The Simplest Goal I’ve Ever Had

A few days ago the acting world lost Vincent Schiavelli to lung cancer. If you’re struggling to put a name with a face, don’t bother, you probably wouldn’t know him by name. He’s considered one of those “oh, that guy” type of actors. He played Frederickson in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST but is probably best known as the creepy looking dude on the subway in GHOST who tells a new-to-the-ghost-scene Patrick Swayze to “Get off my train!”

Sam Wheat: How long have you been here?
Subway Ghost: Since they pushed me.
Sam Wheat: Someone pushed you?
Subway Ghost: What you don't believe me? You think I fell? Well fuck you.

Ahhh, good ol' Vinnie Schiavelli - you will be missed.

Anyway...one thing I don’t really talk about here is my aspirations as an actor. I know, I know “musician wanting to act” is pretty much a lame-o cliché but I’ve actually had more technical training as an actor than as a musician. (Mainly improv/sketch comedy) But I’ve really only recently brought my career goals as an actor down a few hundred notches.

Vincent Schiavelli is what is known in the industry as a “character actor.” Someone at some point decided that if you weren’t an attractive leading man or woman - and short of referring to them as “weird looking actors” or “ugly actors” they came up with this euphemism. Basically anyone who looks like a regular person would be classified as a character actor. To me though it’s the absolute best of both worlds. I mean on one hand you are an actor, and probably working a lot, but on the other you don’t need to be bothered by paparazzi or psycho stalking you. You get to live your life in about 90 nonymity. (that other 10 is the amount of fame you actually want to have to still keep a life, but have some nice moments of being famous...like getting a table at a trendy restaurant or sleeping with models.)

Similar to the character actor is the “day player” – the actors that make the union minimum and appear in random shows for one episode. (if they’re lucky its called a “guest star”) Living in NYC, with only a handful of shows shooting here, if I go to the right neighborhood (or the right audition) I can spot a Who’s-Who of random “Law & Order” day players and guest stars. And being that I’m a total L&O lunatic, I can pretty much tell them which episode they were on. I'm sure it's not everyday that this guy has someone come up to him and say "hey, you were in the Enterprise Corruption episode of Law & Order. I can't believe your daughter did that!" Yup, he ran away from me.

Anyway, that’s all I’m really saying here. I just want to be *that guy* as an actor. Someone who puts on an accent here and there, puts on a different outfit here and there, and really just get paid to do something fun and exciting. You don’t even need to name my character! Who wants to be a movie star really? If anything, the bigger you are as a star, the likelihood you’re not really that talented as an actor to begin with.

One of my all time favorite character actors is a man by the name of Bruce McGill. He has the career I want. He made a splash in “Animal House” but at this point when someone is casting a movie and they need “that guy” or “this guy” they call Bruce McGill. There’s no pressure! No one cares about his turn as Judge Harkin in “Runaway Jury” or his focused approach toCommander Eugene Matuzak in Timecop. Hell, I don’t even remember him as McQuillan in “Courage Under Fire” He’ll never win an Oscar, but he’ll always have a career….and a life.

So there you have it. Is this asking too much? I want to be a random day player on “Law & Order” (Adam LeFevre, you lucky bastard!)or any of the soaps that shoot in NYC. I feel this is the simplest goal to have as an actor.

I don’t want to be Tom Cruise.

I don’t need to be Tom Cruise.

I just want to be “Guy in Hallway #2”