MY DAY ON BLUE BLOODS
by Mitchell McGuire
I recently got the opportunity to audition for a part on Blue Bloods and went out on a rainy day to Brooklyn to meet the director. The director had a camera there, and he said, "The part is for a cop who rescued people on 911 and he is a fighter! But he is in a coma, so I want you to look like you are a fighter and in a coma so close your eyes and do it!"
The camera rolled while I clenched my jaw and moved my eyes around and, twitched a time or two, and finally I opened my eyes and he said, "The was good!"
I got the job and reported a few days later as the character, McKenna, who apparently knew Selleck's character and the two of them saved a bunch of people on 911. After getting made up to look near death, I finally got to the mock hospital room, which looked very authentic, as did I in my hospital garb, with lots of things sticking out of my arms and an oxygen mask on my face.
I Meet Tom!
I met Tom Selleck and we chatted for a bit. I'd heard that he lived in Michigan, and I talked about how my kids, (some of them), live in the town where he allegedly owned a house, but Tom said he didn't own a house there. Oh well.
Mr. Selleck had a monologue to say to my character, McKenna, while I was in the hospital bed, comatose. After the crew set the whole thing up for over an hour, we did our first take. Tom held my cold hand and squeezed it during his long speech recalling our days on the force. He did it very well, I must say. We did about 4 takes....I say "We" but when I saw the scene there was very little of me "fighting" my coma and a lot of Tom. No surprise there.
Tom Gets Upset!
At one point after a couple of takes, the director gave Tom some direction and then called for quiet on the set. Bells rang all over the large building to signal the silence order to one and all, but this time it took people longer than usual to shut up. Tom raised his voice and saying, "Come on, give me a break! I'm doing some sensitive personal work here!...keep it down!" . His voice was broadcast throughout the whole building, and It got very quiet then for sure.
We did the scene a few more times and finally we did one more scene; one I didn't even know about, where McKenna's wife comes in at the end of the scene, and Tom hugs her, while she cries. I didn't even know I had a wife! (There was no scene where she cries over me! Oh well). When the scene (s) were wrapped, Tom left and I (and everyone else) went to lunch there in the studio.
Lunch Is Served!
The entire cast and crew, (About 100 people!) got a very fancy lunch because, I guess, it was around Christmas. Mark Wahlberg made a speech about how well the show was going and thanked everyone. All during lunch they had a guy in a nice dinner jacket singing songs on a piano, and he was good!
My Funeral
Later that day the cast and crew moved to Old St. Patrick's Church and had my, er, McKenna's.... funeral. Tom said some words over me, in my (empty) casket; an Irish prayer, "May the wind be at your back", etc.
The final shot was Tom kneeling in prayer at the 911 memorial....nice.
The Money: Not Bad!
Mind you I was not there and did not see it until saw it on the television like everyone else. I later was thanked by email by the producer who remarked that the episode was very well praised. All in all all it was a very nice day and I got paid the full rate as a Day Player which I appreciated.
by Mitchell McGuire
I recently got the opportunity to audition for a part on Blue Bloods and went out on a rainy day to Brooklyn to meet the director. The director had a camera there, and he said, "The part is for a cop who rescued people on 911 and he is a fighter! But he is in a coma, so I want you to look like you are a fighter and in a coma so close your eyes and do it!"
The camera rolled while I clenched my jaw and moved my eyes around and, twitched a time or two, and finally I opened my eyes and he said, "The was good!"
I got the job and reported a few days later as the character, McKenna, who apparently knew Selleck's character and the two of them saved a bunch of people on 911. After getting made up to look near death, I finally got to the mock hospital room, which looked very authentic, as did I in my hospital garb, with lots of things sticking out of my arms and an oxygen mask on my face.
I Meet Tom!
I met Tom Selleck and we chatted for a bit. I'd heard that he lived in Michigan, and I talked about how my kids, (some of them), live in the town where he allegedly owned a house, but Tom said he didn't own a house there. Oh well.
Mr. Selleck had a monologue to say to my character, McKenna, while I was in the hospital bed, comatose. After the crew set the whole thing up for over an hour, we did our first take. Tom held my cold hand and squeezed it during his long speech recalling our days on the force. He did it very well, I must say. We did about 4 takes....I say "We" but when I saw the scene there was very little of me "fighting" my coma and a lot of Tom. No surprise there.
Tom Gets Upset!
At one point after a couple of takes, the director gave Tom some direction and then called for quiet on the set. Bells rang all over the large building to signal the silence order to one and all, but this time it took people longer than usual to shut up. Tom raised his voice and saying, "Come on, give me a break! I'm doing some sensitive personal work here!...keep it down!" . His voice was broadcast throughout the whole building, and It got very quiet then for sure.
We did the scene a few more times and finally we did one more scene; one I didn't even know about, where McKenna's wife comes in at the end of the scene, and Tom hugs her, while she cries. I didn't even know I had a wife! (There was no scene where she cries over me! Oh well). When the scene (s) were wrapped, Tom left and I (and everyone else) went to lunch there in the studio.
Lunch Is Served!
The entire cast and crew, (About 100 people!) got a very fancy lunch because, I guess, it was around Christmas. Mark Wahlberg made a speech about how well the show was going and thanked everyone. All during lunch they had a guy in a nice dinner jacket singing songs on a piano, and he was good!
My Funeral
Later that day the cast and crew moved to Old St. Patrick's Church and had my, er, McKenna's.... funeral. Tom said some words over me, in my (empty) casket; an Irish prayer, "May the wind be at your back", etc.
The final shot was Tom kneeling in prayer at the 911 memorial....nice.
The Money: Not Bad!
Mind you I was not there and did not see it until saw it on the television like everyone else. I later was thanked by email by the producer who remarked that the episode was very well praised. All in all all it was a very nice day and I got paid the full rate as a Day Player which I appreciated.
posted by mitchny | 12:56 PM
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