(We're still sitting in limbo on this thing, so I don't know how much info I can divulge, or would be allowed to divulge. Just to be on the safe side, I'm not going to name the casting company, the casting director, or the network.)
Anyway, we received a call from the casting company, who seemed very interested, and we set up a time for the whole family to participate in a taped interview. This was done over Skype (gotta' love technology). It was a hoot. It went on about four hours, one after the other of us sitting down in the chair, ahead of the camera, facing the director..."Don't look directly at me," he said, "Look directly into the camera when you're answering a question." We were also not suppose to use pronouns, but to answer the question in complete sentences so when he edited the tape it would be very clear what we were talking about. He also taught us a few hand signals-- the motions for 'wrap it up', more enthusiasm, cut, etc.
He told us that they usually don't allow other family members around when one is being interviewed, but they wanted to see how we interacted with each other. It was actually a riot. Little Emma was really shy and didn't want to talk to the director at first, until my daughter's boyfriend (whom Emma adores) picked her up, sweeping her off her feet, sitting her in the chair ahead of the camera; I handed Emma her cat, which she held during the process. (The casting director was absolutely terrific, he put Emma at ease within minutes.)
John (my son) came to the table for his turn, all 6' 2" of him with his super long hair and waxed mustache. The director: "There's a lot of girls out here (California) who would appreciate you." "I'll keep that in mind." John shot back.
Beth (one of my daughters) was asked how honest and open we are with communication. Can we talk about intimate things? Give me an example of something your mother has told you. Beth: "My mom told me never to brush my teeth with mint toothpaste and give my boyfriend a blow job."...at this the director had a shocked looked on his face for a split second, burst into laughter, threw his arms in the air, and literally disappeared off his chair.
It was several weeks later that I received a call from the casting director. He was over-the-moon excited. He told me that the network loved our interview and we were in the top running against two or three other families for a new reality show. There was one more hitch-- when the first interview was taped, Joe and my daughter Laura were working. They missed out. The casting director set up a date to tape them.
Joe had finally agreed to the interview (which at first he didn't want to do), the day came, and he went through it like a pro. Then there was Laura-- she was in a bad mood that day and decided she wasn't going to do it. The director was aghast. It took us over three hours to persuade her to sit down for the interview-- the director was beside himself, running his hands through his hair, cajoling, convincing, pleading: "She has no idea what's at stake here," he said. "Financially, this has the potential to be big, really, big; it could change your life."
She finally agreed. They talked.
The interview was completed.
Now we wait.
We've all said that if nothing comes from this, the experience itself was really cool. How many people can say they've been interviewed for their own television show, it was a hoot. We had fun, and it will be something to tell our grandkids about. Life is full of surprises...but, just in case, we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Great story, thank you for sharing :o)
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