3. THE NEXT ORLANDO BLOOM

Meetings with casting directors can be awful things. With auditions (bad and all as they are) at least you have an idea of what you are going for and so can prepare for it accordingly. Meetings, however, are just a general hello, this is me, I hope you like me and I certainly hope you might consider seeing me for an audition in the future. You have no opportunity to wow them with with any kind of acting talent you hope to possess, its just you and your history laid out bare in front of them....no lines to read......no scenes to perform. Just you. And that's scary. I had a few in my first year trying to be an actor and let me tell you they did not go well.

I had a doozy this week.

If you are an avid fan of rolling credits at the end of movies you will have heard of John Hubbard. Pretty much any big movie or television drama with some kind of English or Irish connection will have the hubbards involved in some way. This is a very powerful man.

And I had a meeting with him.

And it went well.....

Because of the show I'm doing at the moment and the award nomination I received suddenly people are taking me a lot more seriously than they used to and that's very welcome indeed. I'm sitting in an office in central London with one of the biggest screen casting directors and he's chatting to me about how he hates the bridge in waterford and how he prefers the Passage East car ferry to it. Its going well. We chat about my work and he's not losing interest and sending me on my way. Very good sign. He gets a phone call and instead of ending the meeting he asks me to wait. Good.....good. While he talks about how some (probably well famous) actor is not right for a role because he's not severe enough I'm nosying and catch sight of a folder which says "Return of the King Casting Notes"................ah for jesus' sake! What's going to happen here? Is he going to end that call and tell me that although the actor he was just talking about is not severe enough for the part it doesn't matter a damn because I am and could i start filming monday on Bryan Singer's new movie?

I'll have to think about it john.

Yeah right. I would never have said that and what's more I didn't get the chance to be in the situation to do so. Pipe dreams belong up a pipe remember.....but stranger things have happened. Just not this time. A further 5 minutes of pleasantries and the meeting is over. But its gone well, I can feel it. And I don't say that very often. nice.

So the agent phones the next day. Please excuse me as I paraphrase......

"I spoke to Hubbards this morning and John reeeaaalllly Liked you."

Sound.

"He said you came across very well and he liked your background"

All going well so far.

"you see there is a new film they are casting called Tiny Dancer and there is a part there for a man 25 - 30. Nerd"

Well I can do nerd. Believe me, I can do nerd!

"And I was hoping by meeting you he would consider you for it"

Keep going. Don't stop now!

"But......"

ah

"He just got a call from the american producers that morning and he was instructed to find, for that part, the next Orlando Bloom."

Ah there's the rub. I've just had a great meeting with a very important person, he likes me a lot. he wants to see me for things in the future. That's the great news. The thing is, I guess there comes a time in every actors life when they realise they are not.........the next Orlando Bloom! It makes you stop and think alright. Do I really want a 2005 calender based on my visage?

Nah.

The next Orlando Bloom?

Not me buddy. Wont sell enough calenders.

I like meetings a lot more now though.