Remember last week when I said I hadn’t yet seen myself on TV? Well, that same evening I was watching Chicago Med and there I was! Nobody who knows me would have noticed it was me, but I still felt pretty good about seeing myself for the first time on TV!
Chicago Med
The above picture is from the third time I worked on Chicago Med. I told you about the first in the previous post; the one where Mom and I both worked as shoppers. This one was an outdoor scene that was shot out in front of Rush Hospital in Chicago. The second time I worked on Med was the same but I wasn’t seen on that episode. Just this past week I worked for the fourth time and it was another outdoor scene, but at McCormick Place, not Rush. And some exciting stuff happens on that one but since it hasn’t aired, I can’t yet reveal any secrets!
But back to the episode from the above picture. It was just an okay day as far as the work day went. We met in holding in a building about a block or so away. After checking in and getting our wardrobe approved, we headed over to the hospital. Some background actors received scrubs and other hospital garments but I was supposed to be an administrator so I was in my own clothes. We were supposed to have nicer fall jackets and I didn’t have one so Mom and I headed to the thrift store earlier that week. Luckily, I found two that I really liked for super cheap. And I needed a nice fall coat that I could wear anyway. I am finding that I love thrift stores to find my extra work wardrobe. You really can find great deals on awesome clothes. And since you need some diverse pieces so you can have lots of looks, it helps that you don’t have to spend full price.
Once at Rush, we have a smaller holding area blocked off from the main lobby. Since it’s small and right in the hospital’s main entrance, we have to leave most of our stuff at the other place. I had a small bag with a book and my iPad, but I find it hard to read with so much going on around me. I really like it when there are some fun and talkative other extras because that makes it a little more entertaining for me. Which was the case here so most of the time in holding I was having conversations and comparing our extra experiences.
The scene I shot took a good two hours or so to shoot but after that, I wasn’t really used much so spent most of the day in holding. And they had us there for eight hours. But that’s my life in the background. You never know how it’s going to go. Another reason this was just an okay day was that the timing didn’t work out for the full buffet lunch experience. They did bring us pizza which kind of made me unhappy. I have been trying to lose weight and the extra thick crust would not have been my choice.
Not Just My First Time on TV
My mom and I had my step-dad, Jim, apply for a featured role on Chicago Fire as a crotchety old man. He had never, ever worked before as an extra but he was chosen and played an Uber driver. So the same night I saw myself, we then watched Chicago Fire and there he was! Both of us on the same night. The only thing I didn’t like was that I had also worked as a featured extra on the same episode of Chicago Fire but wasn’t seen on screen. So at least someone from my family was! Now we just have to see Mom!
My Life in the Background 