Halfway to Hollywood: Chapter 1 - The Playboy Club
The summer of 2011 was brutal. My life was in shambles in every way possible. A soul crushing breakup, a career that never began, and the Lakers lost in the Finals.
LOL. Okay, the Lakers losing wasn't life altering, but it didn't help. Dang it, where was the 3-peat, guys? Oh, wait, I was talking about something...
Long story short, I was sinking fast and I needed help. Hours of inactivity became days. Days of internet reading became weeks, and then one day I found an article about the Man of Steel production seeking Extras for scenes in Illinois.
I was intrigued. Having dabbled in stage acting a few times in my youth, I figured it was something I could possibly be into. Unfortunately, other than that one long shot of an opportunity I had no idea how to get into the industry.
I made plans to visit a friend in Chicago for the casting call. My next couple weeks were spent learning about the industry and adding my profile to casting agencies near the area.
My first trip to Chicago was hit and miss. I didn't get to do the casting call, which was probably a good thing. I did, however get to travel around Chicago and learn a bit about city life. I learned about the food, the people, the things to do as a tourist, but not as a regular person living in the city. After about a week my adventure came to an end. A long bus ride back to my small flat boring Nebraska town.
I was home probably a week when I got a phone call from a casting agency. They liked my look and wanted me as a featured extra in an NBC pilot called the Playboy Club.
The Playboy Club was an American historical crime drama with an ensemble cast featuring up and coming actresses Amber Heard and Jenna Dewan.
I was supposed to report to the studio to be fitted and on set immediately. That was a problem. I lived almost nine hours away, and I couldn't get there until about a week later.
There was a moment of silence as the woman on the phone talked to someone. She told me it would probably not work for the immediate shoot, but to come on down ASAP and they would get me set up.
"Great!" I thought. "I still have a shot."