Leaving the house for an hour drive to the set of the biggest darned Television show in the history of darned Television shows and running on 4 hours sleep is not recommended.

Don’t ever do that.

But what I remember of my first day on Grey’s, and for what I was actually conscience of, are these tid bits:




-When I auditioned for the role I got the studio panting and sweating, heaving and collapsing, all at the same time, starving to death and with terror and fear radiating from my one good eye. I was directed to the back parking lot, and then had to walk about 2 blocks to the casting office. When I arrived ready for work yesterday morning, bleary eyed and smoke filled, the man at the gate tipped his hat, directed me to my parking spot, and I was driven on and off set in a fabulous go cart by a guy named Eddie.



-Hearing:

“Where is Princess Fire and Music??!”, in an almost perfect Bette Davis impersonation coming from Ellen Pompeo (who plays Grey).

Umm…..what?

I also found out she does a great Joan Crawford, and knows almost every word to every scene in “Mommie Dearest”. She is now officially my new best friend.



-Kraft services. ‘Nuff said.




-Talking about what it’s like to be Transgendered with an award winning writer and director who not only listened to me, but hugged me, looked at me, saw me, and put their hands on me. An amazing, amazing moment.




-Being in my trailer and looking out over the hills of Hollywood. A magnificent view peppered by the huge still blossoming trees and various couples out for walks. It may be Fall in the world, but it’s still summer in La La.




-Filming all day. And when I say “all day”, I mean “ALL damn day.” I walked on set and there was sun out, and when I finally got out, it was pitch black and 11pm. We filmed 3 scenes yesterday and it felt as though I had disappeared off the face of the earth and then returned the next day. Only with more eyeliner on.





-Jeremy (brilliant make up man) and his remarks about my paranoia:

“Alex, you’re in the hospital. Women in hospitals don’t wear false eyelashes.”

To which I replied:

“This woman does.”





-A crew member standing in the hallway, speaking into one cell phone, while holding the other one up to his other ear. He looked like an alien from the planet Phone.





-A conversation with one of the actors on set between takes:

Me: “So why don’t you ever do a play?”

Them: “Oh really? When would I do that?”

Me: “Oh. That’s right. You work all the time, don’t you? Well, what about during the summer?”

Them: “Alex, I work 11 to 12 hour days 6 to 7 days a week. I have Christmas and 6 weeks in the summer off, and I’ve been doing this for the last 3 years of my life. The last thing I want to do is learn more lines and screw them up IN FRONT of people.”

Me: “Excellent point.”




--TV is not Theatre. I don’t know that I quite get it yet. I also have this terrible feeling I’m going to come out looking like Jim Carrey. I felt MASSIVE. As if I was creating this character on top of old Smokey and the rest of the cast was sipping wine by the sea shore. I felt a little bit like a bull in a China shop. Trying hard to get it right, trying to BE something, while the rest of them simply were. There’s a definite art to this and although it’s frustrating at times, it fascinates me to no end.





At the end of the day, I felt as if someone had dropped an anvil on my head. I made it home by Midnight. Empty, a bit weighted, but exhilarated and energized. It was thrilling. The cast was freakishly normal and their attitude, considering most of them had been there since 7am, was light and jovial. 3 more days of filming and hopefully tomorrow I’ll arrive for work with my other eye actually blinking.