Time Lords

When you work in Hollywood, whether in features or TV, your time is not your own.

For starters, a normal day is twelve hours.  And that’s twelve hours of filming.  Several departments (production, make up, locations, transpo) have to come in before call or stay well after wrap.

So, half the day gone just working.  Don’t forget that, in Los Angeles, your commute is probably somewhere between thirty and ninety minutes, each way.  And trust me, no matter what anybody tells you, nothing is less than twenty minutes away.  I don’t care if they’re shooting in your living room, it’ll still take twenty minutes to get there.  It’s like a bizarre, cruel asymptote.

Now add in the morning basics.  You know, eating, showering, brushing your teeth.  (Don’t worry about applying make-up.  If you’re an actor, someone does it for you; if you’re not, nobody cares.)

At the end of the day, all you want to do is zone out in front of the TV, watching crappy reality shows that are putting your show out of business.

Forget about chores, like laundry and going to the bank.  That shit’s for the weekend.

I understand why producers want assistants.  It’s almost impossible to just live your life when you’re working on a show.  You do the work, your assistants take care of the chores, and everything else is just fun, fun, fun.

I get that.  But those of us who can’t afford assistants just have to suck it up and wait for hiatus or cancellation.

What I’m saying is, if you can’t find a way to enjoy yourself while you’re working, well…  You should find another job.