So I got on the books of Actors Ireland in 2002. I even asked my wife Jill and our good friend Sharon to take photos of me in our garden for the AI website and my (empty) CV. What do you think? Would you book this guy?
I had my very first taste of the extra world when I was sent to an Audition for a Crimewatch reconstruction. I was so nervous! I didn't even know what I was supposed to wear! I went along to a hotel in Carrickfergus in April 2002 I think and was asked to do a bit of role play. This was my very first time acting in any capacity. I'd never done any plays in school or in any clubs. I would love to say my natural acting ability was unleashed and a side of me I didn't know existed took over and completely amazed the interviewers. I would love to say it but I would be lying. I was terrible! Suffice to say I didn't get it. I was gutted and thought my career was over before it began. At that point I thought that all extra work required an audition and that I would have no chance of any work. Thankfully that idea was quickly dispelled when Actors Ireland rang to tell me I had my first extra job! This is it!
So I went to the bowling green in Shaw's Bridge where I was to be part of a BBC trail advertising the World Indoor Bowls championship that was to be on BBC2. I didn't know what to expect! There were only a few people there. The idea was that we were watching a game and reacting as if it wasn't very good. I actually remember suggesting to the director, Paul Brolly, that I should maybe do a kind of mocking laugh which he thought was a good idea and went in the trail. My first job and I'm trying to direct the thing! Anyway it was all over in an afternoon and soon appeared BBC2 regularly. I hadn't told anybody that I was trying out extra work so I started getting people saying 'there was a guy exactly like you on the BBC last night'. Of course I loved the attention!
The next job was a sort of rite of passage for extras - 'Give my Head Peace'. To anyone outside of NI this show must look ridiculous. It's a parody of the political situation in NI. It ran for what seemed like 20 series and almost every extra in NI has been in it at least once. Now it was my turn.
On 18th April 2002, I went to the Dockers club in Belfast and took part in a scene set in the 'Armalite & Ballot Box' (the republican version of the 'Kneebreakers'). We were supposed to be watching a poetry reading and getting more bored by the second. This was my first experience of waiting. This experience would be repeated many, many times! I had chat with Tim McGarry who plays 'Da'. I thought this was cool that I was able to chat with proper celebs! He was telling me that this episode, 'The Prime of Inspector Brodie', was the 2nd episode of this season and that they hadn't even written the last 2 yet! It was a great day. Made even better by the great food we got. The guy doing the poetry reading was so hilarious that we all got the giggles while we were supposed to be asleep.
Damon Quinn, Lenny Mullan, Me, Tim McGarry, (didn't get his name)
For the next few months I got quite alot of extra work on advertisements and crime reconstruction shows. In the next blog I'll chat about a few of the more memorable ones and I'll explain what this is all about...!
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