"...So it was finally here - shoot night! The bleachers were full and from what I heard, mostly important industry people. I must admit waiting for my first scene after the cameras were rolling on the first Jerry's-living-room scene made me a little nervous. Sure I'd been acting for quite a few years and in every different situation. I'd done theater where set pieces have fallen in front of an audience, actors not showing up for an entrance in front of an audience, improv comedy in front of an audience where anything could happen, and film where the close-up is all powerful. The close-up on film is very exciting as everyone has already done their work to get to that moment. So if it's your close-up, you can make or break everyone else's work. It's up to you. If you nail it, you're everyone's hero. If you blow it, there is more work for all. But still, I was a little nervous. This was
Seinfeld
after all, the hottest show on TV. When it was time for us to move into the soup kitchen for my first scene and I took my place behind the counter, the thought struck me, with four film cameras rolling-if I blew a take, would it not cost more than they were paying me? That kind of blew my mind. (Okay, I grew up in the sixties)...
...And then came the awful sound that you shouldn't hear until the scene is over, and you know you nailed it. "Cut!" My stomach knotted. "Was it something I did?"
Read
Confessions of a Soup Nazi; An Adventure in Acting and Cooking
for this and many other stories and the recipes that follow. Every story has a recipe and every recipe has a story.