Dear Tina,
I watch many television shows that I never credit here on Dear Tina. At some point I’ll have to return to my “A Great Show You’re Probably Not Watching” segment and pay respect to the plethora of quality television I get to indulge in every week. Maybe when I’m unemployed and this blog will become my only sense of self-worth. But maybe not because it’s going to be summer and I only live a few blocks from the beach so…I’ll probably be spending that time reorganizing my dresser drawers. Anyway, the real reason I bring this up is that in watching a variety of programming, I experienced first hand the skyrocketing “guest star” career of one Tony Hale. You may know Tony as Buster Bluth on the tragically cancelled Arrested Development. Or you may know him as the recent guest star on Community, Law and Order, and the new FX drama Justified. Whew, the man must know how to market himself. Especially considering that, for a man known as one of television’s most ludicrous characters (“Sister’s my new mother, mother…and is it just me or is she getting hotter too?”), his comedic skills were only put to use in one of those instances.
Many of us love to see an actor outside his/her comfort zone or outside the role we typically see that person play. Heck, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan was in an episode of Law and Order earlier this season playing a Jon Gosselin type who may have murdered his wife. But what always strikes me is that there are actors like Jerry Seinfeld who are still getting paid millions and millions of dollars for a show that went off the air over ten years ago, and then there are actors like Hale who, despite being on a relatively successful television show, is still a working actor taking gigs to pay the bills. I’m not trying to imply that these actors are a hop, skip, and a step away from going to the grocery store with food stamps in hand, but it is an important reminder to all working actors that the road to success is long and one that offers no guarantees. I always said that my dream job would be to have a role on a long running television series. Somewhere you went five or six days a week, put in your time, got your vacation, and didn’t worry about where your paycheck was coming from for eight years. If only it were ever that simple. There is risk with every acting job you take or turn down and for most, figuring out the best way to balance all those decisions never ends.
It also reminds me of an episode of The Sopranos I watched with audio commentary from Drea de Matteo, who played Adriana Le Cerva. She said she would never have a job again that would match the level of sophistication and skill of The Sopranos; as far as she was concerned, there would never be another role that would hold a candle to her experience as Adriana. And with subsequent roles on Joey and Desperate Housewives, I’m afraid she was right. I imagine Tony Hale feels a similar way. Sure he’ll take the lead guest role as the pottery teacher on Community–it’s a major upgrade from the work he was getting pre-Arrested Development, like photographer’s assistant “Tiger” on Sex and the City or, funnily enough, an RN on an episode of The Sopranos. But how hard must it have been to have to walk away from a show as creative and well written as Arrested Development, knowing you would be back at square one. An actor among thousands looking for work. Audition after audition, trying to piece together a career and never knowing when or if that next big break will happen.
I think it’s amazing what actors do. The skill itself is great yes, round of applause, but truly amazing are the sacrifices so many actors make to do what they love. It’s not easy but when it’s all you know and all you want, I imagine it is worth every moment.
30 Rock Quote of the Day:
Liz: I’ll have mine to stay, please?
Becca: You want a dozen donuts to stay?
Liz: And a skim milk.
Dear Tina 