The Only Proof You Get

There’s Peggy Olsen, portrayed by Elisabeth Moss, up front and centre in a still from TV’s Mad Men.
Were you one of the actors in the background, one of the uncredited workers who helped make everything seem more realistic?
If you are, let me know. Tell me what it was like on set that day.
It’s been 19 years since the show launched in 2007. Do you remember it?
This could be a fascinating experiment: Finding actors from one of those unsearchable, ungoogleable moments in time.
If we are all separated from one another by only six degrees, it’s not unfeasible.
Imagine seeing a comment such as this on the blog: Matt, hi, yeah, that’s me, there, in the corner, what a day, and do I have a story from that take…

I am used to playing parts without getting credit.
Don’t feel too sorry for me, I received decent remuneration, for the greater part.
And that’s reality from “The Universe of Normal.”
Employees, family members, students… They all pitch up for roles that are not in the spotlight, but are still just as essential, making it look real, making it work, making it relatable, making it essential.

Most of the roles out there are ordinary, but the show must go on, play them well, regardless.

Because I’ve never been on TV I write. I document “the everyday” to remind myself that I was there.
At 3AM the existential fractures wake you, wrenching your mind from a good night’s rest.
And those questions do come.
Was it worth it?
Did I matter?
Was it all a lie?
Looking back at the documents, you might not get answers, but just proof.
Maybe when you need it most.

Disclaimer: Image courtesy of Mad Men (AMC/Lionsgate Television). All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.