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ActorQuest - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Bway 7
By: Kristin Huffman Feb. 16, 2007
In November, Kristin Huffman made her Broadway debut as Sarah (flute, piccolo and sax) in John Doyle's production of Company. The actress continues her collection of stories about a 15-year career that has led her to the door of the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
PICKLES
Live theatre is my main love, but there are times when a commercial or industrial is a nice change of pace. There are definite perks. Today's adventure was a Peter Piper Pickles commercial. I haven't done a "food" commercial in a long time. Not since Winchester Farms Sausage, where I had to eat a bratwurst 50 takes in a row. But today I got back in the swing.
The cool part is that it was to be shot in a great house in a very wealthy area of Connecticut. I had no lines and all I had to do is watch my "son" eat a pickle. Our "call time" was 11:30 and once I arrived I talked with the hair and makeup lady for a bit. Then I talked with my "son's" mother, Cindy, for a bit. Then we broke for lunch. So far it was a really taxing day. I took the opportunity to wander about the huge mansion. Technically I guess you could call it sneaking as we were only supposed to be using the kitchen and one other downstairs room. But I checked out all the rooms and formed opinions about the decor, confirming two of my suspicions about wealth. First, it doesn't mean you have taste. And second, your children may not thank you for it. This based on the bumper sticker I saw stuck to the 16 year old girl's closet that read: "Therapy has taught me that YOU are to blame".
Poor Chad had to say his line to the camera "Pickle People love Peter Piper's" and then chomp down on the pickle sandwich while smiling at the camera. Right before all this action, Cindy informed me that Chad had a really bad gag reflex. She said he had to do a tomato soup commercial once and since he hates tomato soup she was worried during the whole shoot that he would throw up. This was nothing compared to the panic I could see in her face as they started shooting the "chomping down" portion of the commercial. I found myself hoping that he hadn't had any of the chocolate pudding that was on the lunch table.
In comparison, my part was rather painless. "Ok Kristin, now just pretend you are watching your son build this sandwich and then watch him eat it". Chad had been excused and so I was just pretending to see him eat, but all I could think of was his gag reflex and the expression on his face as he held back vomit take after take. Like the pro that I am, though, I gave them a broad range of "looks" to pick from in all of about 20 minutes. A couple may have looked nauseated but I am sure some were usable.
So after two hours of waiting around to shoot 20 minutes of facial expressions, sneaking around someone else's house, and watching a kid practically throw up on pickles I was sent home a little wealthier, and with seven jars of free pickles.
Sometimes live theatre just can't compare with THAT.
