Extra Points

Ouch. Sorry if that last post was a bit of a downer... although it was interesting to reflect on where I was during such a significant event (the L.A. riots), it also put me in a bit of a mood. Generally speaking, I think it's healthier to look forward, not backwards.

Well, don't feel too sorry for my stillborn Hollywood experiment... in the decade following USC, I had Hollywood coming to me! 

My first experience was in 2004 when I landed a role as an extra in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds. I worked a full-week, met Spielberg and "co-star" Tom Cruise, ran away from imaginary aliens, and made some pretty decent cash in the process. To top it off, I was also offered the chance to join the Screen Actor's Guild... how's that for glitz and glamour? 

It's much too late this evening to blog further, but I'll try and write down some of my memories of the shoot for a later post. Oh, it's interesting to point out that Mr. Spielberg also had trouble getting into USC"s film school... I think he did alright for himself!

Here's a goofy video I created back in 2005: an audition tape to be a presenter on the red carpet for the New York City premiere of The War of the Worlds. The contest asked us to pretend to interview one of the cast using an inanimate object and... uh... well... maybe the scientology thing was too touchy. It was fun anyway... I went back to where we shot the film in Athens, New York: