A week in the life of an actor.

Friday March 26th: My agent contacts me at 4:30pm wondering if I am free tomorrow. I confirm I am and she tells me to learn the words to Jerusalem for tomorrow morning. Apparently I will be singing…

Saturday March 27th:

Alarm goes off at 6am. I wonder what the hell I am doing with my life that makes me get out of bed at such an ungodly hour. I get up, shower. Then I have some toast and a Berocca. I have to be at Covent Garden at 8am for a London Wasps commercial.

Arrive at Covent Garden 15 minutes early. Find the crew outside a pub and some Rugby fans who have won a competition to be here. We all practice singing Jerusalem while the crew set up their shot.

9:15am Shot set up. We sing Jerusalem at Covent Garden piazza while bemused Londoners ignore us and tourists gawk. One onlooker asks out loud: ‘Is this really happening?’

We do a few shots and different angles and finish by 11:15pm. Nice short day.

Wander around London to waste some time. I am sure I spy Johnny Depp looking gorgeous.

Head to The Lexington for Nashville – On-Thames to. The excellent Andrew Mueller is the DJ. Joined by my friend Genevieve. We plot to take over the world….okay, certain boroughs in London.

9pm Birthday party at Guanabara. Brazilian dancing and good music. Get to bed at 4am. Wake up the next day sore from having too much fun.

Monday 29th: Spend most of the day trying to get my head around self employment. Phone HMRC and they are quite helpful. Write the Taxman a letter.

Dear Taxman,

Please don’t rape my bank account.

Best wishes

Catherine.

2pm. Call time confirmed for McDonald. Confirmed for the commercial last week. I knew the time and place but most things in the acting industry are last minute and constantly subject to change.

2:15pm onwards. Spend the rest of the day doing admin and posting things I have sold from Ebay. As an actor most of your life will be spent not doing what you have trained for. Most of it will be spent applying for jobs , auditioning, training, networking, admin and doing your tax. Not for the work shy.

Send of my Spotlight renewal forms. Costs £137 but you have to be in Spotlight as an actor. If you don’t you are invisible.

Tuesday 30th:

1pm call time for McDonalds commercial. That is more like it. I make my own way to the train station in Staines and am picked up by a driver there. There is no rhyme of reason when it comes to them sending a car to your home. I have done low budget films where they have and expensive productions where they don’t.

Taken to a car park in Staines near the River Thames. Raining heavily. I announce myself to the AD , Clara, who I recognise from another production but I can’t think what. ( Assistant Director – the clue is in the title. They are the directors assistants and do everything from directing the SA’s – Supporting Artiste. Also known as an Extra – and making sure the production runs smoothly.)

1:20pm Met the actor playing my boyfriend, John. Very lovely guy. We head to get some lunch. I get the Chicken in wine and vegetable sauce. Hold the chicken: Just give me the wine. Follow up with dessert. Chocolate cake and a large amount of tea.

2:30pm Head to costume. My costume is a plaid shirt and jeans covered in paint. Very glamourous.

2:45pm Make up. The make up artist, Sarah is rather lovely. Gives me lots of make up tips and makes me look beautiful. We have a good gossip. If you want to know what is happening on a set then ask the make up artist. They know EVERYTHING.

3pm: After Make up is done I sit on the dining bus. I drink tea and read while it rains outside. Have a natter with co star.

5:15pm: Head to the location. Arrive at a very nice house and taken into the living room which has been made to look like someone has just moved in. Outside the window is lots of filming equipment and the film crew. When I see the director, Neil Gorringe, I realise I have worked with him before. Feel like a fish in a bowl. Make up artist comes in and starts covering me in paint.

5:30pm Director gives us directions and the cold McDonalds is brought in. The scene takes less than an hour to shoot. I choose eating the chips. John decides to eat the burger. Major mistake. We do about 5 takes. Which is 5 cold burgers….

6:30pm. Wrapped and head home. Good day.

Wednesday 31st March:

Shooting a commercial for Pokerstars. Get up at 6am again. Filming at Greenford Studios. One of the few film studios I have never worked at. Get lost and soaked staring at Google Maps on my Blackberry. Wanted: A sense of direction.

Finally arrive just in time for 8am call time. Can’t locate Studio A but manage to bump into the AD. AD is sure he has worked with me before. We try to work out what on while he takes me to costume.

Head to the kitchen / waiting area at the studio. Bump into people I know one after another. I really have been in this business a long time.

8:30pm: Finally manage to get some breakfast and a cup of tea. I really like Greenford studios. Radio on, the Tea does not run out, friendly people.

9pm: Meet Daniel Negreanu, Jason Sagle and Joe Hachem. They are a really amazing, funny and talented bunch of guys. Discuss with the women on set which ones we fancy the most. Can’t decide. Joe won the World Championship in 2005. Bagging about £8 million.

1pm: Have prawn currie for lunch followed with chocolate cake. Food is amazing.

9:45pm And that’s a wrap. All of the people onset were so much fun I hand out loads of business cards. One of my colleagues takes pity on me trying to find the station and gives me a ride to the nearest tube station where I take a bus. Contemplate getting a car…

11:15pm: Arrive home. Shower and grab something to eat. Should go to bed but I have a social networking addiction and I check Facebook and Twitter first. Tired and have a cold. Can’t get to sleep.

April 1st: Up at 5am to go to Hertfordshire to film ‘Armstrong and Miller’ Not sure how I manage to drag myself out of bed.

8am: Arrive on set. Have a full English breakfast and then go to costume.

9am: Start filming the scene at a private girl’s school. So cold I can’t feel my hands or feet. The scene is funny though and the crew amazing. When I go to the bathroom ( to get some warmth!) I notice my top lip has turned blue….

1pm: Lunch. I have Turkey with roast potato and a good selection of cheese. When I get dessert I realise this is the third chocolate cake I have had this week….

3pm: I am wrapped after doing two scenes. I give costume there cat ears back and go home.

Get in at 6pm. Exhausted. I get into bed and watch a film.

~ by balavage on April 2, 2010.