pickup point in South County Dublin with much time to spare. We were then shepherded off to another location to get into costume and make-up. It was my first time in all the get up. The series is based in the 1890s, I believe. I was cast as a footman. I didn’t know what that meant either. I am estate staff. I was dolled up to the nines. I wasn’t allowed to cut my hair before shoot day, and even though I did already, I had to have my face shaved within an inch of its life. The costume was the real deal. I am talking about a waistcoat, suspenders, and historically accurate footwear (for a footman, I needed to stay on my feet).

After we were all in costume, it was time to get to set. We were brought to this beautiful estate house in south county Dublin and that was where we were kept for the rest of the shoot. Some lord or something still owns the home. The interior was primarily kept furnished with its original layout. We were brought to a room upstairs, and that’s when the rest of the day began, i.e. the waiting. I knew I was in for a long day. The way it works, as it turns out, is you are brought to set, and it is then and only when it is decided if you will be used. Sitting around and chatting with other extras and the occasional cast or crew is paid work. It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to do more.

That was the first two days of my time on set as an extra. And yes, I was used. I do have some screen time and interactions with actors on the show. It won’t be until at least the end of the year that the show will be broadcast. Hopefully, by then, I will have a lot more extra work done that I can talk about. It’s a fun time. I would recommend giving it a go if you have time. That’s all I have to say for now. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.