I Was A Wordless Extra on "The Heights" for One Day, But Where’s My Emmy?

Enter the mind of a true thespian.

The actor’s process is one of the most inscrutable, sometimes imperceptible art forms in the modern era. I should know, because late last year I was asked to spend 25 minutes on the set of ABC soap opera The Heights as a background artist, inhabiting the role of "Community Member #2".

It was my first acting work since my Year 12 OSP, in which I performed a satirical, self-written monologue wherein I played a game show host. It's still spoken about in hushed whispers across the nation’s drama departments.

After that, I retired from treading the boards, having climbed to a peak few actors have ever seen. But when offered the opportunity to witness the behind-the-scenes goings on at The Heights during the production of its second season, I felt the familiar tug from old Thespis himself.

Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in (to play Community Member #2).

I cannot describe to you the scene in question where I embody Community Member #2, on account of spoilers (as it comes in Episode 25 of the new season), though I can share that it takes place in a café. In honour of the show’s inclusive spirit—it’s set in a gentrifying Perth neighbourhood, with a sincere focus on a diverse cast of young actors—the café largely traffics in Greek sweets. My instruction, as Community Member #2, was to sit in front of a pre-nibbled pastizzi and sip some tea while wearing a costume from the wardrobe department. I was adorned with a spotted shirt, replacing the striped shirt I had worn in. The transmogrification was complete.

Another background artist, playing Community Member #1, was given an honest-to-goodness line, but I took this snub in my stride. I would instead need to channel Anna Paquin’s devastating work in The Irishman, and imbue my character’s complex past, and love for pastizzi, with only my haunted eyes.

Alas, under the glare of the camera’s lens, I froze, and I spent all of Take 1 staring off into the middle distance. When the Assistant Director informed me I was being unsettlingly still, I was given some business to do with my hands (I could now paw at my phone) that would help me appear animated, or, at the very least, alive. Filming continued, and as I brought the tea to my mouth, it occurred to me that I could no longer remember how to complete this very simple, everyday act. Afraid of having it clatter on the downward trajectory to the saucer, I performed the longest putting down of a mug in history. The teapot was soon refilled with hot water, and I was warned to be careful. Great, now I’m a stuntman too.

Eventually, the nerves subsided, and soon I had travelled so deeply into the psyche of Community Member #2 that I was he and he was I. We both sipped the tea. We both played with our pastizzi. I had forgotten my own life outside of this café. When I was asked by the AD to react to the events unfolding around me by appearing alarmed, I felt it was a betrayal of every instinct I held. Community Member #2 just wouldn’t do that. Instead, in the final product, you might catch a subtle twitch; a slight cocking of the ear; a gentle half-smile; even maybe a nose scratch. This was how I chose to register my alarm (except for the nose scratch; that was just because I had an itchy nose).

Before finally calling it a scene, a cameraperson asked the director if they were happy with "the head" in the foreground, referring to me, situated in front of the two actual stars. I didn’t respond. From now and until the episode’s airdate, I only respond to Member. Community Member. (#2.)

The Heights returns to the ABC and iView on 12 March 2020, airing Thursdays at 8pm.

Header Image: Sabine Albers (Supplied)