What are the limits???!!!

There are so many different roles that are posted on the job notification electronic bulletin board I subscribe to—I mean it make sense because EVERYTHING is depicted on TV or in movies.  Even if I wasn’t working much as an Extra, it’s worth the monthly fee just to read the descriptions of what work is available.  I would say about 80% of the work is pretty standard—lawyer types, wall street types, pimps, high end social types, party goers, prostitutes, perpetrators, thugs, restaurant patrons, bar patrons, audience members, police, street pedestrians, etc.  But the other 20 percent is just so fun….just the other day, a notice came out for an Extra comfortable with WEARING BRACES AND BITING A MAN’S ARM.  I love the way they use the word “comfortable” in assessing right fit for the job.  I kid you not!  Oh, SNAP, you know I immediately put in for that role. That’s gotta be an interesting project. They didn't give the name of the show in the job notice, just that is in on FX. I really really hope I get picked for that one.  Of course I would bring my own skin sanitizer and mouthwash for the protection of both of us—I assume they will provide all that there for the shoot but better safe that sorry.  I am so curious how they are going to stage that and how many takes can they actually do to get it right.  It must be some kind of prosthesis they will use, it’s hard to believe I’d be biting into a real arm.  You can bet if I get that job their will be a blog entry devoted to that experience!

Then there was a notice looking for people 50 and older to be videotaped for their reactions watching virtual porn.  That was creepy and most definitely not the right fit for me, though it paid better than non-Union scale wages.

More notices than you think for amputees of any kind--clearly not a role I can apply for.

If I was willing to learn to drive in NYC--(which I don't because I'm a terrible driver as it is and it would be a hazard for me and all others to drive in NYC), I could apply for a lot more jobs--having a car pays an extra $35 if it's the type of car they want in a scene.

Pets can also bring in an extra $35 if it's the kind they want. 

Another role I wanted badly but they were only recruiting Union Extras was to be a body that was frozen to death.  It said you had to be comfortable with LOTS OF MAKE UP.   That would have been so cool to get that made up.

Another one that came out while I was out of town was to play a dead body on a Medical Examiner’s table. That one made it particularly hard to be out of town.

There are quite a number of notice for Biker chicks--don't think I could pull that one off even if I tried.

When I sign up with casting agencies, you have to fill out several pages of questions of the talents you have--that goes very fast for me since I don't have any talent--don't sing, dance, play any instruments, speak any foreign languages, juggle, etc, etc....always a humbling experience to fill out those forms.

But they also ask, whether you are willing do to nudity--frontal, upper, lower, total body.  It's just a question I can't even consider because of my history of being a psychologist for over 20 years.  It just would be a really traumatic experience if any of my former supervisees, clients/patients, their families, colleagues or staff saw me to any degree of nudity.  I do sometimes wonder what I would put if I didn't have that history.  There are some very interesting shows that do ask for some level of nudity, one is The Knick on Cinemax.  A really great show starring Clive Owen who I am a huge fan of.  I'm hoping to eventually get on that show--sans any nudity.

I'm was trying to break into that upper crust casting type but I just don't think I have it in me to look or act that way.  I'm watching those types on TV and movies and there is an aura about those types that just isn't me, so will probably just have to let go of that type,

Better to stick with the dead bodies or characters that get lots of costume make up when not playing the typical extra. It's early in the game for me and I've not done any movies yet so who knows what other really unusual roles I could wind up in. It's such an unpredictable job, which makes it so much fun. Curious to see how far out I will go.