Can You Please Release Me?

Look, I don’t ever want to NOT get a job, but over the last 3 weeks I have been on hold for 3 different jobs, none of which I assume I got. I assume, because I was never “released” from them. For those of you who have never experienced this, it is both a blessing and a curse. When you are being considered strongly for a job (in my case two commercials and a principle role on a TV show) you are put on “hold,” meaning you have to hold those dates should the production decide to cast you.

Being on hold is great, and awful. It means you are not supposed to accept any work for the dates that you are on hold for or make any plans to go out-of-town or whatever. Generally, if you are NOT chosen, you will be “released” from consideration, allowing you to then accept other work, pick up a shift at your restaurant or go visit Spain, if that’s your thing.

Now being released is a bummer, especially cause when the call is coming in, you start dreaming more about the gig and getting excited, because it’s only a few words difference of “You got it!” to “You’ve been released.” But getting released is something that should be done, always. If you are NOT going to be cast, the least the production or casting director can do is LET YOU KNOW THAT! I can’t tell you how many times the “hold” dates have passed and I still hold out hope that I got it. I never do, but because no one has said “we don’t want you” I hold on to that hope of “maybe they still want me!”

The past few weeks have been even more trying. I just got married, my wife and I have debt we want to get rid of, plus we are moving in 5 months, plus a little thing called the holidays is sneaking up on us, not to mention her birthday. I am at that point lately, where I start thinking about what this money could do for us. Sidenote, never start spending that money till after that contract is signed, big mistakes to be made there.

But the point is, I never even got a courtesy call saying I wasn’t needed. The two commercials I was not as surprised at, but the TV show, is one you all know, that all NY actors want to be on before it goes bye bye, and after three days of them calling and constantly checking my schedule and changing the potential shoot dates and the fitting dates, they never even called to say “sorry, we went another direction.” In a business where we are used to getting rejected, it’d be nice if the times we definitely will be rejected, we can at least find out about it.